Chapter 20 #3
Ya Ling’s furrowed brow turned into a look of alarm. She quickly glided down to his side. “So what’s to say that some giant Silver-tier roc, raven, or ice-bird spirit beast monster won’t glide down from its snow aerie and make short work of me?”
“Pretty much, yeah. I mean, it’s fine for getting an edge in combat or occasionally scouting, but certainly don’t go flying off too far or high.”
Lao Tie gazed intently at a frowning Wu Xien. “Wu?”
The giant sighed, holding out five decently sized beast cores. Several Alex was surprised to find that he didn’t recognize, and three he did all too well, the pair generating curses from the more experienced delvers.
“Dark stones. Get rid of them.”
Wu Xien snorted and readied to toss them, before blinking when Alex gently clasped his wrist.
“I don’t suppose I could take those off your hands?”
Lao Tie furrowed his brow. “Why exactly do you want to waste cores?”
Alex flashed a tight smile. “They can actually be quite useful in formations that ensure bountiful crops, much like Ruidians expelling Waste Qi to enhance their gardens. And our storage space was designed to ensure that their potency is safely contained.”
Linnea gave an animated nod as Alex claimed them and mimed putting them in her pack.
Lao Tie furrowed his brow before giving a relieved nod seconds later.
“Captain?”
“It’s fine. I sense no waste emanations at all. And who would know better how to make use of those things than a Ruidian cultivator?”
Kiuasu snorted. “Those things are near worthless in anyone else’s hands.”
Lao Tie nodded. “And we won’t even count them against their share.” He sighed, before looking philosophically at the pair he had. “Well, at least these have value, no matter how cracked and flawed they may be.”
Alex frowned. He so wanted to ask, so Linnea, sensing his curiosity, did it for him.
“Ooh… those aren’t like any beast cores I’ve seen before. They’re bigger than the Bronze-tier ones in Liushi, but they do look oddly… pitted? And I can’t tell what element they’re aligned with.”
“That’s because they’re not really aligned to any one element,” Lao Tie explained offhandedly, earning a surprised look from Linnea.
Kuaisu snorted. “Not all delves are as cleanly defined as Liushi’s. But if I were to guess, those cores are composites of Spirit, representing the beast’s will, compressed by Earth, and have been further shaped by Wind.”
“Snow as well,” Lao Tie noted. “But not Ice. Just bitter cold. So, sadly, it does us no good, and the caldera is in desperate need of a pristine water core… not a composite.”
Alex frowned. “All right, how common are these composites versus purer stones?”
Lao Tie sighed. “Honestly, Alex, it’s really a matter of luck—what you’ll find in any given season, on any particular expedition.
Though from the records I’ve gone over, it’s tended more toward warped composites than pristine perfectly rounded cores of any particular element as the years press on and our final water core wanes.
But don’t worry,” he hastened to assure upon seeing Alex’s expression.
“We’re just at the periphery. It’s always composites this close to the gate.
Fortunately, our alchemists and artificers can use composites with a high degree of efficacy.
We’ll still earn considerable credits or silver with this find alone. ”
“And we sure as hell aren’t stopping here,” Kuaisu insisted with quiet intensity, nodding at Lao Tie’s look. “My leg now feels fine, and we know what to expect. And with two Wind-aligned flankers…” She forced a smile. “I think we’ll be fine.”
Tang nodded. “Even if it’s been awhile since anyone dared Winter, we all know the tales of this realm, don’t we?”
Wu Xien nodded. “Guardians hunt only when there are prizes worthy of guarding.”
Alex blinked at the looks of excitement coming over their countenances. “I’m sorry?”
“It’s the nature of these rifts, Alex,” Lao Tie explained.
“You wouldn’t know unless you were from here…
or from a Ruidian clan that delves regularly in Wanshi.
But almost always, pristine cores will be found in the depths of a season, not its shallows.
And the more aggressive and fearsome the beasts, the better quality the cores. ”
Alex dipped his head. “Makes sense.” He gazed out into the howling snowstorm all about them.
“So, how the heck do we know where we’re going…
or even make sure we can get back safely?
” He turned back the way he had come. Though he had a good feel for where it presently was, even without Forest Sense or Desert Sense in play, he couldn’t say with absolute certainty that he’d remember if they traveled much further than they already had.
“Oh, no worries there, Alex. I’ve keyed the rift gate to my personal talisman. No matter how far we dare this rift, even during what I hope will prove to be a very propitious snowstorm, I will be able to find our way back. I promise you that.”
Alex nodded his understanding, sharing a quick glance with Ya Ling. What was left unsaid was that if the surprisingly gracious young master didn’t make it back in one piece… then neither would they.