The Curator
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Chapter 108: The Thief of Legends
🕑 Added 2024-11-21 12:04:38 +0000 UTCThe moment she left, Thalion sprang into action. He could feel through his connection to nature, thanks to his guardian's remnant title, that most of the power was stored in the leaves of the flowers.
Thalion spent the whole night consuming all the flowers and strengthening his spirit body. Normally, he channeled mana through his soul to enhance his spirit body, but these flowers provided the perfect building blocks, and his spirit body grew much denser after he finished consuming half the field of flowers.
Lady Sel’virah was probably right in her assumption that one flower would suffice for a weak soul. Thalion's soul, however, was far from weak, and he had one of the best manuals guiding him in building his spirit body.
The remaining flowers he used to wrap additional spirit veins around his soul core, empowering it even further.
It was already midday when Thalion finished with the last flower on the field. The process had nearly doubled the power of his soul. Not gonna lie, those plants were the real deal. He needed something like that back in the tutorial if he managed to survive. Thalion looked around just in case he had forgotten any plants, wondering if it really had taken sixty years to grow them.
He walked back inside, searching for additional soul cultivation materials or body-tempering resources to prepare for the upcoming journey to the golden palace in the city center, where the calling would take place.
There were no servants in the hall, so he took some pearls, the equivalent of elixirs in this dimension, and downed over ten flasks. It was only a minor upgrade, but still worthwhile.
Rylak urged him to swallow every potion in sight, but Thalion hesitated—he couldn’t identify any of them, and drinking random substances in a magical world was probably not the smartest move. He had a good idea of what the pearls in the flasks would do to his extra sense provided by the title.
Sadly, most pearls were too complicated for Thalion to figure out what they were good for. Instead, he used some of the golden crystals to replenish his energy while continuing to empower his blood to new heights. This process was surprisingly easy with a powerful soul.
Thalion still felt much weaker compared to his original body, but it would have to suffice.
Soon after, a servant informed him that it was time, and he made his way to the carriage waiting in front of the mansion. Instead of entering, Thalion sat atop it with one of the butlers, hoping to take in a final view of the city. If all went well, it would be his last.
It didn't take long until the noble family and all the servants had entered the carriage, all ignoring Thalion. He wondered if they already knew what he had done to their garden. If they did, their demeanor was calm for nobles at least. Thalion could feel the waves of anger radiating out from the carriage. It was almost funny and made him feel a bit better after remembering what they had done to Tor'ke.
Acutally thinking all over, why not mess a bit more with them? Thalion motioned for the butler to wait for him and ran back into the building. He grabbed a big golden sack the servants used to carry plants to the kitchen and entered the hall with all the natural treasures.
"Oh, no way you are doing that? Rylak laughed loudly in his mind. "I feel like I am watching the master of all thieves."
Thalion didn't answer as he rushed through the hall collecting the most powerful item he could find. Flasks filled with powerful pearls, crystal humming with energy, fruits of rare plants that were most likely used for gaining affinites, and much more found the way in his sack.
Many of the items were so powerful that he wouldn't dare to use them, but since he mainly did it as revenge for Tor'kel's death, it was totally worth it. Thalion was still thinking about what he should do with the items. Should he make it rain valuable items while they were flying to the golden palace, or should he trade them for soul treasures at the calling?
How funny would it be for him to hold an auction with items that didn't belong to him? Thalion made his way back to the carriage, and when he sat down beside the butler, the final journey began. The insects bound to the carriage started to beat their wings faster and faster, almost like a plane engine and with a jump they took off into the sky.
The city was more crowded than before, with significantly more traffic in the sky. Several times, they had to wait for larger carriages to pass by. Over the golden palace, enormous, snake-like beetles with massive mandibles circled ominously.
The palace itself was over ten times larger than the mansion—an architectural marvel of truly magnificent scale. There were multiple towers rising over a kilometer in height, all in gold and many statues depicting kings and queens attached to the wall.
They flew through the colossal gate, towering over a hundred meters high, and landed in a vast area made entirely of golden marble. Multiple carriages were taking off and landing simultaneously, delivering royals for the city's most significant annual event.
"If the plan works and you defeat one of the noble brats, can I make a victory dance?" Rylak asked with a smile, trying to ease the tension that had built up the last hours.
Thalion jumped off the carriage, avoiding interaction with the nobles, and strode confidently inside. Still dressed in his servant’s uniform, no one stopped him.
The entrance hall dwarfed the previous one, featuring pillars over a hundred meters tall and multiple floors. The walls were adorned with grand paintings of epic battles. Thalion followed the masses of nobles until he reached a massive arena.
The arena was a vast circular structure, resembling the Colosseum in Rome but far larger and entirely crafted from gold. Even the sand on the ground glimmered in a golden hue. Unlike before, everyone here carried weapons—wands, whips, swords, hammers, and axes—along with their beasts, indicating that they were beast tamers. Most of the beasts were insects flying around their masters, likely due to their immense power in this part of the world.
Some nobles, unfamiliar with Thalion, barked orders at him, mistaking him for a servant. Amused, Thalion simply nodded but ignored their commands, knowing they wouldn’t remember him anyway. He grabbed a nebula nectar from a nearby bar and climbed the wide ring-shaped staircase, heading to the upper levels.
Thalion enjoyed the look on the bartender's face as he had given the guy one of the expensive items in his sack. So he continued to give out the items to servants of noble houses. With the last one, he had a little fun as he threw them at the feet of a croud of youngsters who immediately dove after it and some even started to fight.
Rylak enjoyed it, especially when Thalion threw the last treasure over the railing after one of the youngsters had spotted him as the wellspring of wealth and jumped after it with greed in her eyes. Thalion quickly walked away from the railing as he saw how the teenager impacted the ground of the arena hard with her belly first with a loud thumb that was even heard at his floor.
