Cooing in dissatisfaction Thorn’s core contracted
Randidly shrugged “Yes well you can’t very well dig through the sea can you Have you tried moving through water “
Thorn slumped in defeat causing Randidly to chuckle
” yea I figured it was something like that Everyone has weaknesses Even I do Although if I had to describe them ” Randidly trailed off Thorn just seemed confused so he just shrugged and rubbed ThornÆs core affectionately
It was difficult to climb back up to the surface level through the series of tunnels and cracks that Thorn had created but from there Randidly was rather undecided on what to do Very soon after he had headed in this direction to surprise Neveah he might have just hit a stumbling block that would reveal his plans After all Randidly didn’t have the heart to try and convince Thorn not to tell Neveah that he was here
The plant was rather innocent it simply wouldn’t understand the reason for the deception
So Randidly sighed and opened up a connection to Neveah
Neveah I’m headed your way I have some down time so I’ll help you out with the portal for a bit
For several seconds there was no answer and then Neveah sent a wave of pleasure across their connection
Good timing Do you have more of these bug Riders They help with the image
Frowning Randidly tried to parse apart what Neveah was saying What did she mean help with the image
Well it’s not as though I can’t make more if they keep Leveling up the Skill I see you’ve been putting them to work for the past several weeks Why didn’t you tell me that you were using them I thought they had gone rogue
Neveah seemed surprised Oh I thought you sent me them on purpose They just showed up And they kill well
Shaking his head Randidly told Neveah he would be there soon and ended the connection They just showed up Well when he had allowed them free reign he supposed it made sense that they would head toward another being that produced similar energy to himself Something like instincts
The sun hung low over Scant fat and hot causing several beads of sweat to form on RandidlyÆs neck In spite of his internal conflict about this situation he sighed in contentment Despite the rather pungent smell of dead fish that was wafting out of Scant the heat and humidity reminded Randidly of the few vacations he had been able to take into Tropical climates before the System arrived
Those were good memories It was hard to come by those these days
As he walked deeper into the city he idly wondered whether there would be a point that tourism became a widespread thing on Earth once more Currently most people stayed in one spot because of the external threat of monsters and to sharpen their Skills but as the years turned into decades Randidly suspected that the rate of advancement for Skills would fall off a cliff
And after that happened the speed of Leveling would fall even more quickly once people lost the ambition they had to grow
Randidly affectionately dubbed this arms race period between the different Zones early stage System ism The period of growth would likely push them to the limits of what was possible for humanity After that would come mid stage System ism where the next few generations of children who would be born into the System would push a little past the current exploits After all with the benefit of experience they would have an edge over their predecessors
As for Late stage System ism
Randidly grimaced as he walked past a stall where the reeking innards of fish were heaped into a pile to be sold in bulk Hopefully he would be able to overcome the Calamities and give Earth the chance to reach that point That was why he was here
Getting distracted by other things was inevitable but he needed to keep it to a minimum For now he should gather information and then head toward Neveah
Chapter 884
Due to the relative peace of Scant Randidly was just letting the noises smells and pressures of the crowd wash over him It was not very enjoyable to stay here but it was a necessary evil He would need to make preparations here before he could move forward
One step at a time Randidly released a breath and closed his eyes just in time to feel someone reach for Acri who was hanging around his neck like a necklace and yank
Of course Acri sensed this too and surged into motion Without any of the sort of restraint that Randidly would display It wiggled out of the way of the grasp and then lashed out with one of a few tiny blades that were almost like Thorn’s that Acri was now mimicking from its older sibling Acri’s shaft became like a razor whip that ripped through the air toward the offender
Grimacing Randidly reached up and caught Acri with his metallic left arm Looks like Acri was learning aggressive tendencies from Thorn as well That would hopefully be tempered by some time apart
With his other hand Randidly snagged the little thief She was young and skinny a beggar with incongruously bright blue eyes for one so dirty and smelly In the first second after Randidly snagged her wrist she exploded into motion like a feral cat hissing and clawing But her fingernails were a far cry from the strength and toughness that she needed in order to harm Randidly through his growing Endurance
Stoically he endured it examining her carefully Obviously she wasnÆt a threat He hadnÆt even registered her movements because they seemed so harmless Yet to do something so foolhardy as trying to rob a stranger in a System governed world
After that initial burst of energy the beggar went as limp as a wet rag allowing Randidly to be the only force holding her aloft Sighing Randidly let go of her and allowed her to drop which caused her to begin to cry
Inwardly Randidly groaned With these sort of developments what she said next was probably going to be something like
“Just kill me ” The young girl whispered her eyes on the ground “What’s the point Without money me and my brother Our lives mean nothing “
The Crown you wear is one of Upheaval and Gloom Randidly thought furiously at himself That is the burden you bear You must survive the Calamities and to do that you must grow strong Focused and strong By walking the dark Paths and destroying the established ways
Yet in spite of those thoughts Randidly crouched down next to the girl so that their eyes were on the same level Slowly those brilliant blue eyes rose watering and intimidated to meet his gaze that was so vividly emerald that the girl had to blink several times as their eyes met
There are no perfect Paths just appropriate ends Even if itÆs a slight distraction I canÆt just walk away
“You think quickly because I’ll only ask this once Can you and your brother guide me through Scant “
An obviously leading question Randidly could help this girl and her sibling but for all her plight Randidly wouldn’t give her any sort of concrete aid until he knew her personality a little better Money would be as quickly given as stolen again if that money were given to one as weak as this Equipment would be more trouble than it was worth And what would a young girl do with a bar of iron
As for an Aether Connection Randidly steeled himself against giving one out casually for all that this child was clearly in dire straights
Poverty was one of the few things that the System left entirely intact Randidly thought sadly as he looked at the girl This was the help he could give her a chance for him to see the goodness in her and consider what other specific assistance he could provide that would be useful Perhaps a vision of an image or Skill to inspire her
In the back of his mind Randidly felt his Crown of Upheaval and Gloom suffusing his Soulspace with its meaning He felt its stark practicality and dangerous edges Yet if he could truly assist this girl with it
But the girl began to cry harder and twisted away Randidly had let go of her when she collapsed so she easy regained her footing and sprinted away through the crowd Within a few seconds she was gone
Very slowly Randidly stood The words she had spoken