The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

Demon fastened his sword to his waist. Ever since the end of the war, he ventured out solely to destroy and kill. This time was a rarity in his life of endless destruction. He had killed many during the war and many more in his path for revenge. But now, he was going to spend a trip in peace and spend money like an ordinary person. Memories resurfaced as his mind turned to the scenes of Oscar and Avril enjoying their outings. He had watched from inside Oscar during every moment yet could not comprehend. Why had they wasted their precious time?

His actions demanded a reason. Demon climbed the stairs and joined Auren on the deck. The air was serene because a barrier kept the rushing winds from disturbing the peace. He heard the winds brushing against the airship's defenses, only able to mildly shake the vessel, much to Auren's inconvenience since the boy's face turned a sickly green. What a weak child. Smacking Auren's back, he sent a wave of comforting Ein. Auren's cheeks returned to a healthy red flush.

Demon sighed, thinking it was a shame that Auren had a very weak body, a far cry from the ingenious mind that rested in his head. He was a noncombatant like Eve and Restel. Auren sang his praises. Demon ignored them, ordered him to go inside and read the documents provided by Charlotte, and approached Helen, who stood a few feet away and peered from the edge of the airship. She stared in the direction of Oldeye Island, which was long gone past the horizon. Perhaps she missed Hector.

"Your husband will be alright. No one can match his strength in the Lunate Continent." Demon said in fake comfort.

"Leave my affairs alone. Worry more about your wife. Her heart must be breaking every moment you're away." Helen showed a disapproving glance.

"She's fine where she is now. I'll return to her after this is all over." Demon hated to pretend to care, especially when they brought up Avril. But Helen and Hector had known Oscar before the tragedy, forcing him to act like his words still have some semblance of Oscar's character. If it weren't for their skills in alchemy and forging and their prowess in battle, he would not have wanted them to join.

"Lady Helen, who is Lord Draven's wife?" Auren overheard their conversation and exclaimed excitedly, practically skipping over like a bunny, a pair of wide eyes on his face. What was he doing out here? Helen held her hand over her mouth, looking at Demon, concern lining her forehead.

'Should I kill him?' Demon considered it, shifting his stance slightly, indiscernible to Helen's watchful gaze. He sealed off all information about his past and ordered Helen and Hector to keep his identity secret. These former experiments trusted him completely, but he didn't trust them to be reliable. A slip of the tongue could bring down entire empires, much less his group. Oscar Terr was dead for now. He needed to be dead, or else he might die before his plans reached fruition.

"Auren. Keep it a secret from the others. The reason your lord doesn't wish to disclose his past or know any of yours is so nothing can threaten them." Helen acted before he could and covered Auren, her back acting as a wall between them.

Demon stopped listening to their words after he reassessed the ramifications of killing Auren and realized that the list of demerits was too long. If Auren didn't say a word, then Demon had nothing to worry about. But relying on their due diligence wasn't good enough. The danger brought to light that he might need to learn a restriction spell to halt their tongues whenever they spill secrets.

"I won't mention your wife to anyone else! Please believe in me!" Auren knelt, backed by Helen's hand on his shoulder, a warm gaze from her blue eyes. That was easier said than done. Receiving a nod from him, Auren hurried to his feet and scampered back inside.

"Have anything to say?" Demon asked. Helen never stopped gazing at him, barely blinking in silent terror as if she understood his previous thoughts. He didn't bother to say anything else and separated from her, occupying the opposite edge and staring at their destination while they descended.

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Down below, many ships lazily floated, swaying to the soft tides while their flags, hoisted high on the masts, fluttered to the breeze. Laughter and chattering reached him even from a far distance, coming from the fisherman and passengers enjoying the salty breeze and basking in the soothing sunlight. The two suns beamed from a cloudless sky. A few of the ships journeyed back to shore where a great city-port greeted them with the open arms of their docks, numerous and shaped like gulfs.

