You should rather not...

Alric climbed with much effort the rockslide at the East part of the valley, his deep wound not healed completly.

An enormous clood of dust could be seen behind them, a few hundred meters farther.

They were currently climbing the cliff under the cave where they came from the first time coming here.

Mozzi's idea was to hide themselves in this cave as to maximise the hide of their scent in case a werewolf had survived.

- Well, using your blue fireball on explosion seed sure was an incredible idea as I did not think the destruction could be at this level.

- Yes, it's a shame I could not throw them too much toward the traitorous doggo as you were two close, but the silver one and the blob must had a difficult time hehe.

- Don't worry, I fused them with the smelly seed even my poor nose had difficulty breathing with such a strong fragrance, and with all the poisoned carved seed which should be much more potent than the one we already tested. Even with their healing factor, I doubt they will be in a condition to search for us!

Entering the cave, they rested a bit while remaining silent so as to not betray their presence.

Chatting in their mind as to how they could have overcome this bloody fight, they analysed where they could do better.

Alric was especially wary of the political games.

He was a bit proud of his mind, often ressourcefull to outdo tricks and scheme, but he did not think such covert conflict could already exist just after the cataclysm.

It was an error he would not make again.

As they were resting, Alric eyes could not help but glanced toward the odd tunnel they had already saw the first time.

Down the cavern, hided by concression, it was visible when some light touch its wall.

It tickled Alric's curiosity how such a thing was made, the smoothness seeming perfect.

Looking more closely from his position, he could distinguish small ridges, not visible normally in the darkness of the cave.

It was as if an enormous drill had slowly dug this hole.

- it would be a good time to explore it, don't you think? He asked the cub.

-Yup, going down would hide our scent even more as well as any noise we could accidently make. And I'm curious of it since the first day I laid my eyes on it. It should connect with an important place for it to be so carefully made, but not a single rocks seems moved in front of its entrance, indicating it's not used at all.

- Yes, it's a bit hard to reach, but we can take our time climbing down the cliff, I'm just afraid of making a bit of noise.

- Don't worry ! Exploration, here we come, yeeah, he shouted in Alric's mind.

Climbing down, they remained silent the majority of time, small noises echoing three times when a small rock fell at the bottom due to its instability.

Clenching his teeth each time it happened, Alric would remained silent a good minutes or so after to be sure they did not make anymore errors.

As they penetrate the strange earthbowl, they could feel a gently slope going down, the ground particularly dense as their feet came in contact with it.

Touching the tunnel's wall with his hand, Alric could feel the small indentation he observed before, as if a gnawing jaw had eaten the rock.

Walking rather quickly as there was not any obstacle and the path was pretty straight, they could soon see a light at the end, not too strong but surprising still as they thought they were going rather deep into the earth.

As they approach the exit, they could distinguish more and more details of what lay before their eyes.

A gigantic structure was build inside a man's made cavern from a few hundred meters in diameter and in height.

The structure closely look like an ancient castel built with a foreign style Alric never saw before.

Thick colums surrounded the place, directly carved on the cavern wall, as if bearing the weight of the enormous quantity of earth above their head.

Spire and strange looking window were bathing in the darkness only lighted by strange objects put on pedestal on a round plateforme not far from them.

The stones was smooth and white with a strange metallic quality to it.

The duo's gaze was instantly attracted by the light coming from the dozen strange artefact put on display.

They were placed in a circle not far from the entrance of the tunnel they came from. This tunnel was actually bizarly placed as an official entrance could be seen at the bottom of the place, in front of the place own's entrance.

The hole opened directly toward the right rear of it, in front of this plateform, normally much more difficult to access.

Mesmerized by the sight of the architecture and the magnificient artefact in front of their eyes, the duo did not react as a shadow instantly passed them, running toward a glowing orb of a few centimeter floating above its pedestal.

Recognising the young werewolf which was dripping with black blood and patch of heavily burned fur, they were shocked to not have heard him follow them, by its capacity at following them, and even more by his capacity to still stand despite the grievous wounds he was covered with.

Not wanting to let this traitorous roach steal the strange but surely useful artifacts, the two of them quickly runned behind, a step too late as Rob was already grinning, his outstrech hand a few centimeter from the orb.

- You should rather not...ah too late.

A powerful flash appeared in a second before Alric and Mozzi's eyes, disapearing with the disintegrating body of the werewolf.

His powerful body able to resist incredible explosion as well as poison had disappeared just like that as if a firefly too close to the light.

Gulping, the two friends could not help but take a step back, knowing full well the powerful defence installed here was not something they could casually play with.

The major parts of their fear still came from the mysterious voice they heard just before the werewolf was destroyed, coming from nowhere and suggesting they were not alone there.

