Before returning to Tian the next morning, Hector checked his gains from the Mother Elixir.

Survey Results

Type: Xian

Level: 6

Body: 5.3

Mind: 5

Aura: 4

Domain: 3.6

Energy Reserves: 43%

Those were good gains in his body enhancement. It blew his mind that they came about from drinking just half a jug of the precious liquid. Had he been less ethical, he could have taken all of the jugs for himself and delivered the Mother to Lord Zara. What would he gain from drinking fifteen?

Though such blatant theft was not his way, Hector calculated the benefit anyway. He estimated two jugs would take him to the peak of level six in his body enhancement, with some excess going to replenish his energy reserves. Which meant that it would take fourteen jugs to reach the peak of level seven in body enhancement – seven times the investment as level six. Hector would have been just shy of that goal. That was assuming he didn't use any of the elixir to advance his soul level and limited it entirely to body enhancement. Which he certainly could have done given some time and his ability to cultivate chaos.

Hector arrived in the city of Bach and went to the beer hall to ask around about Darius. People were just as hesitant to speak to a hunter as the last time he visited, but Hector felt more comfortable making a nuisance of himself. He received only negatives in response to his queries. He drank a couple of beers while he interrogated his fellow patrons, which helped a little with restoring his energy reserves. All the traveling he did in recent days was quite draining.

When he noticed a level four man approaching from the corner of his eye, Hector turned. His mood immediately soured when he recognized the individual. "You're still alive, Hans?" The bigoted asshole was too lucky by far.

Hans cackled wildly. "I be too crazy to die, Hector. Two level seven Zing bastards in Baden. You should kill them with me." The conversation was about what he had come to expect from Hans. A rough parody of their interaction played in his head: 'long time no see, want to visit the next town over and commit a hate crime?'

"I'm otherwise occupied," Hector said. "Have you seen Darius lately?"

Hans shook his head as if gravely disappointed. "After we killed those Zing bitches, crazy bastard said he will kill me if we ever meet again."

Hector finished his beer and left that town. Rather than going to Baden, he appeared below the town of Rags and began walking in a direction he had yet to travel. His journey lasted all that day and on into the night before he finally encountered a small town. Darius wasn't there and Hector returned to Union Central after buying marrow bones from a butcher. Esther almost died of ecstasy as she bought the bones from him while exclaiming about the broth she would make.

He spent another day exploring Stein and brought back a sack of half-sprouted onions almost as large as him. The farmer had been more than happy to part with a good portion of his crop in exchange for some silver. Esther and Wayne inventoried the onions while explaining to Hector that the sulfur containing compounds reacted rapidly in the digestive system, making it a useful for restoring energy.

They paid him good for that one. Hector had expected the two of them to want to place regular orders now that he had a network of places to travel, but they seemed to have more fun with the game of figuring out how to use the random things he brought back. If he didn't know how intensely money-motivated Esther was, Hector might believe the cafe was a creative hobby.

On the following day, Hector arrived at the modest estate of Lord Zara. He directed his sphere to the front lawn instead of inside the house this time, figuring that he wasn't showing up with a priceless resource. A servant escorted Hector inside and he was shown to a suite that contained a change of clothes and a tub full of water. The servant used a radiator externality to quickly heat the bath before moving to wait outside.

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Hector wasn't sure if he should take their insistence on bathing as an insult. Ultimately, he went along with the plan because it had been forever since he could submerge himself in hot water. Union Central rooms were strictly about high efficiency showers – the water pressure was never quite what he hoped it would be.

Cleaned and dressed, he emerged and the servant took him to a sitting room where he was offered a comfortable seat and choice of alcoholic beverage. There was a white wine, a red wine, a blush, an amber liquor, and two varieties of clear liquor. Hector took his time making a selection, studying them within their crystal containers.

"Would you like my recommendation?"

He spun about. "Lord Zara."

"My first name is fine, Hector. You're here for a cookout."

