Chapter 272: The Martial World

Chapter 272: The Martial World

Travelling with other people was distinctly different from setting out on his own, Mercury found. The path was still just as kind to him, of course, but he also wasn’t willing to reveal his entire hand. So, he didn’t overly use <Itinerant>. Instead, they walked. 

Not even particularly fast. Despite Zyl holding his burden, Min was out of breath after not too long. The bandits, too, dragged their feet, as if the journey was hard on them. Really, though, Mercury thought they were just being lazy. With a gentle poke of his finger in their back, they began moving a little more hastily.

“How long to Fuchsia?” Mercury asked their merchant guide.

Min wrung his hands close together, giving a bright smile. “Only three days on foot, esteemed sa-”

A glare silenced him. He swallowed drily, then nodded slowly.

“Saviour Mercury,” he tried carefully, tasting the words, even as the saviour in question sighed and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. 

“You’re gonna make my hair go grey, Min,” he said exasperatedly.

Zyl affectionately ran a finger through his hair. “Sorry to say, my love. You’re already gray.”

Mercury blinked, then sighed, then snickered. “Yeah,” he finally settled on. “Guess I already am.” Somehow, that seemed to imply that the topic was settled, and he turned back to Min. “So, three days, yes?”

The merchant nodded vigorously. “Indeed! I have provisions a plenty, so if there is anything you want for, simply speak the word.”

“Plenty ‘a game in these parts, too,” Jean noted grumpily. “Can catch somethin’ if we go hungry.”

Faintly, Min paled. “Ah, but these are the Lilac Sky sect’s hunting grounds. If any of the spirit beasts here were to come to harm…” he let the words hang dangerously.

Jean, for her part, picked at her teeth with her fingernails. “So bleedin’ what? Those purple-robed bastards ain’t ever done me a good turn. What do I owe ‘em?”

With a gentle sigh, Mercury gestured for them to quiet down, and instantly, a hush fell over the party. “No need to worry,” he noted. “I will cook if it is needed. No trouble.”

No one objected when he spoke, and with that, his approach to the journey changed a little. First, he turned <Itinerant> to the path again. It shortened instantly, compressing down to a fifth of its original length. By evening, they’d reach the city.

Second, he turned his <Force of the Hecantoncheires> over to Appy. She had the capabilities to analyze any plants in the nearby surroundings. A basket appeared from his inventory, held aloft by a ghostly hand, and swiftly began to dart into the forest around them.

Min stared at the flying object wide-eyed, trying to follow it even when it disappeared into the trees, roots and plants swiftly being gathered. Mercury, for his part, bore no strain, and simply walked ahead, holding the parasol above his head, and shielding his skin with a coating of his Storm’s Raiment.

It wasn’t quite enough to stop the sunlight, but it was more than enough to turn it from an angry burn into something faint enough to feel like gentle sun on ordinary skin to his tempered body. He burnt, yes, but he also regenerated, and grew more used to the damage after.

His body was constantly adjusting, toughening itself twofold, with <Assimilate> and <Tempered Body>. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation, but any discomfort was washed away by <Babbling Brook>, the Skill easily handling this minor amount of pain. By now, he could have organs crushed and bones torn out without so much as wincing, so this wasn’t any trouble at all.

And so they walked. Eventually, the wide eyes stopped following his floating basket, carried by invisible hands of force. Eventually, the sun rose, and then began to set. Eventually, Min’s stomach rumbled, and the merchant mumbled excuses. But he had marched a few long hours, so he was tired indeed. 

The motley group set down, and Mercury took the basket from the air where Appy held it to him, mentally offering a thanks to his friends, and physically cupping his hands and giving a small bow. A motion that Min, Jean, Lucky and Brock hastily copied, making Zyl snicker slightly.

[The display of gratitude pleases the integrated consciousness.]

Mercury smiled at the small motion, and everyone else gave a breath of relief at his small smile, having once more feared their execution. Instead, he made a campfire, which Zyl quickly sparked. Then, he pulled out some pots and pans, and sifted through the ingredients Appy had gathered.

