The Underground System

*Bang!*

Gavin closed his room door.

His uncle, who was inside, asked him, "Who were they?"

Still not over what he just went through, Gavin spat out, "A new company looking for people to test out their product."

His words managed to attract Uncle Todd's attention as he asked, "Oh, we get a lot of them nowadays. What product do they produce?"

"Cultivation pills. They have alchemists from overseas producing the pills while their branch imports it."

With a skeptical look, Uncle Todd asked, "Are they certified?"

In Aztec, any establishment had to be certified before opening up.

Gavin replied, "Yes."

"Eh, that is strange…..." thought out loud Uncle Todd.

"I know, but they showed me a copy of their certificate," agreed Gavin.

He continued, "They must be the first business to have their own private importation line."

"Seems like the times are changing," mused Uncle Todd.

Normally, importation is done through an organization managed by the higher-ups, but now if they have given green light for other businesses to establish their own importation line, then things are changing.

"So, the company wants you to be the face of their product," figured out Uncle Todd.

"Yes. They just want to use my influence," grumbled Gavin.

"Heh, so why did you not accept it?"

Gavin looked out the window as he mulled over his uncle's words before giving an honest reply, "If I rely on the pills. If I have to discard my mere power, then it is not worth it. It won't be fair to the other participants."

"Heh, I know you. While you may be kind, you are not that foolish. What is your true reason?" mocked Uncle Todd.

"As expected I can't hide from you. My reason is simple and childish. I don't want to rely on another power to defeat him," firmly said Gavin.

He clenched his fists at the thought of his former friend.

Uncle Todd scrutinized him with an intense gaze. He realized such behavior was just like his nephew.

"Well, do as you like. No pressure" reminded Uncle Todd.

A few years ago, he had warned his elder brother not to follow through with his plan but was not heeded.

Now, a few years later, the consequences of the plan brought a rift between two impossibly close friends.

It had also made him unable to pursue his lover who was on the other side of the ever-growing river.

Perhaps, that necessary for the success of their family. That was the sacrifice needed.

Gavin's situation managed to bring back a lot of memories as tears slipped down the corner of his eyes unnoticed. Even he didn't know that there were tears in his eyes.

...

The day was currently in the afternoon.

Jake sat in the library on a desk filled with a large number of books.

He was currently in the Capital Library and quite happy, though one couldn't tell from his face.

Jake was always an avid reader. He loved all kinds of books and believed no matter how unrealistic some might be. They still served their purposes.

Whether it books on scientific theory, books on the theory of Qi, fantasy books, auxiliary books, or just plain books, they all had a hidden message.

Just by reading them, one could feel connected to the world of the author and understand it better.

It was a similar situation to his technique book. Reading it helped him discover things that would help him, especially the previous owner's accounts on the various stages.

That was how books were. They would make one ponder and imagine the unthinkable. Some would provide knowledge that one wasn't aware of.

In his previous world, Jake would read boring books just to gain knowledge. It helped him identify his targets and know them better.

It helped him understand the psyche of any opponent he meets, which could be seen from his previous fights.

So, Jake came to the library to feel at home and also, to seek information on various things.

He had been in the library for quite some time, close to about six hours, and had already read multiple books.

Currently, he was reading one about the physical map of Aztec.

'Hmm...' hummed Jake as he found something.

It said the early settlers had constructed an underground system in the Capital during the warring ages.

The underground system led to the Dark Forest and could be used as a last-minute resort during emergencies.

However, it was destroyed during a battle with a Netheran.

Reading the words, Jake got puzzled, 'The underground tunnel in the guest house was possibly part of the system. The closed-end align with the words in the book. But if that was true, then why were the masked men so sure of finding what they were looking for.'

Jake remembered that the masked men didn't account for the tunnel having a closed-end.

On second thought, this did not seem right. The masked men were nobles and would have access to the library and other information systems.

Giving how professional they were, they would have known that the tunnel leads to a dead end. Yet, they didn't.

It was very strange. Jake guessed that the underground system wasn't technically buried and while inactive, could still be used for a few purposes.

Jake continued reading, 'The underground system was built by five hundred master constructors and span all over Aztec. It was used as a military device and quite a lot of Netherans died there...….'

Jake spent ten minutes on the book. This was only possible because he could read things very fast and had a photographic memory.

Most of the books in the library were like meals to him. There was no harm in memorizing all of them.

Few hours passed and Jake was still immersed in his world.

He only noticed the time after he was done with a book.

He noticed there was no reflection from the sun, 'Hmmm, I have to go. I have plans for tonight.'

He picked up a bag and packed the remaining books while leaving those he had read on the table.

Jake walked to the counter and talked to the spectacle lady, "I would like to take this out."

When Jake came in, he had conversed with her. Hence, the nickname he gave her, "spectacle lady", as she looked nice in glasses.

"You said previously that you don't have an identity card," confirmed the spectacle lady.

"Yes, I'm a commoner, but---"

"--I remember your face. You are one of the participants in the annual competition," mused the spectacle lady.

She pushed up her glasses in an effort to look more lady-like.

Looking at this, Jake mentally laughed, 'as expected, I'm too handsome.'

The lady continued, "Due to your participation, you can be held accountable. I will just need you to fill in other information."

She passed a paper to Jake who collected it along with a pen.

He wrote filled in the details. Even going further to write down his room number and the time he was free to accept visitors.

After he passed it down to the lady, she blushed as she saw his words and allowed him to leave with books.

While leaving, Jake quipped in, "It would be nice to see you again."

Joyously, he carried his bag and walked to the guest house.