Lantern Festival

The Everything guild.

" Good morning, sir. What can I help you with?" A female attendant asked as she stood behind the circular counter.

" I am here for the auction." Levi said.

" Oh! You are a bit late! The auction has already started!" The attendant exclaimed.

" Oh? In that case, I shouldn't have to wait too long then." Levi pulled a certain badge out from the spatial ring.

" Right away, sir!" The attendant smiled brightly.

Bright patterns appeared beneath Levi.

He then vanished into thin air.

" Hey, that kid..." A man sitting on a small stone bench spoke.

" Yeah, it's him...The owner of the Red Sky inn!" A man standing near said.

" Do you think that rumor about him is true?" The man on the bench asked.

" Haha, which one?" The other man asked.

" The one about how he is a monster?"

" The one about how he experiments on anyone who gets on his bad side?"

" Or the rumor that he drinks the blood of both man and beasts?"

" Or about how he murdered his entire clan because of some minor incident?

" Or, my personal favorite, that he is a shapeshifter!" The man recalled many rumors.

" There is even one about him being some kind of shrunk down giant!" The man said mockingly.

" Yeah, I heard that one, I think it's quite recent?" The man on the bench said.

" But in the sea of rumors, don't you think that at least one of them would hold some degree of truth?" He asked.

" Humph! All of the rumors surrounding that kid are ridiculous!"

" If you are gullible enough to believe them, then you should get your head checked while you are still here!" The other man walked away.

"....Didn't have to be so damn harsh!" The man sitting on the bench said angrily.

...

Inside the auction hall.

Levi sat, looking at the badge in his hand.

' Since I kept this thing in the spatial ring, it couldn't keep track of my efficiency in crafting inscriptions.'

' Even if I show this, no one will buy inscriptions from a 'low ranked beginner', hehe.' Levi thought.

' Well, I am not as desperate for money now, so it doesn't matter.' He thought.

" Next up! We have 5 ingots of Sponge Iron! The starting price will be 30,000 Silver coins! Every bid should be increased by at least 1,000!" The old auctioneer Explained.

" Huh? Sponge iron....?"

" Does anyone know what that is?"

" no.."

" uh-uh."

" 40,000!" A man shouted.

" If you don't know what it is, then there is no need for you to know! 40,000 going once! 40,000 going twice! Sold, to the sizeable gentlemen in the 5th row!" The auctioneer shouted.

" Man, what kind of auction doesn't explain it's items?!"

" Humph, well whatever! Their loss!" Some people complained.

" Next! We! Have! A small treasure ship that can hold a minimum of 1,000, or a maximum of 10,000 people! The starting price for this treasure, 500,000 silver coins!" The auctioneer shouted.

Two female attendants pushed a large metal trolley.

Secured on it was a bathtub-sized ship model.

" What?! Why so expensive already?!"

A person shouted.

" This is not a model, but the ship itself! As such, every bid should be increased by no less than 20,000 silver coins!!" The auctioneer exclaimed without explaining.

" What?!?!"

" Increase by 20,000 your sister!!"

" Resorting to daylight robberies now?!"

Multiple people exploded.

" Now, now, I would thank you to leave my sister out of this!" The old auctioneer shouted.

" Many of the items that appear here come from the Jade Sword continent, so I don't expect you to know about them!"

" But, do you expect to be spoonfed?! If you want to know about something, do your own research! The list of items is released beforehand for this reason!"

" In the end, even if certain things are not bought here, they will be sent to someplace else until they are sold!"

" So when you don't know what something is, or you don't understand it's value, keep your traps shut and wait for the next item!!" The old auctioneer's anger finally exploded.

" Ahem...Now! Place your bids!" He regained his composure.

" 540,000!"

" Humph! 560,000!"

" 600,000"

" Ahhh! 660,000!"

" Huff! 680,000! Huff!"

" Hmm, 800,000." A calm voice rang out.

" Wha-!"

" Who?!"

People's heads spun as they looked for the voice's source.

" It's that brat!"

" H-Hey! shhh! Do you want him to hear you?!"