Most of them were roots, some grasses, a couple grains and fruits. He eyed them, humming to himself as he considered the haul. <Nutritional Preservation> whispered small notes about what they contained, and what he could make, and Mercury had become a better chef since coming to this world. Still, he had kinda talked big game when he offered to cook, so he intended to do his utmost to back it up.

Which meant assessing what he had, deciding on a meal - a stew, since it was simple - and then pulling out some of his preferred spices. They weren’t quite the same as back on Earth, but he had learnt to use them. 

First, he thinly coated the bottom of a large pan in oil, throwing in some of the fruit, lightly searing it to caramelise the outside before stowing it away. Jean’s eyes opened a little wide when things fell apart into perfect cubes when Mercury simply looked at them, his new cutting Skill on full display.

He <Carved> the vegetables up, frying those that could caramellize, adding them based on how long they took to cook. Meanwhile, in another pot, he began boiling the grain with some herbs. When the vegetables were prepared, he added them to that pot, adding more spices and tasting it occasionally, letting more liquid evaporate until it thickened up.

In the end, it was somewhere between a wheat porridge and a stew, but it did end up tasting rather delicious. He handed everyone else bowls, garnished it with some fruit on top - something that was about the size of watermelon but tasted almost like apple, fried to match the heat of the rest of the dish.

“Dig in,” he said with a wave of his hand, holding his parasol with a ghostly hand as he, himself, began to eat. Brock dug in immediately, Min waited until Mercury had the first spoonful, and Lucky and Jean only touched their food when he was halfway through his bowl - despite his assurances that it wasn’t poisoned.

[You have acquired the Skill <Cooking lv. 1> through a specific action.]

“Huh,” he noted. “Got a Skill from that.”

Jean snorted for a moment, then caught herself. “I do hope it’s not <Poisoning these Ex-Bandits to Death>,” she noted with dry humor.

Mercury smiled faintly. “No. Just <Cooking>,” he said. 

“It’s good,” Brock admitted readily. The big lug wasn’t very talkative, but he generally seemed jovial. He liked hitting things, but he could also take a good hit and laugh it off. He liked seeing things, he liked feeling the sun, he liked good food apparently… Mercury thought he was the simplest out of their new bands of companions.

The ex-bandit-leader simply snorted at that, but quietly nodded her approval. “Coulda used some meat,” she noted distantly.

“Oh, hush,” Mercury waved her off. “I don’t wanna kill if I don’t have to. And this is a plenty filling meal. If it’s too little, I’ll make you seconds.” 

“Still wouldn’t have meat,” she grumbled.

“I can cut my arm off and cook it for you,” Mercury suggested dryly.

At that, the entire camp froze. Apparently, what had been intended as a half-joke half-offer did not go over so well when he looked distinctly human and these people were already a little terrified of him. In fact, he could see the way Min flinched back from Jean, as if afraid to get caught in the crossfire.

Lucky, too, was terrified, pausing like a deer in headlight, while Jean Rockbreaker herself broke out in a cold sweat and shiver. “N-no, exalted sir,” she stammered. “T-that will not be necessary. This one humbly thanks you for the meal.”

Mercury grimaced. “My apologies. I intended to jest, not make you uncomfortable. If it makes you worry less at all, then you shall have my promise that I do not seek to harm or kill any of you unless very extenuating circumstances apply. Words are no cause for me to kill you.” He didn’t currently have <Truth> running, since he had cloaked himself in a <Lie>, but the sincerity in his words still rang through, wringing some of the tension out of the bandit.

“Thank you for your assurance, sir,” Jean said, her voice still dry. 

Zyl leaned back in the grass, placing his empty bowl aside and laying down with a snicker. “You people sure lead intense lives. But I suppose the powerful can be casual about the lives of the weak.”

“Yes,” Min said tersely, giving a dry swallow. “They can be very casual about our lives. Mortals like me get some benefit of the doubt but… the early stages of cultivation reap the most lives. To step into the martial world is to embrace the risk of death.”