- Is there anyone here ? Asked Alric after a few second passed without so much as a noise.

- Sorry young friend, I was pondering on what to do. I'm a bit ashamed to not have been able to prevent the death of your friend. Your language is simple but I had to study the wavelength of your mind for a few seconds before being able to communicate with you, thus the unfortunate delay... a desincarnated voice echoed in the cavern, coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

- You, who are you? Asked a bit fearfully Alric with a tinge of growing curiosity. And that was definitely not my friend, he just tried to kill me before I hide in this cave to flee from him.

- Oh... That's better, so no hard feeling?

Surprises by the insistance of the voice on the werewolf which Alric had already put on the back of his mind, he was trying to understand the purpose of this voice without being to forceful, fearing the threat he could vaguely feel, especially toward the artefact.

- No hard feeling, in fact, you helped me a great deal with that.

- Ah, that's better, I was fearing the young wolf was part of your team and I don't want to accumulate bad karma, it a bit too soon ahah.

People called me Professor Veldis, as I was once a teacher, so you can use this name, and what are yours ?

- Karma? I'm Alric, and this is Mozzi! We did not mean to intrude on your territory, perhaps we can leave so as to not disturb you anymore...?

- Ahah, fear not young ones, I had not been disturb in a very long time, such a thing is a welcome break for me. Yes, Karma. It is what link all sentient species between each other and their action. Such a thing is meaningless for someone of your strengh, but when you would be a bit more advanced in your cultivation journey, it should become much more important. Don't hesitate, you should make yourself confortable as we chat a bit. I'm sorry to not appear before you, it is not something I can do at the moment, but don't mind me.

Hearing some foreign terms, Alric was curious.

Knowing he was completly in the unknown on a variety of subject, especially since talking with the big family which were knowledgable of strange things too, he was dying to ask the numerous questions in his mind.

The strengh of this stranger did not deter him much as he could feel no malicous intent, and he could probably do nothing if he wanted them dead.

- So, Professor right? What are you doing there, and what is cultivation?

The strange terms reminded him of the laborer works, or the harvester one, which he linked subconsciously to his ability of his strange vine like inscription.

- What I am doing here? That's a good question. You could say, I'm waiting. In fact I'm waiting since a long time. But before that, I was just doing some experiment on the way of the Chaos and resting on this lovely planet. As for cultivation, I must say I'm bit surprised you don't know this terms as you are well in the third phase of the Evaporation stage. Perhaps it goes by another world in your language? No, it 's not possible, that's the correct meaning from your wavelengh, strange...

- I... hem, you are not the first I heard talk about this Evaporation stage, but I have no idea of what it is and what it can do.

Understanding the subject of the reason why this entity was here seems to be a bit sensitive with its answer, he choose to dive for knowledge as the entities seems to be quite prolix and generous with it.

- Interesting. Cultivation is the way to Immortality some would say, a path to gain strengh.

I must say I do not completly agree on these terms. Cultivation is the art to transform what is common in what is uncommon. It can be done by any son and daughter of the Chaos, if you live then you can cultivate. If you are sentient, then all the more.

By cultivating yourself, some reach strengh so grande it threatened the universe itself. Some reach a freedom so pure, no attach can ever tied them. Some reach knowledge so full, the universe asked them for advice.

The stage of Evaporation is just the very first step toward this apex.

- So, am I strong then?

- On the universe scale? No, not at all, you are nothing. On this planet? I don't know anymore but I would say a bit.

- What is the next step then, and how do I do it? How much more should I go to stand at the summit?

- hoho, a passionate one, I see. That is not something too hard to do. It's a long process and a violent one. You will probably be killed before even standing on the first step recognize in this universe, the Second Cycle.

A new unknown term, Alric was trying to organised his mind so as to understand all this flow of information but it was a bit much.

- You are a bit confused, I see. Well, it's simple enough you will see.

Everything in this universe come by seven and is divided by seven.

The Seven Cycles composed the entire cultivation system that we know of. Seven Cycles each divided in seven steps also called stages. And these stages are each divided by seven phases or level. Right now you are in the third phase of the first step of the first cycle. So you are on the third phase on three hundred and forty-third levels.

A bit demoralized by the large path in front of him, he stilled his resolution, wanting to see what his carving could be at the end of this long journey.

- Mozzi, you are in the first phase of the Evaporation Stage.

Surprised by the abilty of this entity to discern Mozzi's cultivation and the way it was speaking to him as if a human being was right in front of it, the fox always being discret and people never paying attention to it, Alric look toward his friend.

- I did not know you were cultivating?

- Tsss, me neither, and it's not as if my cultivation is better than yours right? Stop asking sh$tty questions.