" so what if he-"

" Don't give me that crap! If you want to die, do it on your own, bastard!"

Shouts rang out.

" 8-820,000!" Someone shouted.

" I waited for the bidding to slow before starting, but it seems someone still hasn't given up." Levi mumbled.

' Hahaha, a brat is still a brat! You should have bid higher and broken their spirits completely.' The demon saint laughed.

" Oi, and whose money would be used for that? What can I do with broken spirits?" Levi asked.

' Plenty! You just nee-' The demon saint was interrupted.

" Shut up, demon saint." Levi said.

" 820,000 going once! Going twice! So-"

" 1,000,000." Levi interrupted the auctioneer.

"..."

The people went silent.

" Hehe, 1,000,000 going once!"

" Going twice!" He spoke after a long pause.

" Sold! To the scary eyed boy!" The auctioneer shouted with a grin.

" Now, the auction is over! I would like to say it was a pleasure being here today, but it wasn't! Pay for your items as usual, and have a good day!" The auctioneer said.

...

The people appeared in the main hall one by one.

" I will have someone come to retrieve my item." Levi told the attendant.

" Will it be the lady you are often seen with?" The attendant asked.

" Hmm." Levi nodded.

" Are you sure? Although no one will start anything in here, once people leave....that's another story altogether..." The attendant expressed her worries.

" Hmm, you don't have to worry, she can take care of herself." Levi said.

"....Alright, then." The attendant said after a small pause.

...

At the inn.

" Good morning, young master!" The old innkeeper said.

His voice echoed through the empty inn.

" Hmm, I haven't seen you in a while. Are those guys behaving themselves?" Levi asked.

" Yes, after miss aria had a talk with them, they settled down quite a bit." The old innkeeper said.

" Hmm. And aria's pills, how are they selling? Is the shop getting any customers?" Levi asked.

" Yes, although most of the customers are regular folk. Not many martial artists seem to be interested in the pills in our small store." The innkeeper said.

" Don't worry about that, old man jack. Sell pills to those who want them and forget those who don't." Levi said.

" I will be in my room if you need me." Levi said as he went up the stairs.

" Ok!....." The old innkeeper, old man jack looked at the empty staircase.

' I would never have imagined that my old rundown inn would become like this...' He thought.

'....Although it isn't mine anymore, this Red Sky inn fills me with pride every day...'

' The young master seems to have grown up a lot since our first meeting, too....'

' I wonder, is it normal to feel happy about the success of others?' Old man jack thought as he continued his sweeping.

...

Late evening.

The sun hid beneath the horizon line as the sky darkened.

"....Hmm..." Levi's eyes slowly cracked open.

" Young master?" Knocks rang out as old man jack shouted for Levi.

"....Come in." Levi said drowsily.

" What is with all of the noise?" He asked.

" It is the lantern festival!" Old man jack said.

".....Isn't that supposed to be later this month?" Levi asked.

" Hmm, but for some reason, it is early this year. You should go out and enjoy the festival, young master." Old man jack said.

"....I don't want to. I have been cultivating for the entire day."

" In addition to trying to fuse my qi and blood energy, I also unsuccessfully tried to do some things with blood energy."

" Not to mention the challenge of altering the hypnotizing steps...I just want to sleep..." Levi said.

" Well...The noise will only get worse..." Old man jack smiled helplessly.

" Go and get rid of them for me, then. Kill them all if you have to." Levi peeped through one of his eyes.

" Huh?" Old man jack began sweating.

" Obviously that was a joke. Sigh." Levi sat up as he moved some of his hair behind his ear.

' I didn't know you had the capacity for jokes, young master....' Old man jack thought.

" Where are those guys? I haven't seen them for the day." Levi asked while yawning.

" Miss Aria and the others? Hehe, they left before you. I don't think they returned yet." Old man jack snickered.

"....Is that so? I will just sit on the balcony." Levi said.

" Wha?! Young people should live to the fullest! You should go down and-" Old man jack was stopped by Levi's hand.

" If I feel like it, I will go. You should go enjoy yourself old man, take the evening off or something." Levi said.

"..." Old man jack watched as Levi walked towards the balcony.