Hector studied the lord, noticing she was dressed casually in a white blouse and leather pants. Her eyes, framed by teased locks in a bob haircut, sparkled above her prominent nose. She was positively radiant. Not exactly the word he associated with the business focused Master Zara of Volithur's memories. "I take it the Emperor kept his word on the reward?"

"People speak of the Zing Emperor like he is an unrivaled power. That is far from the case, Hector. With the way Zing operates, he has the power to take many of his country's resources for himself. That is great for his personal strength, but Zing has to sacrifice the strength of his subordinates in the process. Eleven others of lord level could exist if he did not hoard. It's not a good trade for his country, to be blunt. A lord possesses considerable benefits over someone at level nine, but reaching level eleven is just a doubling of capacities. Having robbed strength that could have gone to his armies, the Emperor relies a great deal upon his reputation when dealing with external parties. He would not dare lose face by reneging on his public bounty. It would make him appear weak and untrustworthy."

He nodded along. "The Alfar call level ten 'parity'."

Zara pursed her lips. "I don't know how it works for them. For our kind, it is transcendence."

"Rising above reality?"

"Separating from it," Zara said. "Providing you survive the tribulation."

Hector's brows rose to his forehead. "What the hell is a tribulation?"

Zara laughed as she slid past him. "Something you won't have to worry about. The vodka has a clean flavor. The rum is sweeter. And the whiskey is delectable. There are also three varieties of wine. Everything was bought especially for our celebration, so I will think you a bore if you don't partake."

"Well, you seem fond of the whiskey, so I'll have that alongside an explanation."

She poured two glasses and handed one to him. "Have you had whiskey before?"

Hector experienced a flashback of doing shots of Jack Daniels in college. "Once or twice."

"It is an acquired taste, but definitely worth acquiring. Before drinking, you should first inhale the aroma. Appreciate the caramel sweetness on the air. Then you take a modest sip, anticipating the burn as the pleasant warmth it is, and let the liquid slowly move back, coating your mouth so that you may fully experience the flavors." Zara demonstrated her technique. She closed her eyes to savor the experience.

He sniffed, sipped, and swallowed. It was rough.

Zara laughed once more. "If it isn't to your tastes, choose something else and I will finish what was poured for you."

"No need. If I can handle uncut spirits, then this will be fine."

"I find that comparison quite disheartening. Anyway, you asked about the tribulation. The universe itself tries to kill you during advancement to level ten. It is the price you must pay to become a lord." Zara savored another sip of her whiskey. "The traditional view is that the heavens grow angered by an attempt to permanently withdraw a portion of cosmic energy from the universe."

Hector tried another sip of the whiskey. He expected the harsh character this time and it didn't hit him nearly so hard. Still not enjoyable. "You say traditional view like there is an alternative."

"The other explanation is grounded in a natural philosophy many consider too similar to Jinn science," she said. "I suspect you are the type to prefer such theories."

He tried another sip of the whiskey. He managed not to make a face this time. "The suspense is killing me, Zara. What causes the tribulation? Other than the heavens having an attitude."

"Accumulated charge in the soul envelope." Zara held a fist and then traced a finger from the other hand down in a dramatic zigzag. "Like lightning, where the clouds balance out their charge by striking the ground. In this case, the soul is the cloud. Or maybe the ground, since that is where the lightning strikes. Either way, the charge is violent when it moves. Only those with a sturdy soul survive."

All of this was news to Hector. It wouldn't be something he had to worry about for many years, but he would eventually have to face this tribulation if he survived his adventures. Which he no longer felt so certain of. There had been far too many close calls lately. More concerning by far was the fact that he hardly felt bothered by the danger. Discovering a solution to the threat of the chaos bolt had unlocked a feeling of invincibility in him.

Hector took another sip of the whiskey and was surprised to find a hint of vanilla and spice on his palate. "Hey, it almost tasted good that time!"

Zara tapped her glass to his in cheers.

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