“Why’d you do it?” Mercury asked, looking at Jean. “Why’d you risk your life for… this?” He gestured around himself, at the wilderness. There was nothing out here. No buildings, no nice place to sleep, no restaurants. It was beautiful, yes, and quiet, too. But apparently, her life was at risk every time she encountered someone. So, he wanted to know.

Jean grit her teeth for a moment, averting her eyes. “It’s-”

“You don’t have to say,” Mercury interrupted her, holding up a hand. “To be very clear. If you wish to remain silent on this, I will not press.”

And, indeed, Jean remained silent. She looked back at him with large eyes, then nodded once, swallowing again. Mercury smiled gently, then collected the bowls with a sweep of telekinesis. He cast a bit of magic to quickly clean them off, the remains of the food dripping to the floor easily under the falling rain. Then, when the bowls were clean, he dried it with the wind contained in his raiment, then stowed them away.

Eventually, after minutes had passed, he looked at Jean again. “You don’t owe me your story,” he said, sweeping his gaze over them. “None of you do. But I am curious. So, if any of you wish to tell, I will listen.”

Brock gave a snort. “Not much too it,” he said. “Shit life. Dead parents. Stole from a shopkeep. Beaten to near death. Fought back, beat him to death.” He shrugged. “On the run since.”

“And once more, I learn the lesson not to judge too quickly,” Mercury said with a sigh. “Will you be apprehended in the city?” he asked.

The bandit shook his head. “Nah. Been ages. I grew up. No one’ll recognize me. Just…” he shrugged again. “Never saw a reason to go back.”

Mercury nodded, then let the silence hang for another dozen seconds or so. Neither Lucky nor Jean spoke up. So, instead, he simply offered his smile and a small bow to Brock. “Thank you for sharing,” he said. Then, he took his parasol, stood up, dusted off his metallic pants, and nodded. “Let us walk on, then. Are either of you gonna get into trouble with law enforcement?” Mercury asked.

Jean shook her head slowly, and Lucky shook his a whole lot quicker. “No, sir,” he said. “No trouble.”

“They do have a bounty,” Min noted. This news seemed to be news to the bandits as much as it was to Mercury. The mopaaw quickly rubbed his eyes some more. 

“Of course they do,” he muttered. “What do I do with you people?” he noted with a sigh. “No matter. We shall settle that when we are in the city. Do you use currency?”

“Same pales and glooms as everywhere else, sir,” Min provided helpfully. “Though coins of gold and bartering are more common than in the west.”

That made Mercury nod again. “Give me your dagger, Min,” he said, motioning to the small weapon the man kept belted. It was more of a knife, suited for peeling apples or slicing bread rather than stabbing someone.

“Pardon, saviour?” the merchant asked.

“Your knife,” Mercury said. “Hand it over.”

A second passed, then another. And then, with hasty motions, Min unbelted the knife, and placed it in Mercury’s hand. The old monster stared at the knife, running his thumb across the blade without a mark on his skin. Min felt a drop of sweat run down the nape of his neck.

What was that hidden expert up to now? He was hard to predict. So gentle, then so crude. Min half-expected to get stabbed in the gut and drained dry, but then his eyes widened.

On that mysterious senior’s palm, his shabby old knife shifted. The metallic grey shifted. It was like a wave crawled across the surface of the metal. It’s material shifted. Iron turned copper in a blink. Then it turned silver-grey, a beautiful sheen of untarnished silver, shrinking faintly. Then, it shrunk some more as another ripple passed over it, and the silver turned to gold.

The shabby wooden handle fell off, the tang now too small to properly fit it, but the steel… all of it had turned pure gold. Min stared at it, barely stopping his mouth from falling open. With an almost casual gesture, his saviour, Mercury, snapped the blade in half.

It was a perfectly clean break, as if the world itself had decided to sever the knife. Mercury held out half of it to the merchant, extending the tang for Min to grip - probably so that the mortal wouldn’t cut himself. Min swallowed, his eyes still bulging. “Saviour, I…”

“Mercury,” the man chided gently. “No protests. I broke your knife. It is only right I repay it,” he said.