Two chairs, along with a small circular table sat, covered in snow.

"....Tch." Levi clicked his tongue as blood energy rose from his body.

After removing the snow, he sat in one of the chairs.

The sound of drums and the shouts of people rang out.

Cylindrical paper lanterns of various colors floated through the air, illuminating the night sky.

Different aromas wafted through the air as people prepared food.

As Levi sat on his balcony, the people on the street below sang and ate.

They continuously released lanterns into the sky.

Some became drunk, but even then, they continued to march with the band.

Some slapped their drums while others plucked strings.

Some blew into their flutes while others sang.

" Purple, green, blue. More colors than last year." Levi Said softly.

"..." He sat in thought silently.

" Young master, if you are going to sit out in this cold, then at least eat something to warm yourself up!" Old man jack walked onto the balcony.

" Hmm, thanks." Levi said as he took the small bowl of lentil soup, along with two pieces of bread.

Old man jack then left.

"...It's good." Levi mumbled.

Clank!

After finishing, he put the bowl on the wooden guardrail.

".....That only sturred my hunger. I guess I will go down after all." Levi said while licking his lips.

He looked over before jumping down.

He landed softly on the ground and went on his way.

...

" Hmm?" Levi looked up at the sky.

' Lanterns giving off black light?' Levi thought as he stuffed his face with a kabob.

These black lanterns had two palm-sized alisee crosses on each side where white light escaped.

"..." He paid the stall owner and continued.

" Thanks!" The stall owner shouted.

After this, he went from stand to stand, buying any food that caught his eye.

" Hey~ How about young master spend some time with this big sister?" A seductive voice sounded.

" Hehe~ What a cute boy. Maybe you would prefer someone younger?" A less mature-sounding voice rang out.

" Oi, what are you two trying to do? You shouldn't pick the fruit before it ripens!" Another voice sounded, this time with a rough way of speaking.

"..." Levi looked at the 3 atop the relatively low balcony.

" Sigh, you should change your manner of speaking, Aspasia." The first one sighed.

" Spear me the lecture, men like variety!" The rough sounding Aspasia said.

" Huh? Aww, he left~" The youngest one said.

...

'...Tasty.' Levi bit into a large chicken leg.

" Hic! Wa shi-Hic! wha ish jish, Hic!" A drunk man stumbled while rambling.

" Hic! Bey-Hic! gare wid dizzold mad-Hic" He stumbled towards Levi.

'...'

" You shouldn't drink too much, old man. A lot of dangerous people walk these streets." Levi handed a wooden, sauce smeared plate with another chicken leg atop it to the man.

" Whadda jue-Hic! Dalking abot-hic?" The man asked as Levi paid the stall owner.

Levi then continued on his way.

Before he knew it, it was already past midnight.

" Ahnnnnn...Time to go back." He yawned while stretching.

After making his way back to the inn, he fell asleep instantly when he reached his bed.

...

Next morning, early.

"..." Levi sat cross-legged on his bed, his eyes closed.

His robe fluttered as blueish-white qi spiraled above him.

It was a strange sight, a spiral of qi inside of a closed-off dark room.

The closer the spiral got to him, the more disoriented it became.

A dense water-like qi surrounded his body, compressing it before it could be absorbed into his body.

The spiral slowly dissipated as Levi opened his eyes.

" Fuuu...." Levi stopped circulating the water commandment, causing the qi to seep back into his body.

" Younnnnng Masterrrr!" Aria's shout got progressively louder as she ran towards Levi's room.

" Shhhh! What are you going to do if you wake him up?!" Don whisper-shouted.

" Ah? Who said that garbage like you could talk to me? Humph, unlike you, the young master wakes early to cultivate."

" You have been following him for this long, yet you don't even know about everyday things like this. How useless." Aria sneered.

" It's not that I am useless, it's that you are too obsessed! Damn pedo." Don said angrily.

" All men aside from the young master should just go die." Aria said vehemently.

" Right, Ezzy?!" Her attitude changed as she turned to Nerezza.

"..." Nerezza kept silent, a light red coloring her cheeks.

