722 Entering The Varahan Empire
"Hmph!" Inala grunted and seeped Prana into his palm print, unleashing a Silver Grade presence similar to every other citizen of the Varahan Empire. This was despite him only being at the Spirit Stage.
With this, he could maintain his strength while playing around with the mechanics that keep the Varahan Empire running.
Inala waited patiently while consuming the meat of the Balghat. Once he recovered his Prana capacity to its peak of sixty units, he activated the Nature of Wool expansion, immediately feeling as if his skin was getting ripped apart as all the hair on his body condensed into a net and wrapped around the boulder before him.
It left him bald, bleeding across the body. Wool Expansion only required ten units of Prana to activate, and depending on the situation and the distance between the source and the target, the required number of Prana further decreased.
To rapidly regenerate a layer of wool to peak capacity consumed 220 units of Prana for the Balghat. Inala didn't have that much Prana, so he would have to spend days growing that amount of hair. However, he had no intentions of doing so as he kneeled on the ground once and waited for his Prana to heal his injuries, "I never felt a pain like this. It stings bad!"
As Inala went around having a Vara Human Avatar to get the same power, the influence he had to face was terrifying, especially since he was only at the Spirit Stage, without the mental capacity granted by the Boyd Stage with Silver Grade strength.
Unless he intended to attain something with the influence generated by the Natures, he didn't plan on storing any in his Vara Palm Print. He could only store one Nature per Vara Palm Print. So, his limit was two Natures.
Upon making a full recovery, he returned to his tent to begin accumulating strength once again. First, he'll use Gold Inheritance Art to convert his existing sixty Spirit Containers into forms created by the cultivation technique.
Following that, once he has enough stockpile of medicines, he'd refine a Low-Grade Elixir, consume it, reach the Body Stage and extract the Spirit Container, using which he'll form a Vara Palm Print on his left palm.
Twenty-two years since the Second Major Disaster ended, Inala was finally done with his preparations, having two Vara Palm Prints that were fully functional, able to hold an Expert Iron Grade Nature each.
'It's time to enter the Varahan Empire. I have spent too much time outside.' Inala thought as he approached Wepetay and smiled, "It took too long. But I have succeeded."
"Congratulations, Sir Binala!" Wepetay expressed genuine joy, "It took you a long time indeed."
Saying so, he looked around and only saw the old and untalented people left around them, "Everyone from the Noikatol Kingdom has already entered the Varahan Empire."
"It might take them time before some of them feel interested enough in settling at their home and making a living here." Wepetay said, sighing a moment later upon recalling the situation at his home, "Though, I don't suppose anyone might be willing to do so."
"The Varahan Empire is just too filled with grandeur to be away from it voluntarily."
"How long has it been since you visited home?" Inala stopped emitting Silver Grade presence and asked, frowning as he focused on Wepetay for a few seconds in silence, "Don't tell me…"
"I…never went back after entering the Varahan Empire." Wepetay looked down, "There's just not much to be done at home. I was…sick of that place since I was a kid. Not only is it barren, but we had to live every day in fear of being swarmed by a tide of Pranic Beasts."
"You should return home, I'm sure it'll help you with your cultivation too." Inala said and lightly tapped Wepetay on the chest, focusing on the portion above his heart, "Unlike in the past, the current you is strong. So, you should return home one of these days and build an ancestral home. Even if you don't want to go there, make it a point to visit the place with your family, especially the kids."
"Ensure that they remember your origin and also come to genuinely love your birthplace."
"What about you, Sir?" Wepetay asked upon seeing Inala's moistened gaze, "Do you wish to return to the Bollutiya Kingdom?"
"Being engulfed by hatred is dangerous for someone like me." Inala smiled wryly, "After working hard for so long and barely entering the Body Stage, I understand my limit now. The injuries I sustained during my youth have created irrecoverable damage."
"A hundred units of Prana at the Body Stage is my limit." Inala chuckled, "So, even after entering the Body Stage, I'll grow old as usual."
"The Varahan Empire should have plenty of experts who can look into your situation." Wepetay said and patted his chest, "I have a bit of power as one of the closest aides of Lord MunuBuntara. With my influence, I can definitely find someone to heal…"
"I don't have the drive anymore," Inala interjected with an exhausted sigh as he stared at the sky, "Anyone who becomes strong has entered the Body Stage at a young age. That way, they retain their youthful body and mind. But in my case…"
He let out a forlorn breath, "Both my body and mind have aged. And with it, so did my desires. These days, I only wish to live a peaceful life and live out until I can no longer bear to be alive."
He then flexed his arms and patted them loudly, "I have plenty of stories from my youth. So, if you have kids, send them to me. I'll teach them while imparting to them my life skills."
'Indeed, Sir Binala is the most respected in the Noikatol Kingdom alongside Sir Kvirala. He has survived in the wilds for decades with only Spirit Stage strength. That experience is invaluable even to me, not to mention my children."
"I'll ask Lord MunuBuntara to build an academy where you can teach our next generation. It'll be our honour to seek your guidance and wisdom on various matters." Wepetay said without a hint of ego, truly seeking to better the lives of everyone, "All we have on our side is strength. Your experiences will truly be invaluable to our growth."
"I am happy you hold me in such a high regard." Inala said with a mildly choking tone, somewhat emotional as he continued, "Leave the next generation to me. I'll do everything in my capability to nurture them into their best version."
