Chapter 397: Seven(?) Greedy Ones Ascend (VIII)
Chapter 397
Seven(?) Greedy Ones Ascend (VIII)
The city laid before them was massive--it was hardly a single city, and was more akin to a blend of ten cities into one. Walls loomed tall, surrounding beautiful and piercing architecture dyed in light blue and white. Streets were paved with limestone, hills decorated with stairs, and windows alight with the glow of life.
As Anth led them through slowly, moving leftward through the city, the four’s eyes kept darting about, trying to swallow every sight imaginable. On their way over, they came across a small market where they saw a bunch of items on the offering, their luster and stats mind-blowing. There was a Level 300 sword at the stall, casually laid out, almost as powerful as the most powerful items they had that Taima made while pouring blood and sweat into the materials.
It was all entirely too shocking, yet none paused as Anth didn’t pause. Eventually, he led them to a small house coated in white marble, rectangular like the rest surrounding it, tucked in a tiny corner near the edge of a tiny platform. Entering, a scent of lavender assailed them for a moment as Anth lit up a few candles, casting light at the simple-seeming room of wooden furniture and some shelves and flowers.
“Welcome,” he said. “To my house. It’s not much, but there’s enough room for all of you to stay here for a moment. The bath is behind the house, in a small alcove, and the two bedrooms are upstairs. As it’s Saturday, we’ll have to wait until Monday so that I can get you guys registered.”
“Can we wander about the city?” Jamal asked.
“No, please don’t,” Anth warned quickly. “Even if the chances of getting inspected are low, we can’t risk them until I register you.” though he gave that as an answer, Anth was more worried that they would stir something up and cause the authorities to look for them. After all, if time spent with them has taught him anything, it is that they are quite... unbridled. And equal amounts unafraid. Of anything.
“I’ll step outside for a moment to simply let everyone know I’m back,” he said. “And to see whether Ion has said or done anything. But, please, just... just stay inside, okay?”
“Alright, we can do that,” Emma nodded, deciding to alleviate some of the young man’s worries. She herself knew that they had practically given the boy a heart attack at least thrice so far, so it was good to let him be for a moment.
Shortly after he left, the four sprawled across the two sofas and a chair, taking out some drinks from the inventory while peeking out through the window at the passersby. Most were at least Level 100, though there were some below, mostly teenagers and below.
“Alright, when we get our papers or whatever,” Emma began. “We’ll need to divide and conquer. Senna, you’ll stay by Anth’s side and protect him.”
“Why me?” Senna quizzed.
“Because you’re the strongest,” Emma replied. “And you flirt about as well as a rat on crack, so your ability to prod any information without torture is virtually non-existent.”
“... you coulda stopped at the strongest, you know?”
“You’ll probably join the boy in the Academy or whatever he called it, and while Jamal and Daniel will go to register with you, it’s pointless if all three of you stick together. Jamal, you’ll look into the criminal side of things.”
“Why? ‘cause I’m black?”
“Yes, because that joke isn’t old,” Emma rolled her eyes. “Find out what’s the hierarchy and how easy it is to infiltrate. Daniel, you figure out how good or bad the defenses are, both city-wide and those of the important figures. Also see into the economic markets. We’ll eventually have to start making bank and it’d be better if we knew how by then.”
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“What about you? Won’t you be a pretend-slave?” Jamal asked. “Will you even be allowed to move around?”
“Why not?” Emma shrugged, leaning back. “I’ll try to see if there’s anything akin to a ladies’ court here and try to get in.”
“... you? You?” Senna arched her brows. “Mom, I love you--but that is the stupidest thing you’ve ever said in your life.”
“... why not me?” Emma grinned. “All you kids have ever known is this battle-hardened badass of a woman who gets off at swinging her hammer around.”
“Too much info!”
“But did you know that I was actually a prom queen in high school?” she asked. “I even got a few modelling offers before I got pregnant with Lana. At one point, I was a girly girl.”
“... yeah, can’t see it,” Jamal said. “It’s like, you know, Morgan Freeman or something. He was always old even when he was young and you... dunno, you were always a brute. Can’t picture you any other way.”
