A Nameless Tavern, A Nameless Drink

Phoenix Band, Grade 6 Item

Effect 1, Nirvana Rebirth: User gains the ability to escape death. User is reborn in flames after death, flames require souls as fuel and insufficient fuel would postpone the rebirth until sufficient fuel is gathered. (Effective Rebirth Limit: Stage 6. After Rebirth User would be at its lowest point of existence)

Effect 2, Nine Life Restoration Furnace: User can preferably feed spirit stones or if not available can use other resources to restore user's stage by being reforged in the flames of life. (Current Forge Count: 0)

Curse 1, Female Preference: Have you ever heard of a male phoenix? This item is strictly restricted to females.

Curse 2, Whittling Flames: With each rebirth a part of your soul is lost in the Flames of Nirvana.

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'What a unique item! With this, she can completely avoid death to some extent. Most likely they would be some hidden restrictions that would have to be discovered over time but it is still something. Too bad it's restricted to females and Olivia isn't here or I would give it to her. The curse though.....'

Two figures, one tall and one short walked into the backyard of the mansion and approached the pool. The tall figure was a youth with deep black hair while the short figure was a Loli with bright velvet hair. The Loli walked in front while the youth walked behind with glazed eyes that made it seem as though he were lost in his thoughts.

He shook his head and let out a wry smile before looking at the cute Loli infront. "Were it not for the fact that this item was your Natal Relic you would find it quite difficult to cope with the 2nd Curse Effect."

"Although it's a bit difficult, it's nothing much when placed against the possibility of death."

" Fair Enough. Death is indeed a scary concept"

They walked till they reached the wall that neighbored the next mansion and she slipped her tiny hand into a well hidden crack and then pulled her arm back. A low bang sounded out within the backyard followed by the sound of gears turning.

The wall sunk in and a compartment was revealed within which was a safe. She twisted the knob left and right in a set order while a concentrated expression showed on her face. With a click sound the safe door opened and Davis looked towards it with sparkling eyes but when his gaze fell on the item contained within he had a strange expression on his face.

Within the safe was a simple leather pouch tied at the opening with a string. The young girl pulled out the pouch before tossing it to Davis with an annoyed expression on her face.

Davis caught it easily but had a strange look on his face. The Loli seemed to realize his predicament and a cunning light flashed in her eyes before she looked at Davis with a sneer on her face.

"It would seem you really aren't a Mystic? Your really good at this aren't you? You think your smart? Very well hand it over and let me open it for you. You won't be able to use it without mystic energy anyways."

Davis then realized that it was all a little scheme of her's to try and test if he was a Mystic but she didn't seem to understand that he was a Mystic and the only reason he didn't open the leather pouch was because he didn't know how to in the first place. Not that he wants her to know anyway so it was still his win in the end.

The little girl spouted some strange words and the string around the pouch loosened. Davis walked forward and took the pouch in hand before looking into it but all he could see was a black void within.

"You don't use it that way. I suggest we head back inside then you can turn it over and empty it. After which I believe you would kindly return my Natal Relic and we can go our separate ways like this never happened. "

Davis held the pouch in hand with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Alright then let's go inside, we'll use the basement. "

In the basement Davis turned the pouch over but surprisingly the things within didn't suddenly turn out wildly but just appeared within the basement in an orderly fashion.

Chest after Chest came out of the pouch and by the time it was done the items took up more than 10 cubic meters in space. Davis walked to one of the chest while ignoring the frustrated look in the Loli's eyes.

He opened the chest that bore similarities to the fabled pirate's chest and within this one was a group of strange blue gems the size of a baseball. He felt a strong surge of energy contained within them with the highest stone reaching up to Stage 3 in energy rating. He let out a boisterous laugh with his smile stretching from ear to ear.

If each chest had this kind of stuff then within this 2 weeks, his Qi Cultivation would rise to levels he didn't think he would be able to achieve within a short time under ordinary circumstances.

He looked back and saw the frustrated look on her face but he didn't mind.

"You definitely have more than one stash of resources, no rabbit burrows only one hole. Just let this one go, after all you should be a very powerful person, you can at least be this magnanimous. "

" Easy for you to say. Even though I do have other stashes, do you think they'd be equivalent to the one stored in my safehouse? "

" Well maybe next time you can make your safe house more safe. Anyways, in this matter just take it as me owing you one and you can claim it from me in the future. "

" Hm. "

She wasn't pleased but there was nothing she could do about it at least not now and he didn't care anyways. He needed to get really strong, really fast and he was ready to resort to almost any means to achieve strength.