The city encompassed the entire small peninsula. Water drawn from the docks and shores streamed into the city's built-in waterways, sandwiched between the streets connected by stone, arched bridges. Many small boats rode the artificial rivers, and the boaters waved to the onlookers from the streets. Helen steered the airship into one of the docks, tossing a few gold coins to the port worker to keep the ship secure.

Stepping on one of the wooden bridges that extended from the dock, Demon felt water squishing under his soles, overgrown moss sticking to his toes. Busy couldn't describe the large metropolis. The fishmongers shouted to roaring crowds, banging their metal drums to host auctions in a rapid speech that Demon could not understand, but everyone else did, raising their hands to bid. In other markets, he saw workers carving up everything from regular fish to Exalt Beasts that swam in their waters, displaying their meat for customers. A few even had fun, tossing fish around while slapping them to the onlooker's enjoyment.

"Welcome to Belnicce Port. Need a tour?" A tour guide, dressed in a casual button-up shirt and shorts that reeked of fish, patted his small boat and laughed, tying his blue bandana over his hair. "Or if there's a place you must be, I can take you there in a jiffy! No one dares to say they knew more than me!" He puffed his chest in pride.

"How much for a trip to the Alchemist Guild?" Helen asked.

"For you, my lady, free. The ocean at the sunrise can't compare to your beauty." The tour guide was quite daring for an ordinary man to court a Greater Marshal Exalt.

"Save your flattery for someone else. Here's a gold coin." Helen shoved aside the man's flirting and threw a gold coin. She ignored his helping hand and leaped onto the bow, landing gracefully by floating down. Auren leaped in after her, and Demon followed suit, the boat visibly sinking once he stepped on.

"Ye! Quite a heavy man!" The tour guide peeped over the side, measuring the new length the water reached on his boat. He murmured, "Over three hundred pounds?" He quickly turned away after glancing at Demon, a bead of sweat dripping down his sideburns. He cleared his throat and shouted, "All aboard! To the Alchemist Guild."

The boat moved to the tour guide's rowing, his oar swishing the waters as foam bubbled on the surface. A few gawked at Demon's large figure, some children pointing in terror and confusion. Too many prying eyes bore down on him. He slowly gripped his sword, ready to counter any ambushes. Though this place was still in the group of continents that held no New Dawn bases, their agents could be wandering anywhere. He wasn't sure of his safety, no matter where he went.

Stone buildings lined the streets in neat rows, well-polished to a fine sheen that showed cleanliness opposite the city where the stench of fish and seawater filled the entire place. Past the docks, the boat floated further into the inner city, the buildings more refined than the previous ones. Here, the majority of people roamed the streets, busy at the stores for goods other than the fish that dominated the outer markets. The smell of fish and seawater no longer surrounded him, but his clothes had already sunk deep into it, unable to escape the stench.

Helen held her nose, knitting her brow, clearly hating the smell. Auren darted his gaze at everywhere and everyone, his eyes dazzling in wonder. Would he be fine with these two? He wished he had other options, but the others were too eye-catching, and Helen's connections and status were required.

A few minutes later, the boat stopped near a platform, bobbing to the river's swaying, and the tour guide pointed west. "The Alchemist Guild's that way. Thanks for the gold." After they got off the boat, he rowed away, presumably to find his next customer.

Helen took out an elixir, a strange one that held powder instead of liquid. She sprayed the powder over everyone, the salty fish stench no longer clinging to their clothes. In fact, there was no odor. Turning a few corners, he followed behind Helen, behaving like a bodyguard as they reached the Alchemist Guild, a massive mansion that stood arrogantly with golden glints outlining its bricks.

In the lobby, many stared at Demon, apprehension overwhelming their once-calm faces. As Helen spoke with the attendant and revealed her status, Demon sat with Auren and closed his eyes, traveling his mind to a distant body elsewhere, one that he created before landing the airship. The Duality body, garbed in a different mask and gray robes, snapped its eyes open and floated to another dock on the peninsula.

It was time to see what else this city offered.

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