And then, when greed warred with fear in Min’s heart, greed won again. He quickly snatched the piece of solid gold, feeling its weight heavy in his hands. “Saviour… how…” he stammered.

The man tilted his head slightly, and spoke with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Leave me a trick or two, will you?”

“Of course!” Min agreed instantly, his voice cracking. There was nothing else to say. The bandits just stared at the ease at which Mercury had turned something worthless into literal gold. There was nothing false or fake about it.

Was this hidden senior some master alchemist then, too?! The question raced through their heads. But quickly, as Mercury kept walking, they moved to catch up with him again. Min wrung his hands next to the monster, smiling nervously. “Apologies, saviour, but… perhaps, are there other talents of yours that I may… need to know about?”

Mercury playfully raised an eyebrow. “Need to know? Why would you need to know?”

Min jumped in fright. “Ah! I wish to know, I mean, of course, I would simply… well, perhaps in the city you may ply your services and I thought-”

“You want to broker my services and get a cut,” Mercury said with a playful smile, cutting through all the circumspect navigation. “Yes. I am a blacksmith, though I know some minor woodworking. My partner is a painter and herbalist.”

Instantly, he saw the merchant taking mental note of it, probably already planning on what to do with that info. Mercury simply shook his head with a smile, focusing on the road again, letting Jean lead the way. They weren’t too far out from Fuchsia after all.

And until now, their reactions had been delightful - outside of the fear. Mercury was rather excited to see their jaws drop again when they arrived two days ahead of schedule.

- - - 

And, indeed, by the time the sun was beginning to set, and shadows dragged longer in the land, they saw the gate to Fuchsia city appear from the forest as they walked along a curve in the road. Min froze at the sight.

He took a look to the left and the right of them, scanning the trees, then frowned deeply. “That’s Fuchsia City,” he noted, looking at the gate. “We’re… here?” 

“How fortuitous,” Mercury said happily, giving a nod. “We must have taken an opportune turn somewhere.”

Zyl snickered. “We followed the road the entire time!” 

“We… we must’ve been closer to the city than I remembered,” Min said shakily, eyeing the ground underneath his feet as if it had betrayed him. 

Jean, too, seemed caught aback. “Were we this close to the city?” she muttered to herself.

With a clap of his hands, Zyl commanded their attention again. “Alright,” he said. “Regardless of whether we got lucky or not, we’re here! So, let’s be on our best behaviour.”

The way the words came out was casual, but still made everyone else straighten their backs. Min took the lead as they approached the gate, the guard there eyeing him with familiarity. It was a tall woman, with raven hair fashioned into a ponytail that reached below her hips. The wore faintly lilac robes, and a distinctly pink sash holding them closed. 

“Merchant Min. You return, already?” Then, she looked past him, at his entourage. “And you bring… the Rocksplitter bandits? Are you here to claim the bounty?”

At her words, the merchant quickly gave a short bow. “Yes, I return. No, I am not here to claim a bounty. In fact, it is my saviours who apprehended the bandits, not me.” He gave a swift motion at Mercury and Zyl.

The guard gave a light snicker at that. “I was wondering how you’d apprehended the bandits. Are your saviours cultivators, then?” She eyed Mercury and Zyl up and down, one with robes and a parasol, the other an immaculate suit, carrying the merchant’s pack. “They look the type. Rogue cultivators, then?”

Mercury tilted his head a little with curiosity, but let Min continue to speak. “Yes, indeed. If they belong to a sect, I do not know which. But they come from the west, it seems. Saviour Mercury is a blacksmith, while saviour Zyl is an herbalist, or so I’ve been told.”

She hummed, then nodded. “Good. You may ply your services in the city, if you find a place to do so, and sell no faulty goods. Don’t cause trouble. As for the bandits, would you like their bounties paid out?” She asked, casually, already stepping forward and taking out a pair of manacles.

“That won’t be necessary,” Mercury said. “I will vouch for them myself. I wish to pay off their bounty. Any damages caused by them while inside the city are ones I will cover as well, insofar as they cannot handle it themselves. I am willing to cover any trouble with goods and services provided by myself.”