" By the way I've been meaning to ask, why are Mystics considered heretics but other Cultivation Systems aren't persecuted? From what I've heard, all systems can pretty much do the same thing but just through different means so why do the Churches have a vendetta against them? "

Davis had thought about this for a while now and he was hoping he could get some answers from this most likely powerhouse figure before him but when he saw the expression on her face he couldn't help but wonder if he had asked a stupid question.

" How exactly did you seize my Natal Relic? You clearly know nothing about the world of practitioners so how were you able to do it? "

" Would you believe me if I said it was luck? " The room was quite dim due to the lack of sufficient lighting but he could still see the angered expression on her face.

"How unlucky could I get? If I told you what could I get out of this?"

"It really doesn't mean that much to me. I'm simply curious so if you feel like you'll be able to get one over me then your barking up the wrong tree." Davis sat down on the familiar mat that has accompanied him through the cold nights while he looked at the Velvet Haired Loli who had the same frustrated look that had been on her face for the greater part of the evening.

"One over me? Barking up the wrong tree? Are you a dog? What is with this strange way of talking?"

Davis had a wry smile on his face as he waved towards her gesturing for her to forget about it. She let out a snort but still found a chest to sit on before looking towards him.

"It's actually not that complicated. Although we all have the possibility of doing the same thing, it is the means by which we do it that leads to the situation we have today. You see before the rise of Mystics, the two prevailing systems of cultivation were the Martial Cultivation System and the Divinity System. The Divinity System was practiced by divine beings and their followers while Martial Cultivation was practiced by man.

However how much power could man wield with his mortal body? Even after lighting the flames within his Life Palaces he can only use the energy that could be wielded by his body. Even the so called Venerable Realm only allows them to manifest an avatar that could enable them to wield more power.

If you witnessed the battle that happened a few days ago you would have seen a phantom of a huge mountain appearing in the sky. Mountain Crushing Immortal's body could not bear such power but by using a phantom he could wield more power. Rightfully he was already half a step into stage 7 but he was still overshadowed by the rest of us.."

At the thought of Mountain Crushing Immortal she seemed to remember the fist strike of the Pope and she unconsciously shivered. She gathered herself before continuing.

"...only after reaching the Sovereign realm where they can reforge their body could they be free from such limits but even then they discovered they were still overshadowed by the Divine Beings after it was realized that they couldn't oppose their might..." A confused expression came on Davis face and she sneered as she replied

" How could they oppose those divine beings with the divine being's laws? It would be like someone else trying to control your arm to hit you. What would you do? You would simply seize back control of your arm and they would have nothing to fight with and that was what happened. If a Sovereign dared to challenge a God he would find himself incapable of manipulating the power he was always familiar with and with just physical might how could you overcome those deities who have comprehended the laws.

Humanity thus became slaves to them and it continued as such till the rise of Mystics. The Mystic System was developed by 3 People who referred to themselves as the True Enlightened simply because they were able to Enlighten themselves on their path. They were previously cultivators who had reached the Sovereign Realm but they destroyed their own cultivation and practiced a new way through which they would be the ones in control of their fate.

The essence of Mysticism is quite simple. To seize a piece of the power of the world over a certain aspect which is known to us as spells and seal it within an infinite smaller world within us which we call Rings. In that way we have complete dominion over that part contained within us and in turn the aspect under it. Then by strengthening the piece of power sealed within the world within us, namely increasing the spell tier, we can increase our dominion over the aspect it controls.

With this power the three practitioners attained enlightenment and sought to overthrow the dictatorship of the deities and thus Ragnarok, the war between Man and Divine came to be. The Divinities were shocked to discover that such a method had come to be and declared it blasphemy due to the fact it overturned the natural order and in turn declaring all Mystics as heretics.

The Mystic's led by the 3 Enlightened Ones declared the deities as cruel demons who sought to enslave all of mankind and so they set off a war that covered the entire world as was known. The war lasted for a thousand years which saw the rise of more Enlightened Ones and the fall of more deities. In the end even the Martial Cultivators were dragged into it, some of them sided with the Deities others stood with humanity to wage war against their oppressors. Even if they couldn't fight Gods they could slay their underlings.

