53

The next day, Pef began making dinner and preparing his crew for departure.

Erin and his wives tried to help, as Pef was still kinda bruised and wobbly, even after resting a whole night.

"You two got in a fight, right?" Erin asked cautiously.

"Eh, not really. The old uncle is nearly close to Sovereign rank. It was just a light spar, but I learned a lot!" Pef proclaimed while gesturing with his wooden spoon.

"Yes, indeed. My broken arm is healed already!" an older voice spoke from behind them.

The women yelped and started a bit, turning to salute the Tyrant.

Pef glanced at him for a second then returned to his cooking. "Sit down Uncle. We are having boiled maize, with boa fillets in garlic and bear paws smoked and stirred. If you're hungry..."

The old man muttered some inaudible curse and sat down to wait.

He was kinda hungry.

In an hour, the meal was served, with the wives glancing a bit unsure between the two monsters.

A light spar wouldn't have broken a Tyrant's arm, and Pef looked like someone had bashed him with his Anaconda snake a hundred times.

"If you ever consider learning alchemy, that qi control would come in handy. There's this pill I got once, and doubled my strength!" Ventu told Pef, while leaning back to digest his full stomach.

"I know, I got eleven ingredients for the Blue Meridian. But couldn't find the last one, Violet Blue Lotus flower. Even though I roamed thousands of kilometers through the forest" Pef answered with a despondent manner.

Ventu glanced at the youngster's face, then lower towards his glove. A thousand years too soon, but why the hell not?

"When you finish your business in the capital, go find Lithus, the guardian of the Sky Crown Mountains, some 2000 kilometers west. That's where you'll find that flower, like I did."

'Another old monster?' Pef asked his glove.

'Lithus Xi, compatibility 0.0008, Earth qi, Tyrant rank, age 68 thousands. No surviving children.' came a swift response.

'No special feats?' Pef asked confused.

'He lives in the Sky Crown Mountains...' the glove said as a perfect explanation.

Pef nodded, as he had learned of the Tian Mountains back home. 'Huh, plenty strong beasts there, I assume?'

'70 thousands years ago. Not anymore...' the glove said amused.

"So, is there a Water Tyrant?" Pef asked instead.

"The Patriarch found half of his skull at the bottom of the ocean, and recovered the glove and the knife. The depths are not patrolled anymore, just the shallow waters" Ventu replied with a grim smile.

'Yeah, that Monarch ranked Thunder Roaring Eel was nasty. We should kill it soon, Aspirant.' the glove confirmed with a snort.

'Perhaps later. I don't have anything that could hurt that beast' Pef said in dismissal. Damn glove was really trying to kill him!

"So, its just you two at this rank?" Pef asked a bit dismayed.

"Well, there's also the Fire one. But we don't talk about him" Ventu explained with a frown.

'Saren Xi, compatibility 0.0012, defected during Roaming and is now a disciple of Volcanis. Happily married and among the ruling Volcanic Fire Circle, since 41 thousand years ago.'

'Oh, he got baited away with a wife?'

'A dozen fiery wives, but yes. Only one still lives'

'Must have been really pretty then, kinda like Jian...' Pef mused with a longing heart.

'You will need to resolve that problem as well, Aspirant. One way or another.' the glove ordered the young recruit.

Pef sighed and nodded. He suspected something from the start, but he could bet that wife was not indoctrinated. Or Saren would have brought her back and still guard the continent.

"Okay, guys! To the airships! Let's see what the capital is like!" Pef yelled and pointed at the docked airships.

Ventu glanced at Xie for a second, then flew away. That woman will be trouble, and Pef will realize it soon enough. The boy will survive or he will not.

Such was the life of those who followed the General.

For three more weeks, the airships followed the river instead, until the huge buildings of the capital became visible in the distance. Neolithic skyscrapers, built by superhuman qi cultivators over thousands of years.

Terraced pyramids, wide streets, tall bone temples and a million stone houses. Next to the city there was a huge port, with thousands of stone piers and drydocks.

Thousands and thousands of barges filled the river, and hundreds of ranked cultivators crossed the skies.

Pef smiled as he observed a hundred copper smiths already at work smelting and pouring metal. He could start glass and paper industries as well, and perhaps a medical lab, to create penicillin and aspirin. It was quite easy, and would help a billion people in time.

Soon, a pair of Majors from Air Control came to check out their flight permits and point them to landing site.

The Xi Patriarchy was well organized, and having those ultra strong monsters looming over it, plus the constant deadly threat from the forest beasts or the other continents' sects.

The glove had done great, planing this military dictatorship. It did last a long time, and provided safety for 2 billion humans.

Not so many comforts or inventions, but who would bother to invent bronze swords, when Core bones were just as strong?

Or steel plate, when Earth bones were much more durable?

Flying wasn't a dream here, since everyone could see Sky ranks fly freely.

Even the radio wasn't needed, as Qi pulses could be used for continent wide transmissions.

Even the General's religion, was centered around order and self-sacrifice, making every Guard a paladin of justice. Well, mostly. But much better than anything found on the other continents.

Pef roamed the Xi capital with wide eyes, his crew also amazed at the sights and sounds of a world-class city.

As evening fell, Pef rented a whole inn for a month, to avoid problems with the locals, as much as possible.

"Guys, if you go for walks, remember my name, the place you stay, Drummer Inn, and don't spend all the copper in one place!" The Emperor told his company before picking a room to rest.

Xie took Pela in another room, leaving a blushing Erin to stare at the single bed.

"You realize I saw you naked for a year, and bathed and fed you, right?" Pef asked his wife with a light chuckle.

Then began filling the wooden tub with water, while setting aside soap and clean clothes.

Erin sighed in defeat. Her Emperor husband was right. No wonder Xie gave them some space.

"I should wash your body now..." she murmured in a weak voice.

Soon they washed each other, hands exploring curious. Then Pef hugged her gently and flew over the bed, and lay beside her on a pile of towels.

"You are so pretty, my wife. I could eat you up!" Pef exclaimed ogling her body with hungry eyes.

Erin poked his chest in revenge.

By next morning, she too crossed over into Sky rank, and felt her heart lighter.

Pef woke up being held tightly by his blonde wife, and poked her large airbags, to make sure they were not leaking.

"You're still a moron. Go make us breakfast!" Erin growled and pushed him out of the bed.

"Should I dress first?" Pef asked with naive eyes.

"Get out already!" the new wife yelled, not amused at his antics.

Pef ran out, passing a grinning Xie and entering the next room. Pela was lounging on her bed, half naked and a bit confused.

He flew and hid beside her in the bed, and fell asleep, while hugging his other wife. Backup wives were useful.

A bit of drool dripped from Pef's smiling lips, his dreams filled with strong wives and large airbags.

A few hours later, he woke up with Pela on top of him, abusing his body for some reason.

"Ah, you read my mind, my love" Pef whispered while gently taking in the sights.

"Shut up Pef. If you're talking, you're not using your mouth right" Pela explained dragging him up to her chest.

Pef agreed inward. His mouth could be used better.