Chapter 867: The Golden Guardians III
"What is this?"
Kyle muttered softly as he bent down to pick up a multicolor flower that nearly got crushed under his foot. He and Silver had ventured deep into the city.
Now, the houses were fewer in number, replaced by sprawling grassy fields where people from different races trained and flew with grace. Their movements blurred into streaks of color against the clear sky.
Silver gasped, her breath catching in her throat as she witnessed the casual way Kyle plucked the fragile flower.
"That... that’s a Multicolor Nepula! It’s not expensive, but it’s a valuable treasure since it helps a Celestial’s body grow stronger! It was growing in the middle of the street! How could no one have noticed it?"
Confusion clouded her features as she scanned the area, hoping to spot another Multicolor Nepula around. Unfortunately, her search proved futile.
"How strange."
She murmured, playing with the fan in her hand, her voice tinged with bewilderment.
Kyle’s gaze fell upon the flower. It held no scent. Maybe that’s why it went unnoticed. He himself would have missed it if not for his luck stat, which seemed to have finally sprung back to life after a long slumber.
Regardless, no way he would consume a flower that might have been stepped on by so many people. So he turned to Silver.
"I will sell you the flower. Give me an appropriate prize for it."
Silver’s eyes widened.
"Really?"
He nodded, and she was more than willing to trade. She gave him six finger-sized, long, slender, small natural crystals and took the multicolor flower excitedly. It wasn’t rare, but it was a treasure nonetheless!
Kyle glanced at the blue crystals.
"I can sense water element in them. These crystals are formed with nature’s energy."
Silver quickly stored the flower in her mind space and turned to him, feeling a sense of satisfaction. She had just scammed him by offering only 50% of the flower’s value, and he didn’t even hesitate. Little did she know, he would have discarded the flower himself if she hadn’t purchased it, as it wasn’t clean enough for him to consume. So, 50% was actually a lot more than he expected.
"Yes, these crystals are formed from concentrated natural energy. But you will only find the four basic element crystals—fire, wind, earth, and water—in common here. Crystals representing other natural laws, or elements, are extremely rare."
Kyle nodded at her and then absorbed the natural crystals in his hand. As he did, they crumbled and disappeared. They had the power of nature, and he shouldn’t waste it.
Silver was dumbfounded by his actions. Usually, Celestials without money clung to every natural crystal they got, but this guy just casually consumed the first natural crystals he had gotten in this realm?
Shaking her head, thinking what an idiot this tall man was, she pointed toward a small cottage far away, opposite them.
"That’s your residence in the Golden Guardians Clan. Work hard and you will get a better residence. As for your job, you just need to fight corrupted beasts who come and attack the clan’s territory outer barrier from time to time. They aren’t powerful but they are a nuisance. Ah, right, you will get paid for killing the corrupted beasts."
Kyle nodded, a hum escaping his lips.
"What are corrupted beasts?"
Silver fanned her face with a tired sigh.
"Why so many questions? You will know them with time anyway. They are formless beasts born by the impure power of nature. They mostly don’t have ranks, but they grow stronger the longer they exist here since they swallow the natural energy."
She turned to leave as Kyle eyed the tiny cottage, his residence here, which seemed like it could only house a single person. His eyebrow twitched, and he exhaled before stopping the woman who was leaving.
"Wait."
Silver glared back.
"My job’s done! Don’t ask me anymore questions! As the Gatekeeper of this land, the duty Ares gave me is to guide new clan members who come here to the city and find an empty residence for them! That’s it! Yet you made me speak so much!"
Kyle noticed the annoyance in her eyes. He sighed when he realized he had bothered her a lot, even though he didn’t trust her.
"Thank you for the help. Thanks this Ares guy as well. I’ll repay this favor. Anyway, I have one last question. Do you happen to know if there is a library in this city?"
Silver’s eyes widened in surprise. She couldn’t believe someone was actually asking about the library. It had been ages since anyone here had even visited the clan library. Not because it wasn’t a good library, but because to enter, one had to pay. She cleared her throat and gave him directions before disappearing, chuckling to herself.
’He won’t be able to get in because he lack natural crystal! Consider this a punishment for making me talk so much!’
She vanished, and Kyle strode through the city, heading toward the library. He still had questions, such as what his responsibilities were in this clan besides battling corrupted beasts. Additionally, he needed information about the Celestial realm and clans, and a library was the best place to find it.
"I thought this place was similar to an academy... But no, I don’t see anyone teaching others. Just friendly fights."
He mused softly. On the way, he noticed individuals from many races, some selling small meditation spots, and others betting while watching battles. At least, some things didn’t change even in this realm.
There were even small caves and training grounds scattered throughout the area, all promising strength. However, access to these places came at a price.
Curious, he approached a Celestial with angelic features and inquired about them. The male Celestial, though annoyed by the sudden tap on his shoulder, informed him that these were known as ’Trial Caves’ and ’Strength Shrines’ filled with natural energy that could accelerate one’s growth.
He nodded, muttering a thank you before departing. A lot of individuals noticed him and murmured amongst themselves. They wanted to know who the newcomer was since they hadn’t seen him around before. Luckily, even then, no one bothered him, likely because he wasn’t that strong.