“Funny, ‘cause I can picture you with a broken nose.”
“You musta been the most beautiful--”
“Yeah, yeah, shut it.”
“Before you guys derail any further, let’s circle back,” Daniel interrupted swiftly, knowing full well how quickly these things can spiral in this group of people. “Before Cain comes, we should at least have a general idea of this place as well as their power levels. While that kid Ion was easy pickings, if he had a bone of courage in him and could actually fight with life on the line, we would struggle. We can’t rely entirely on our experiences, especially now. We’ve only met kids so far, but we’ll meet people with equal levels of experience, and even those with more. So--”
“So, we level up,” Senna said. “As soon as Anth registers us, we’ll hoodwink him into taking us to every and any dungeon, tower, challenge, trial, whatever the hell exists in this place, until we’re all at least Level 200. That should equalize situation somewhat.”
“Won’t that get in the way of gathering info?” Daniel asked.
“Do any of you truly think Cain cares?” Senna scoffed. “I love him to death, but, let’s face it, he’s not much of a thinker. Thankfully, we had uncle Rick back on Earth to deal with the nonsense, but we don’t have anyone here. Info won’t do us jack if we’re too weak to have any staying power. As long as we show off, info will come naturally.”
“...” Emma appeared unconvinced. Though it was true that it was far more important to become strong enough to stand on their own, information was also an absolute necessity as they entered a completely alien world.
“I’ll stay behind,” Daniel said suddenly. “And gather information. I’m the highest Level here anyway, so I can sacrifice a bit. Besides, it’d be easy for me to run in case I stir a nest.”
“We’ll make it up for you by carrying you afterward,” Emma said. “There has to be a joke here, somewhere. Two hot girls and a black guy service a white boy or something, right?”
“Ugh, mom...”
“Jesus, Em’...”
“It’s at times like these that we need Cain around,” Daniel sighed. “You... you try and try, but he’s... uncanny with his weird jokes. It’s not something that you can just replicate.”
“It’s true,” Jamal nodded. “He says some offensive shit, but he does with some weird class. It’s kinda scary, to be honest. It feels like he could insult eighteen generations of your ancestors, and you’d just kinda... laugh along, y’know?”
“Yes, yes, I’m not as funny as him, I got ya’,” Emma said. “Why not just stab me with a knife instead? It would have hurt less...”
“Yeah, nobody’s buying the act,” Senna shrugged. “So, we’ll push ourselves hard. Will the kid be able to keep up?”
“Of course he will,” Daniel scoffed. “I already said--if big, bad AI was controlling everyone, we’d all be getting our asses handed to us based on raw stats alone. It’s clear that this world is very different in the way it treats battles. Nobody here fights to death, on the surface, but it’s all bullshit. There’s no way this ‘slave system’ works fully. So, before we piss off someone who doesn’t care, stop underestimating everyone here. Anth’s stats likely shit on ours, and I have a dubious feeling he’ll do well enough to help you level. I can’t stress this enough: we’re not Cain, guys. He can go off on his own and likely fuck a hole in the world. We can’t. We have to stick together and be smart about things. Or did you already forget how easily we got our asses kicked by Quinn and Nature and Harmony for what felt like forever?”
“...” everyone turned silent--of course they hadn’t forgotten. Aches of wounds and scars rekindled upon the mention of the trio.
“Cain, somehow, defeated them,” he said. “All three of them. He’s off in his own little world, and we can’t in any way, shape or form try and replicate what he’s doing. So, we do our own thing. Please. I can’t be the voice of reason in this group. It’s just embarrassing.”
“... yes, you are quite an embarrassment,” Senna fired a shot with a grunt.
“Aww, shucks, did I hurt our little princess’ feelings?” Daniel grinned at her.
“He’s right,” Emma said as she stood up, looking out through the window where she saw Anth returning with a woman by his side. “From now on, no more flaming out like we’re peacocks or something. We keep our heads leveled and our pride at bay. At least until we have a full picture of where exactly we fit in this world’s system of strength.”
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