" Are you people always this loud?" Ling asked incredulously.

"...Hehe, sorry, please continue." Aria glared Ling almost to death, causing the latter to apologize swiftly.

Knock! Knock!

" Young master, can we come in?" Aria asked politely.

"....What is the point of speaking softly at this point? Come in." Levi laughed lightly.

" Young ma-Oaf!" Aria lunged at Levi.

Before she could touch him, his blood shield appeared between them.

" How mean, young master! Ezzy! The young master...he..he!" Aria turned to Nerezza, a tear in her eye.

"..." Nerezza looked at Levi silently.

" Hehe, fool." Don snickered.

" Ezzy, kill that coward for me~" Aria whined.

Nerezza glanced at Don.

" So? Did you come to my room to play? If so, get out." Levi smiled.

" Oh yeah! I almost forgot why we came." Aria shot up from the ground.

" No, I think you did...." Ling said.

"...Please forgive my existence." He apologized immediately.

" Anyway, young master. Since you are leaving the cloud continent, we decided to get you some gifts!" Aria said with a smile.

"....No, you forced all of us." Don mumbled under his breath.

" Here!" Aria took out an embroidered hair tie.

" Come, come, come! Let me tie your hair!" Aria said as she began moving Levi's hair from his face.

" Done! Now you look presentable." She held onto Levi's face.

Behind Levi's head hung a high ponytail tied with a red hair tie.

" Oi, my face is not a toy." Levi said.

" Oh? But it's so soft and squishy!" Aria said as she continued to squeeze and pull Levi's cheeks.

" Ay, you're done, right? Then move!" Don said.

"..." Aria silently stepped back, a vein bulging on her face.

".....Ahem, uh..." The words were trapped in Don's throat.

" See, I didn't even have to say anything, you're embarrassing yourself." Aria said condescendingly.

" Sh-Shut up! Here!" Don shouted as he punched out.

His fist stooped before Levi's face.

Stuck between his fingers was a necklace.

On a string hung a thumbnail-sized jade cube, along with a few beads and filed down beast teeth.

Don, his hands trembling, put it around Levi's neck before hurriedly stepping back.

" Hmm, I guess it's my turn." Ling stepped forward.

Levi's gaze became cold.

"..Ahem, please, young master." He got onto one knee while raising something wrapped in cloth with both of his hands.

"..." Levi unwrapped the cloth.

Inside was a sheathed sword.

After removing the sheath, a double-edged blade was revealed.

Imbedded in the guard, multiple gemstones glistened.

Hanging from the end of the hilt was a black string with a few beads.

" I hope it is to your liking, young master." Ling said as he slowly backed away.

" Humph." Levi simply snorted.

' I really, Really, REALLY hope so. That thing was Expensive!' Ling thought as tears threatened to escape his closed eyes.

Lastly, Nerezza stood before Levi.

She extended her arm, before opening her hand.

Inside was a black ring.

Atop it was a rose.

" Hic....Ezzy...are you abandoning me for the young master...?...hic.." Sobs rang out as Aria asked.

"..." Nerezza's body stiffened.

" Hmm?" Levi took the ring and looked at it closely causing Nerezza to panic silently.

" She is just teasing you again, you know." Levi looked up at Nerezza.

" Te-he!" Aria laughed.

"....Thank you for your gifts." Levi lowered his head in thanks.

" Hmm? Why so formal?" Aria asked.

"....Since I have to work for everything I want myself, I don't receive gifts often. It feels strange, so...." Levi said.

" How cute, young master!" Aria squealed.

" hehe." Don chuckled.

"..." Nerezza kept silent.

" Hahaha!" Ling laughed.

" Shut up, you!" Levi shouted as he raised his head.

" Hehe..." He laughed.

" I will continue using all of you to reach my goal..." Levi paused as they listened.

".....If you happen to gain something along the way, then so be it." He finished.

All playfulness vanished from Aria's face as she became uncharacteristically serious.

" What young master wills, it shall be done." She said, her hand across her chest as she bowed.

The others followed her lead, and with their hands across their chests, bowed deeply.