AIR Chapter 192

Chapter 192

“Well, what will it be today?” A woman asked me.

“A splitting technique? Of what sort? What type? How potent? What for?” A man interrupted. 

“Has any gender changed now?” A small halfling asked. 

“Species?” A dwarf added. 

“Law adjustments? Distance of separation? Would you like one more combat focused or task focused? What’s your goal with this technique? What’s your desire?” A gruff sounding human added.

“Uh, well. I’m-- I’m sorry but could I talk to just one of you please?” I asked. 

“Why of course.” A singular man said, stepping out between the crowds with a wave. The crowd went back to their area, each of them cleaning, fixing, or reading one of the scrolls within the shop. 

“I do apologize for the inquiry. I often forget that multiple isn’t the default state of most beings,” he chuckled. “Except for the eldritch and insects, now those are people who know how to be, eh?”

“How to be what?” I asked.

“Just to be,” he emphasized. “Now, what can I get you my dear man. Here I have collected a cornucopia of pieces, each meant to be used by a suitable being. Tell me your desires in a technique and I will show their history and usage.”

You couldn’t really peruse around a shop like this. The techniques were the products and if you read them, then you had effectively bought them. 

“Well, I need something light on the soul. Long distance, l don’t need too many clones, just one or two at most. Combat oriented would be great as well.”

“What about stealth?” He asked me.

“Stealth?”

“Yes. If your clone was to die in combat per say, you would feel the repercussions, yes. But its also very easy to trace that clone back to the original post mortem.”

I knew that was true. I remembered Forn’s dad keeping a part of him within the Grove so that if his clone died, at least the other part of him would be protected within the grove. 

But splitting itself offered no protection of identity as far as I knew. 

“How would that work?” I asked. 

“Mere corruption. You hold something that taintes you before you die and thus destroys any divination or familiarization techniques.”

I wasn’t worried about divination, but familiarization was dangerous. You could touch and know something. It was the same concept as the tree that tied back to Grove of Life. It knew a bit of the Cosmic Forest and it was also a part of the Cosmic Forest so it could lead people back to it. 

If someone could kill my clone and track it back to me that way, well it would be dangerous, but I wasn’t planning on going anywhere dangerous. 

I thought about it for a minute. 

“Do you have something like that?” I asked. 

Faiser bowed, even though I was fairly certain he was of a higher rank than I was. 

“But of course, my friend. We shall bring it right out!”

And then two beautiful elf ladies came out, carrying a single item between them. It was a jade piece and though it was easily able to be carried by one of them, both came forward and showed it to me. 

And they both had large breasts that were purposefully on display and a smile that seemed to want more than just this purchase. 

It suddenly occurred to me that this might be the largest masturbation set up in all of existence, and whatever gender this person was, they were getting lonely. 

“How much?” I said with a stone cold face of refusal. 

“Twelve thirteenth rank, ninth step spirit stones. But I do wish to explain to you the nature of this technique before purchase.”

I nodded, ignoring the busty elf that was making eyes at me. 

I pushed away all the curious thoughts I had to the back of my mind and focused solely on the technique in front of me. 

“It requires a grasp on the law of corruption and chaos before you can fully cultivate it. While this can be replaced with the essence of those concepts like a bit of an eldritch’s corruption or chaos nature, doing this will limit your ability to traverse into certain places.”

I nodded. 

“Yes, it also requires a bit of sacrifice if either split dies. Your dao will decrease, possibly by a rank and you will face great backlash, but the soul will be spared any damage. It can create up to five splits, but with each split comes time, effort and qi, unlike whatever technique you're using now. It does have a dissipation aspect, meaning if you find a safe place to dissipate one of your splits, that qi can quickly be transferred back to the original.”

“What about rarity?” I asked.

“Fairly rare, and if you have enough knowledge you can alter the technique to suit your own needs and abilities, making it even rarer.”

I nodded. 

Rarity mattered in techniques. If someone knew your technique, then they could figure out its weakness and utilize it properly. 

And Faiser had seen through my own technique fairly easily as well. 

“What about the technique I’m using right now? Is it any good?”

“No. Its the most common reflection technique fine tuned for splitting. It is fairly well done but nothing new. I’d pay at most a ninth rank, maybe tenth rank spirit stone for it.”

“I thank you for your honesty,” I said with a light bow. 

By now, the busty elves were no more and I was free from the invitation. 

I pulled out the amount that Fairus had stated and gave him the money. The man took the money, then a woman came in his place and gave me the technique. 

“Feel free to return for any of your desires,” the woman whispered. 

“I do not have those desires, ma’am, but I thank you for the offer.”

She smiled and nodded and I went out the door. 

A technique seller and a brothel? What an innovative fellow this person was.