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C352 - Tactics

It felt strange to see Milia 222 under such dim illumination. The platform where the city grew hid the dome on lower level 2 from the constant pale-blue light radiated by the ceiling, but that didn't mean that the whole area was dark.

The platform on lower level 1 didn't cover the entirety of the asteroid, leaving a few areas where the ceiling's glow could pass. Moreover, the other side of the city had a few artificial lights that engulfed those lower areas in a dim, purple halo that stated who owned the place.

The underground dome also had a few lights on its metal surface, which allowed Khan to study the area during his trip on the elevator. He could immediately confirm that the lower level 2 was only a fifth of the city above, and he even saw small vehicles approaching it from different spots.

'They have secret entrances,' Khan understood from that quick inspection.

The dome couldn't reveal anything else from the elevator's perspective, but Khan still tried his best to memorize the location of the secret entrances. He guessed those vehicles came from even deeper parts of the asteroid, but the poor illumination prevented him from finding clues that could support his hypothesis.

The elevator stopped right next to the dome's base, and its landing gave Khan an idea of the general heights of the structures inside. There couldn't be skyscrapers there, which hinted at the presence of a relatively small population.

The elevator's entrance opened together with a door on the dome's metal surface. Khan stepped forward only to find himself in a bright chamber illuminated by the Nele's iconic purple lights, but the various menus that appeared on the walls didn't surprise him.

The investigators had explained that procedure on the reports. Khan browsed through the menus before letting the chamber do the rest. A few holes opened on the metal walls and blew dense air that converged on his figure. A countdown that started from one minute also appeared in front of him.

According to the reports, that procedure aimed to remove any substance that could cause problems for the dome's environment. Yet, Khan noticed that the chamber did far more than that. It also targeted the scent and brims of the synthetic mana that had remained attached to his clothes or body.

Many questions appeared in Khan's mind, but he answered all of them as soon as the chamber let him go. A long corridor unfolded past the exit, and his senses immediately noticed a stunning feature.

'This is natural mana!' Khan gasped when the comforting embrace of the energy inside the corridor enveloped him.

'How is this even possible?' Khan wondered while focusing on the purple light coming out from the corridor's corners.

The corridor's insides only had natural mana, but its artificial lights seemed powered by synthetic energy. Khan couldn't be entirely sure about that detail since the metal walls hindered his senses, but a lot of the area pointed in that direction.

'The two energies don't interact with each other,' Khan confirmed as his inspection continued. 'The Nele must have invested on high-end channels to move the synthetic mana without letting any of it taint the environment.'

A normal human wouldn't understand that obsession toward natural mana, but Khan was different. He actually rejoiced when his thoughts went on his techniques. He had given up on using the [Blood Vortex] on Milia 222, but the Nele might open that option again.

The environment after the corridor only confirmed Khan's guess. A green scenery unfolded in his vision once the exit opened. Trees, general vegetation, and actual ground appeared in his eyes while a wave of natural mana filled his senses.

Khan couldn't believe what he saw. The dome had proper woods growing in its insides. He could also sense the presence of Tainted animals in the symphony played by the mana, but he couldn't understand anything specific from that position.

The pure amazement couldn't last long. Khan felt forced to focus when a series of intense gazes converged on his figure. A path stretched from the corridor's exit. Multiple small houses or stands stood at its sides, and their owners had all peeked out of doors and windows to study Khan.

That reaction wasn't surprising. Khan expected something similar from a settlement entirely occupied by Nele, and the investigators had also mentioned something similar in the reports.

The Nele allowed access to their home. They couldn't forbid that on Milia 222. The seven asteroids only had a few private areas, which mostly involved special mansions or fabrics that required guardians with special agreements with the police.

Still, even without regulations, it was common sense to refrain from going into certain areas for superficial reasons. The species on Milia 222 survived and lived together through silent agreements and general respect for their different customs, and those rules became more important in locations similar to the underground dome.

A few na?ve, careless, or uncaring travelers would still disregard those silent rules, but things rarely ended well for them. In Khan's case, no one would be able to find him if the Nele decided to make him disappear. The alien on the other side of the elevator could simply claim to know nothing about the matter to put an end to the eventual investigation.

The Nele that were inspecting Khan were trying to understand the reasons behind his visit. They were also paying attention to his movements to see whether he disrespected their home, but he didn't commit any mistake.

Khan remained on the path without vegetation as he studied his surroundings. The investigators had relied on a polite but slightly forceful approach during their visit. They had questioned every Nele willing to talk to them, but Khan planned to use a far different tactic.

Khan didn't interact with anyone as he walked through the path. His eyes darted left and right as he let his senses scan anything that didn't end in his vision.

The settlement seemed to have many houses with only a few shops. Still, the latter weren't too uncommon along the path. Khan could see many stands with potions, pendants, or other simple items that radiated distinct and peculiar strands of mana.

However, the areas outside the path seemed to contain the most interesting aspects of the settlement. Khan had to suppress the urge to step on the vegetation and explore the woods whenever vague traces of battles or training areas reached his senses.

