Chapter 49. The Sword of the Morning Star

Yee Rhys, too, was interested in hearing the lectures, but his schedule was now a mess. And there was too much to catch up on before the hunt. He had to give up the lectures and instead promised himself to scour the relevant literature in the Library.

Incidentally, the young man froze involuntarily. Among the Fa-Al who preferred a quiet life, there were many masters of production professions. With mental strength two or three spheres beyond the level of Qi cultivation, they achieved the highest mastery among craftsmen of their level.

In the Outer Sect, the task of Yee Rhys was to prove himself. That is, fights, tournaments, missions, and other classic cultivation. But in the Inner Sect, things would change. He won't have time for battles and tournaments anymore. There will probably be a lot of absences from the sect. What better way to explain such a change than a sudden interest in the alchemy? That would be worth considering.

With these thoughts in mind, the young man reached the center of the Outer Sect. Glancing over the Ranking Stones, Yee Rhys stopped his gaze on the towers. The Knowledge Tower, where he had already been when he chose a technique. The Treasure Tower, where artifacts and talismans were sold, as well as materials for them. The Medicine Tower, where you could buy pills, ointments, powders, and other results of alchemy. The Missions Tower, where missions were handed out and received.

Also in the center were the Library, the Arena, the marketplace, a branch of the Discipline Department, and the Outer Sect administration.

The young man mentally counted his goods. A thousand Qi Stones, two contribution points, and a meridian cleansing pill, completely useless to him. But it would do as a wager.

The first object of the visit was the Treasure Tower. Yee Rhys took a cursory look at the assortment and a superficial look at the prices. Then he got down to the main thing: the choice of weapons. Or rather, the choice of a sword. The presence or absence of weapons greatly affects the combat efficiency. And if there are a lot of enemies, the question becomes even more urgent. It is unlikely that during the hunt all the disciples will suddenly become pathologically honest.

Prices for swords started at a hundred Qi stones. But after looking at these misunderstandings, by someone's wicked joke called treasures, the young man decided that it would be cheaper to buy something of better quality once. He pored over his swords for some time, trying to choose from this junk something sharp and sturdy enough. Finally he settled on two choices, of which he had to choose the best.

- Hi. - Suddenly an unfamiliar voice snapped him out of his musings. - Interested in swords?

- A little bit. - Yee Rhys turned and saw a tall skinny teenager of about fourteen with a scattering of freckles on his face.

- I prefer a sword, too. - The new acquaintance patted his thigh, where the said weapon hung. - How about a duel?

The young man glanced at his companion with interest. Four wisps of Qi. His hand on the hilt was steady. The Striped Sword faction badge on his chest. The opponent is interesting.

- Testing the new sword in combat is indeed a good idea. - Yee Rhys returned his gaze to the swords. Right or left? One is better in the hand, and the other is cheaper.

After hesitating a bit more, the young man chose the right one. Since he refused the scrap, a difference of ten stones would not make a difference.

- I will take the sword of the Morning Star. - Yee Rhys finally turned to a rummaging salesman nearby.

- Four hundred Qi stones. - The young man cheerfully responded.

He paid the bill, noting sadly that almost half of his fortune had been taken out of his pocket.

- To the Arena? - Suggested the new acquaintance as they exited the Treasure Tower.

- Let's go. - After thinking for a while, Yee Rhys nodded. There was no point in being sad. Weapons were indeed necessary, even if you had to spend all their savings. But you always can make more money . - Shall we make bets?

The thin teenager stared at him perplexedly, then laughed.

- What for? We'll just stretch our legs. - He turned it into a joke.

- What are the rules? - The young man decided to ask. - The usual ones or...?

- How about a training fight? - He suggested.

Yee Rhys re-evaluated the interlocutor. A training fight does not affect the rating and does not involve bets. Although the rules are, on the whole, regular, but injuries and excessive force of impact are treated much more strictly. This specimen obviously wants to fight, but does not want to lose anything. And he doesn't want to be provoked. It won't go far.

- I agree. - The young man nodded. He didn't want to put himself out there in the first fight either. Since they'd be fighting on technique, it would give them a chance to bounce around a bit longer and get used to the Arena. As for the stakes... the six challenge slips are still in the sack.

They made it to the Arena without any problems. Spectacle Day was about a week away, and most of the students were actively preparing for it now. By the way, be sure to attend this event.

- Wu Zor greets his opponent. - The teenager draws his sword.

- Yee Rhys greets his opponent. - The young man pulled out his newly purchased Morning Star sword.

After exchanging greetings, they began to draw closer. Slowly, reading the slightest change in their opponent's stance. From the outside it might have seemed like going around in circles, but in fact, the fight had already begun.

Yee Rhys smiled happily. He had a really interesting opponent. He knew how to hold his sword, reacted correctly to changes in stance, and didn't make unnecessary movements. Compared to that kid from the tournament, waving the relic of his headlock, it was like a night and an day. A joyous excitement swept over him. At last a real opponent. Not children, not puppets, not array puppets. A living, intelligent, experienced opponent.

The young man inhaled and attacked first. The swords clashed, spitting sparks.

Once more.

And another.

It was not an attempt to kill. It was just probing the defenses and looking for weaknesses. Wu Zor moved intelligently and didn't use Qi techniques, which set him apart from the masses hungry for naked power. Neither did Yee Rhys use Qi. He wanted to test the sword. And for the same reason he didn't use tricks like he did in the tournament. This opponent deserved a fair fight.

After a while, Wu Zor broke the distance, stopping the fight.

- Qi Techniques? - He suggested, holding his sword out in front of him.

- No. - The young man shook his head negatively. - I bought the sword ten minutes ago, what techniques? I propose a draw.

- What kind of draw? - The teenager was indignant. - The fight is not over.

- How about finishing it on the twenty-sixth? - Suggested Yee Rhys.

- Better the twenty-fifth. - Wu Zor grinned. - We're having a training fight. I don't want it to affect the rating.

- Agreed. - The young man nodded. He had plans for the rating as well.

After discussing the details, they booked time with the Arena Keeper and parted ways.

Heading toward the Medicine Tower, Yee Rhys was smiling contentedly. This was it, real life.

The Medicine Tower was a round building four stories high. Its walls were white and its roof was red. A wide porch with two decorative columns was crowned by a golden sign with the name of the institution. The internal arrangement was similar to that of the Knowledge Tower: the first three floors were devoted to the first level medicine, from the lowest on the first floor to the highest on the third. The fourth floor was devoted to second-level medicine, reserved for elders.

- Hello, may I see a list of all your products? With prices. - Turned the young man to the tower clerk in the trademark white coat.

- A complete list? - The salesman looked up. - Can you handle that?

- You've got it all wrong. - Smiled Yee Rhys. - I'm at the beginning of cultivation, and I just need a complete list in order to plan my future purchases. You know, it would be a shame if I can't buy a good pill just because I didn't know it existed.

- О? - The tower worker was surprised. - Your approach is very rare. Usually the question of special pills is left to the discretion of the teacher.

- I don't have a teacher. - The young man explained. - I don't know if I'll have one. So can I have a list?

- Here you go. - The salesman took out from under the table two slips. - One has a list of items, and the other has a list of pills that can be ordered through us. They are rarely available on the open market. But you have to study the lists here; you're not allowed to take them out.

- It's even better than I thought. - Yee Rhys rejoiced, accepting the slips. Then he stepped aside so as not to disturb the other customers.