At that, the guard raised an eyebrow. “The word of a rogue for a couple of bandits? Well, fine, as long as you pay their bounty back in full. We’ll be keeping a close eye on them, though.”

With a small nod, Mercury placed the half of the golden dagger in her hand. “Does this suffice?” he asked quietly.

The guard stared at the metal, then nodded slowly. “Yes,” she said. “That’ll… take care of their bounty. Half this much would do-”

“Keep the rest,” Mercury said with a smile. The guard gave him a long look, but nodded. 

“Well then,” she said. “Welcome to Fuchsia City. Don’t cause any trouble.”

With her approval, Mercury gave another nod, and walked through the gate, still holding his parasol above him. The bandits followed him slowly, still flabbergasted at what had just happened. Their bounty was paid off, just like that. And he’d put his name on the line for them.

Lucky swallowed dryly. He… had a second chance. After everything. Walking into the city felt strange after so much time on the road, and he saw Jean eye the buildings with suspicion. She was still expecting an ambush at every corner. But when he faced forward, he thought that maybe, there was a chance things would be alright this time.

“Alright then. Let’s find an inn to turn in for the night?” Mercury asked casually, looking around to spot one. The city was noisy, even at this time of night, becoming louder the further in they went. And it didn’t even take a hundred steps until they did, in fact, come upon two inns.

Their owners were standing outside, loudly yelling at and berating each other.

“Your service is fucking pathetic compared to mine! My noodle recipe has been passed down through three generations of our family! My grandma established this inn with her cooking, and what about you, huh?! Can’t even make a bed, can’t cook!”

“How dare you! Your grandma made this with her noodles, yeah right! Your three generations couldn’t cook as good as what I can make with my pinky toe! Your service is nothing, bastard! You have wasted your legacy leaving your inn to rot, just to try and steal my customers and your business is still failing!”

“Oh yeah?! Let’s settle this then! We will pick a crowd of people, they will taste both our foods, sleep in both our inns, and they’ll decide which one of us is better, bastard!”

“The little frog makes a bet to try and escape the well, huh?! Fine! Loser has to pack up and find a new spot to play their trade!” 

“Deal! You!” one of the owners yelled at Jean. She was the tallest in the crowd, standing a head or two above everyone else. “You look like a woman who knows about good food and good service! How about you and your entourage help us settle this!”

Jean blinked helplessly, then turned to Mercury. Zyl snickered at the gesture, while Min’s eyes glinted. “Yes, good sirs!” the merchant replied on her part. “We will gladly help you settle this!” In an instant, he turned to the rest of the group, grinning conspiratorially. “Free food. Let’s go!” And then, he smoothly approached the two innkeeps.

Mercury sighed with a soft smile. “People here sure live intense lives, huh?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Jean nodded slowly. “Apparently they do.”

- - - - - -

Fuchsia City was under the control of the Lilac Skies sect. One of their elders, Bo Dan, sat on his throne, tapping his chin as he looked at a slab of gold brought to him by one of his guards. “Hmmmm,” he hummed slowly. “And you say this rogue blacksmith has put his name on the lines for a few ruffians?”

“Yes, elder,” the guard replied with a curt nod.

“Indeed, indeed. You’ve done well to bring this to my attention, Xiao-er,” he praised, tapping his throne with a slight smile. “It would, indeed, be a true shame if anything were to happen to these honored guests. Let us ensure that they are treated with all the warmth they deserve, hmm?” he asked, smiling smugly.

“Of course, elder,” Xiao Hui nodded. She waited for the silence to stretch on before letting out a slow breath, rising to her feet, and turning around. She knew exactly what the elder expected, but held her misgivings until she was further out. 

Then, eventually, she let out a long sigh as the pressure faded away. She took a moment to steady herself, then sought out the court of inner disciples. There were a few young masters and mistresses looking to prove themselves, after all. And acquiring precious resources for the sect was, after all, an honorable duty.

Even if the mission meant causing trouble for a rogue. If they couldn’t handle trouble, they should not have stepped into the martial world.