The general style of the buildings was as crude as possible. The Nele had tried to limit the presence of items that could affect the purity of the dome's mana, so the houses and the shops mostly relied on natural materials.

Wood, leaves, and metal slabs without the slight trace of synthetic mana made most of the buildings and prevented them from growing past three or four stories. The settlement resembled an excellent and clean version of the Slums, with only a slight presence of technology.

As for Khan, he felt to have gone back on Nitis' environments. Everything under the dome was different from that cold planet. The temperature was quite high, the symphony of mana was unfamiliar, and the energy radiated by the Nele was unique, but Khan still found some comfort while walking on the path.

That feeling came from the general atmosphere that filled the dome's insides. Khan didn't know how, but he felt sure that the aliens living there had a deep attachment and respect toward the mana. He could almost sense that detail on his skin.

Needless to say, the Nele didn't share Khan's calm and happy mindset. They were wary about his presence, and his seemingly unfocused behavior only intensified their worries.

Any other human or alien would have asked questions by then. Even regular travelers would have visited shops or similar structures to interact with the population. Yet, Khan ignored all of that to have a peaceful stroll on the path surrounded by woods.

As the minutes passed, the Nele grew nervous. They were overprotective toward their kind and home, so they suspected Khan of harboring ill intentions. That wouldn't even be their first time dealing with criminals visiting the dome only to understand its structural weaknesses.

Eventually, the Nele decided to use one of their most effective ploys. They knew how powerful their pheromones were, and their customs gave them many reasons to kick out outsides as long as they met some conditions.

A small group of beautiful Nele came out of the woods to step on the path and walk toward Khan. They were all young, stunning women, and they marched side by side to occupy most of the road.

Khan barely flinched at that sight. The group had no intention to space for Khan, but he stepped on the grass next to the path and used his light steps to leave the vegetation almost untouched.

The women couldn't help but feel surprised at the swiftness of Khan's movements. He has sprinted around them without making any sound or hurting the grass. He didn't even glance at the group to inspect their departing figures.

The Nele inspecting the scene understood that they couldn't use the pheromones to trick Khan, so they moved to their next tactic. A series of kids came out of the woods to follow a toy flying a few meters above their heads.

The toy flew toward Khan, but he easily dodged it. However, the kids charged at him as if they didn't realize that he was standing on the path.

Of course, Khan had understood what was happening. He had long since sensed the Nele spying him from the woods, and the reports had also warned him. The investigators didn't meet similar problems, but Khan expected his different tactic to cause that reaction.

A simple evasive technique allowed Khan to avoid all the kids. He didn't touch any of them, but the Nele's ploy didn't stop there.

"[Ouch]!" One of the kids fell to the ground when she realized that Khan had crossed the group.

Khan glanced at the scene and sighed. He could guess what was about to happen, so he prepared for the imminent discussion.

"Hey, you!" A male Nele shouted while coming out of a house near Khan's position. "Yes, I'm talking to you. Can't you understand your own language?"

Khan understood that he couldn't avoid that problem since the Nele approached him. His first instinct was to wear a fake smile, but he dropped it when a question left his mouth. "What is it, sir?"

"What do you mean?!" The Nele angrily replied. "You used a martial art among kids. Do you have no respect for my kind?"

"It's the exact opposite," Khan stated. "I'm in awe of what you have built here. I never expected to find a place with such pure mana on Milia 222."

Khan's statement startled the adult Nele. He didn't expect a human to sense the difference between synthetic and natural mana, but that only made Khan more dangerous in his mind. Someone like him really had the chance to find structural weaknesses in the dome.

"Why did you use a martial art so recklessly then?" The Nele continued. "People like you aren't welcome here."

"I have shown nothing but respect for your customs," Khan responded. "I hoped you would have done the same. My control over my martial art makes it far from reckless."

"How can you say that when you made a kid fall?!" The Nele insisted.

"Why are you blaming me for something you told her to do?" Khan asked before glancing at the kid on the ground. "[Isn't that right, young lady]?"

The kid almost nodded, but the adult Nele interrupted the scene with another question. "Are you calling me a liar?"

"Well," Khan uttered. "I understand that you must be as careful as possible, but, yes. Technically, you lied."

"[Arrogant human]!" The Nele shot forward while drawing something from his pocket.

Khan noticed the lack of killing intent in the Nele's attack. The root he had taken out of his pocket only pretended to aim at his face. Khan could even dodge it easily, but he opted for a different approach.

Everything ended in an instant. The Nele's eyes widened when he saw that Khan had grabbed the alien's wrist to move it closer to his face. The root had ended up piercing his cheek, and a trace of blood had started to fall from that spot.

"You should at least aim properly when pretending to attack," Khan laughed as he let go of the wrist and took a step back to make the root leave his cheek.

"You touched me," The Nele whispered.

"[Stop this]," A voice interrupted the event, and Khan smiled at the figure that had come out of the woods.. He couldn't fail to recognize Jenna from the first asteroid.

To be continued