"Give me a couple of hours," Wepetay said and rushed somewhere. Soon, his deputy took his spot, intending to manage the Noikatol Kingdom for a few days.
Immediately after, Wepetay stared at Inala to say, "I'll lead you to the Varahan Empire."
"I appreciate your help." Inala didn't reject the offer and walked out of the room alongside Wepetay. They called it a room, but it was an open space with walls created using Rocky Intimidation. The climate was warm and dry most of the time, with it becoming hot from time to time.
Remaining indoors would be terrifying. As such, they build open structures to move around in, maintaining closed structures only for storage. A series of interconnected rings riddled the ground, with each spanning a radius of at least forty to fifty metres.
The walls were made using Rocky Intimidation, reaching a height of twenty metres. The maze-like ring structure was also built aerodynamically, ensuring the wind entering from the edge would go through all the rings without losing strength and keep the place ventilated.
There were similar ring structures meant to enclose large hers of Balghats that had been captured for the consumption of MunuBuntara. The resources required to feed and take care of them came through the railway from the Varahan Empire.
At regular intervals, Balghats were loaded onto the railway compartments after ensuring to make them activate their Primary Nature multiple times. Only after they were drained of Prana were they loaded onto the compartments.
This way, the railway could operate without risks. The Balghats, alongside other Pranic Beasts native to the Petrichor Savannah, would be consumed by MunuBuntara. He would then place a group of the respective Natures in the Human avatar of one of his subordinates and send him to the Noikatol Kingdom to transfer the Natures to the Free Humans managing the place.
From capturing, domesticating, and even breeding the Pranic Beasts, the Free Humans dispatched by MunuBuntara did everything. They also defended the Noikatol Kingdom from external harm. So, the Natures were just a portion of their payment.
Accompanying Wepetay, Inala arrived at a tall rocky mountain constructed purely out of the Rockatrice's Nature of Rocky Intimidation. He then entered it through a cave-like entrance that had been widened for the transfer of goods.
"We're keeping a reserve of at least four railways in the underground station." Wepetay said in pride, "The maintenance station there will inspect and repair the railways that arrive. And once they're ready, they'll make a trip to the Varahan Empire. There's a traffic of at least one railway a day."
Each railway had anywhere from twenty to fifty compartments. So, the sheer volume of goods being transported in and out of the Petrichor Savannah was tremendous.
'That MunuBuntara guy is raking in a lot of wealth through this transaction, since he pretty much controls this region.' Inala thought. The strongest existence on the Petrichor Savannah was an Iron Grade Pranic Beast. So, there was no force here capable of putting a halt to MunuBuntara's ambition.
Moreover, Inala noticed how MunuBuntara exercised retrain, ensuring he didn't pressure the native Iron Grade Pranic Beasts until they joined hands to form a horde on the level of a Minor Crisis or even worse, lead to Mutations that would cause dangerous Silver Grade existences to pop in their midst.
MunuBuntara was pumping food resources into the Petrichor Savannah, allowing the native Iron Grade Pranic Beasts to breed more thanks to the abundance of food. This meant they weren't discouraged when some of their newborns were captured by the Free Humans.
They fought to save their kin, but there were no adverse effects even if they were to lose a bunch, since they were making more now. 'It's a pretty precise calculation. If we're tallying the headcount, the overall population of the Pranic Beasts here has remained constant.'
'It means either MunuBuntara is smart, or he has a team of excellent advisors that allow him to plan strategically like this.' Inala concluded as he arrived at the Station, noticing a railway whose compartments were constructed from Decodus Tree wood. The joints and edges were lined with some metallic material.
The linings were made using an Iron Grade mineral but the important bolts consisted of various Silver Grade minerals, displaying the amount of wealth the Varahan Empire had invested into every compartment.
'Before anyone noticed, the Varahan Empire has become a behemoth and they're expanding rapidly to reach the level of the Brimgan Empire.' His expression was serious as he boarded the railway and walked to his compartment, a sixteen square metre room with a bed and a set of table and chair facing the large, glass window.
"I'm staying in the adjacent room," Wepetay said and walked away with his luggage, carrying a lot of souvenirs for his family, of which were woollen suits Inala had specifically woven for his wife and children. "Alright," Inala nodded and took a seat, watching the railway begin moving soon after. There was a mild pull of gravity in the tunnel which made the railway move. A team of drivers in the engine compartment used psychokinesis on the wheels to accelerate or decelerate when necessary, giving them better control over the travel process.
Noikatol Kingdom was 19,760 kilometres from the Varahan Empire. With the railway maintaining an average speed of eighty kilometres an hour, the journey time was approximately ten days, which was extremely fast.
Luminescent Moss had been planted throughout the tunnel and given regular maintenance. They were trimmed to ensure they didn't grow too big and interfered with the railway tracks. The Luminescent Moss were also varied in colours to keep the sights interesting for the passenger, an impressive detail from Yarsha Zahara that kept their long journeys decently fun.
Otherwise, travelling through an extended dark passageway or even a monochromatic one would take a mental toll on the passengers. However, that was only for the regular people. Inala simply used the time to chat with Wepetay and other passengers, all of whom were familiar faces, including the ones travelling from the Varahan Empire for either sightseeing or accompanying the goods.
Ten days passed in a jiffy as the railway began to decelerate. Immediately in response, Inala's heart rate began to accelerate, 'I'm here.'