The Enlightened were stronger than both Gods and Sovereigns but it was infinitely greater to achieve enlightenment than to ascend as a God or forge a Sovereign Core. As such they were few Enlightened but each one was able to slay scores of their counterpart only rivaled by the Elder Gods and Talented Sovereigns and it is so even today. It is established that under normal circumstances, the average Mystic would be stronger than an average priest or cultivator at the same stage.

In the end Ragnarok was abruptly stopped due to the invasion of demons and instead the Mystic's sought for a land of their own. Although small skirmishes still happen from time to time but with the threat of demons an accord was signed that prohibited a second Ragnarok from occuring. "

Davis was still reeling back from the shock this story brought to him. A lot of thoughts flashed through his mind and he couldn't help but heave a sigh of regret due to not being born in such a time. It would have been dangerous yes but it would have been quite an enjoyable experience, he mused.

"What a remarkable era. It's quite a shame I wasn't born to be a part of it..... don't look at me like that, you wouldn't understand the kind of person I am anyways. Well to thank you for the favor how about we settle how you would use the band now. I obviously can't give it back to you cause heaven knows what you can do with it so what would you propose?"

With gritted teeth the Loli said " It's fine if you don't want to let go off it. Simply keep it near me and I would still be able to make use of it just not as efficiently. "

" Well that makes sense. Now run along, I have things to take care off and I'm sure you do to. Oh that's right before you leave could you let me know your name? "

She threw her oppressor a glance and let out a snort. She walked up the stairs without looking back leaving an awkward Davis behind scratching his nose. He thought to himself that indeed after all he had done to her it was a bit too much to ask of her name.

"My name is Fiona." Her cold but youthful voice echoed down the stairway.

Davis shook his head but then he suddenly frowned.

'The church declared the Mystics heretics because they seize the energy of the world for themselves but doesn't that mean I'm affected also. Besides the fact I'm a mystic at least I am able to conceal that to some extent through means I'm yet to understand but Origin Gate Mantra unlocks the human potential and allows it to absorb the Qi of heaven and earth for it's user, helping him to nourish his body and soul. Quite unlike the Life Palace which simply allows its user to cycle energy within his body through it. In their method the energy goes through the palace and back to the world but in mine, my entire being devours the energy of the world and makes it my own.*sigh* Indeed this would be quite problematic but hopefully whatever hides my Mystic Energy would be able to help me cloak my Qi. As of now I must attend to that which is most important, with this resources I wonder how far I can go. Oh yes I must also come up with something to present at the private gala and I already have something in mind, if it's that it would make my aim to draw in more sponsors much easier indeed.' With his thoughts in place Davis turned towards the chests and gave out a silly smile.

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In a shadowy alley within the city of Skycloud was a run down bar that seemed as though it would close down any day but anyone could tell you that that wasn't true as this was the most popular tavern within Skycloud.

It didn't boast of good aesthetics nor exemplary service neither did it boast of heaven defying meals but the wine served here was so intoxicating that it was whispered a simple sip would be enough to knock out a full grown man.

Although the nameless drink cost 2 pretty gold coins a bottle, it would be sold out the moment it was put up and one would hear the slurring, hollering and ravings of drunk men from across the street.

The bar was open from dawn to dusk and there was one bartender who was the supposed owner of the tavern and who was assisted by no more than 5 waiters at a time who are usually picked up from within the neighborhood. There was no cook however as all the meals were prepared by him. He attended to anyone who came and it was rumoured the man had never slept a wink since the day the bar went up.

There were however 3 rules of the bar. The bartender allowed everything from fighting, gambling, gossipping and any other vice you could commit, as long as you could escape the law that is but you had to follow these 3 rules and each one came with the cruel punishment of death. Many tested the legitimacy of the punishment and paid for it dearly and as such any patron both new and old took care to pay heed to the rules.

1. No-one is allowed to go into the kitchen. You could enter any other room in the tavern besides the kitchen. Many suspected illegal activities were being carried out there and had called the legal authorities but they couldn't find anything and the person that reported was killed.

2. You are allowed to bring drinks and meals into the establishment but you are not allowed to take it out. Many thought to sell the intoxicating nameless drink but swiftly met their end and as such everyone else desisted from such acts.

3. You are not allowed to bully the staff. No molesting, bullying or even insults are not permitted and as usual all offenders had swiftly met their end.