He moved up the stairs to the higher levels to get a good view of the arena. The girl hadn't died as he watched how one of the stronger nobels healed her broken body in an instant and teleported them both away a moment later.
Reaching the third-highest level, Thalion was struck by the sheer number of people. Hundreds of thousands of nobles filled the palace.
At that moment, Princess Talythra and her guard appeared before him. The guard wore a golden kilt similar to Thalion's but adorned with intricate runes and no shirt. Talythra’s outfit, to Rylak’s enjoyment, included a revealing top and tight golden pants with multiple decorative holes.
Most nobles in the area immediately bowed deeply, leaving Thalion as the only one standing.
“Hey, want to come up to the VIP booth? Took you long enough to get here,” Talythra greeted him with a smile.
“Sure. Do I have to bow too?” Thalion asked, taking a sip of his drink.
“Nah, it doesn’t matter right now,” Talythra replied with a wave of her hand. A moment later, Thalion found himself in a lavish booth filled with oversized pillows.
In front of him was a window offering the best view of the nobles and the arena below. Thanks to his special connection to mana via his title, Thalion noticed a protective barrier surrounding the arena.
“See? Much better. And no one can see us here,” Talythra smiled, holding a glass of nebula nectar.
“Do you think we’ll have sex now? I’ve never had sex before,” Rylak blurted in his head.
“No, this is just a viewing booth for the arena,” Thalion reassured him, amused. In the end he was just here as amusement for the princess and nothing more.
“Don’t you need to make an appearance before the event starts?” Thalion asked. He didn’t want to be trapped alone in the booth, especially since he hadn’t seen an exit.
“Yeah, we can’t hang out here for too long,” Talythra replied. “But we’ve got about an hour.”
“Great. Can your buddy teleport me out too? Just in case someone forgets me here,” Thalion asked. This was crucial—being stuck in this room would prevent him from interfering.
"I thought you would like it here more, but fine," Talythra laughed while taking another sip out of the golden glass.
"Will they be fighting each other or beasts down in the arena?" Thalion changed the subject. He wanted to know as much as possible before making a move.
"They will mostly fight beasts. There are thirty slots to become a Holy Warrior, which is enough for the stronger noble families. The others, of course, have the right to challenge the winners for their positions, but that is very rare. The backlash from the powerful noble families makes it not worth it for the weaker ones to try," Talythra explained.
This was perfect for him. Now it was even legitimate to challenge someone who had been chosen.
"Oh, do you want to hear something funny?" she asked, smiling widely.
"Yeah, sure, why not?" Thalion answered, intrigued by what a princess could find amusing.
"I told the council that I’d like to speak to the self-proclaimed holy warrior from the slums.
They sent out search teams, even those who had reached celestial levels of cultivation, but they couldn’t find him!" Talythra burst into laughter. "A rat from the slums, with no knowledge of cultivation, managed to evade the strongest cultivators this city has to offer. Isn’t that funny?"
"I’ve never heard of celestial cultivators. Are they strong?" Thalion asked, curious.
Cultivation worked very differently here than in his dimension. It also seemed much harder, as there were no skills or levels. Killing someone yielded no benefits, and there were no mana or health bars to help gauge your strength. It wasn’t easy to tell when your stamina was depleting, especially in a world where you could leap over twenty meters in one go.
"They’re a few stages away from godhood, but powerful enough to destroy this planet with their pinky finger," she said, still amused.
"Oh, well, I guess they’re pretty mad right now," Thalion laughed. Good thing he had stopped killing people. They were probably watching the slums constantly and could teleport around—maybe even remain invisible to the naked eye.
"You have no idea! If that guy manages to avoid them for more than a week, he’ll be infamous even in my dad’s palace," she laughed even harder.
They talked for a while about cultivation until Talythra had to leave because the calling was finally about to begin. Thalion appeared on the seventh floor and waited for the spectacle to start. An old, rotund man floated a hundred meters above the arena on a platform.
"Esteemed council, noble families of our realm, and honored guests," he began, his voice booming, "today we stand on the precipice of tradition and valor. We gather for the ancient calling—a ceremony etched into the history of our people.
It is a time when the sons and daughters of noble lineage stand in challenge against the mightiest beasts of our world. Their courage, fortitude, and skill will determine not just their legacy but our strength as a nation.
It is our privilege to welcome a most distinguished guest among us, Her Grace, Princess Talythra, who blesses our gathering with her radiant presence. Princess, your visit honors this hall, and it is to you that we dedicate this calling.
Through your witness, the hopes of our noble youth may ascend beyond mere inheritance to the rare, exalted ranks of the holy warrior.
For generations, the title of holy warrior has been spoken with awe, earned by deeds of valor beyond measure. This is no mere combat—it is a crucible of spirit, where only those who conquer themselves and surpass the beasts stand worthy of the mantle. Those who rise will carry not only the pride of their families but the strength of our people—a living testament to our unyielding resilience and unity.
Let us prepare to witness greatness. As they face the beasts, let each contender carry forward the will and honor of their house. With every strike, every shield raised, and every heartbeat that echoes within these walls, may the trials forge tomorrow’s legends among us."
Thalion knew it wouldn’t be as simple as the speaker made it sound.
The man teleported to another stage, where Princess Talythra, her guard, and several nobles stood.
"Hello everybody, prepare for saughter," the man who sat before the princess and the high nobles shouted into a crystal that had the function of a microphone as the voice was heard in the hole arena. They had their own commentator, Thalion realized with surprise. This was going to be fun.
Comments
ReadingObsessed
Way more interested in this arc than I thought I would be.