Now one might say, with all these killings why has the bartender not been locked away? The answer is quite simple actually, the reason is because all the people that died committed suicide by the same method... hanging earning the bartender the nickname of 'hangman'

Tonight was just like any other night for the tavern. The moon was full tonight but the high walls of the alley created a sanctuary for darkness within the light. The tavern bore no name and neither did it's drinks or meals which was a weird occurrence to it's patrons but they never paid heed to it. They simply came to indulge themselves and wallow in the intoxicating wine and fine food.

The door of the tavern creaked open as a figure completely covered with a hooded grey cloak stepped into the bar. The figure had a somber aura about it that seemed to snap the tavern's patrons out of their drunken state. The figure's face could not be seen as it was hidden within the shadow of the hood but the patron's noticed the direction the figure was walking in

"Hey buddy, I wouldn't go in there if I were you. No one's ever gone in there and lived to tell the tale. All of 'em came out mute and numbly walked out into the night before getting strung up by the hangman by the next. So if ya value ya life or you gat someone that values it for ya, I suggest you take a seat and order some fine wine. Bill is on me" A patron with a strange accent on his tongue and a heart not as black as most of the tavern's customers sought to warn the cloaked figure.

The figure paused and turned to look at the man that spoke out. A fair hand reached out of the cloak and pulled down the hood and a collective gasp rang out in the bar.

"I'm quite thankful for the advice sir but I have someone I must meet and that person is behind that door so you would have to excuse me from heeding your words."

A voice that sounded like it came right out of a fairytale echoed within the bar and everyone that heard it quickly lost themselves in it regardless of gender. The man who spoke out was unable to reply and simply stared at the face of the figure that spoke with a blush on his face.

"*sigh* This happens everytime. I understand that I'm extremely beautiful but this is simply too much" The reason everyone was at a loss was because of the face that was revealed from the cloak.

It was beautiful beyond measure, a work of the divine. Skin fairer than snow, pink pupils that seemed to twinkle like stars in a white sky. As she talked her lips seemed to move in a way that could draw any being into her words but suddenly the figure smiled and it was as though all the lights in the tavern were put off.

The figure took off the cloak allowing the beauty hidden underneath it to be shown in its full glory and the expressions on the face of the tavern's patrons changed drastically.

A fanatic scream echoed out and suddenly the people looking at the figure started bleeding from their eyes while rushing towards it as though to seize the figure for themselves.

'You lot dare to lust after my beautiful body. It won't be as easy as you think to have me.'

The patrons seemed mesmerized and charged with intensity while beating up anyone that got in their way.

" She's mine. I was the one who talked to her first. "

" So what? I laid eyes on her first before you talked to her "

" I heard her footsteps like that of a fairy before you all knew she was coming "

A silvery chuckle escaped the figures lips and it looked at the patrons with a playful light in its eyes. The figure held it's hand over it's mouth in feigned shock while pointing the other hand at the patrons.

"Oh dear. Did I forget to mention I'm a man not a woman how could you mistake me for a lady?" At that the patrons screamed and apologized for their transgression by banging their heads on the ground while bowing to him and crying out more tears of blood with the first patron even going on to say

" Ahhh how could I have made such a mistake. I will pluck out these eyes to pay for my sin. "

With that the patron reached out his hands to pluck out his eyes while the intrigued beautiful man watched on but then the patron suddenly passed out before he could pluck out his eyes and so did the others within the tavern.

The beautiful man was at a loss for a moment and then let out a sigh before turning away from the unconscious patrons and looking towards the kitchen. He licked his lips and he walked towards the door with determined steps but just when he was about to reach it, a menu board flew past him and scratched his face before sticking into the wall. A testimony to the power behind the throw and the sharpness of the menu.

A customer friendly voice came from behind him with seemingly good intentions

"Dear patron, no one besides the staff is allowed into the kitchen. Kindly take a seat and refrain from taking another step, thank you."

" You.... You.... You scratched my face. YOU BLASTED IDIOT!!! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG IT TOOK TO APPLY MY MAKEUP AND NOW YOU'VE RUINED IT. "

" Dear patron, no one besides the staff is allowed into the kitchen. Kindly take a seat and refrain from taking another step, thank you. "

"YOU FUCKING TOY!!! I'M GOING TO DESTROY YOU" The man's pink pupils glowed eerily and a pink aura rose from his body. He motioned his hands towards the waiter but then a firm hand gripped his arm and a hoarse voice like someone who had been shouting all day, came from behind her.

"Rule No. 3 of my restaurant, no one is allowed to bully the staff. If you didn't come with business I would have let you go through with your action and then..... I would kill you"