Chapter 155: The New Emperor
Instead of appearing within the hotel room like usual, Sila found himself in a completely empty white room. He looked around with skepticism.
"No need to panic, Mister Sila. The flow of time in this room is equal to reality so we can properly talk to each other. I just want to adjust the synchronization rate first. If the rate were to suddenly jump from ten to seventy percent, it could be harmful to your body." Joshua"s voice echoed throughout the room.
Now that Sila understood his situation, he asked, "What do you want me to do, sir?"
"You can do anything. I just need some time to a.s.sess the appropriate synchronization rate that is safe for your brain. In the future, I will slowly increase it so that it won"t endanger your body."
As he was told to do anything he wanted, Sila didn"t know what to do. After thinking for a bit, he sat down cross-legged and activated Divine Raiment. Based on his experience, he was aware of how important Divine Raiment was. Thus, he wanted to familiarize himself with it.
The shortcoming of Divine Raiment was the fact that he could only use it for a short period of time. Thinking about it, Sila didn"t really require its protective ability. Instead, he only wanted a part of its ability to heighten his focus.
So, he planned to come up with a method to cut its defensive ability and lessen the consumption. If he succeeded in doing that, he would be able to use Divine Raiment for longer.
Sila"s body was engulfed by a soft white light, and his mind seemed to be cut off from the world. He tried to lessen the power consumption and the thickness of the aura gradually became thinner.
The first step of using Divine Raiment wasn"t a difficult task; even Bow could do it, so it was easy for Sila once he got the hang of it. However, the next step was undoubtedly hard; it was to maintain the defensive power of Divine Raiment even with the thinnest aura. In some sense, it was similar to telling him to put a storm inside a balloon without letting it explode.
Then, the last step was for him to transmit the power of Divine Raiment into an object and maintain it, like what Viola had done with the slime rocks. However, Sila had no idea how Divine Raiment could regenerate itself without the user putting more magic power into it.
Nonetheless, Sila chose to ignore all those traditional steps. Mora"s warning made him realize that there would be no way for him to use the profound art as well as the original owner; the fact that he could only use Genesis Punch five times each day was a lesson.
So, he intended to fuse everything he learned, taking only the parts that he deemed useful, and create a new art for himself to use.
The art that no one could use as skillfully as he could, like how Montra invented his Heavenly Destiny Fist.
"h.e.l.lo, Mister Sila. Can you hear me? h.e.l.lo?" Joshua"s voice echoed again.
Opening his eyes, Sila inspected his body and found that the white aura was no longer visible, though his eyes reflected a calm demeanor; the power of Divine Raiment was still active, but only existing within his body.
Since it wasn"t covering his body anymore, Sila wondered whether he should continue to call it "Raiment".
"Yes, I can, Mister Joshua."
"Oh. I noticed you fell into silence so I wondered what happened. I just wanted to inform you that the a.n.a.lysis is completed. The synchronization rate that is safe for you is currently twenty-two percent, which is slightly higher than others."
"What is the standard, sir?"
"Between sixteen to eighteen percent, I"d say. Nevertheless, to prevent possible damage to the brain, Monster Soul set the synchronization rate at ten percent."
"What is the difference, though, sir?"
"Um... when talking about brainwaves, you need to know that there is still a lot we don"t know. Based on current scientific knowledge, I would say that brainwaves are related to our ability to learn. Of course, even this could be disproven in the future. Science is like this, Mister Sila. The knowledge we have is correct until a more correct fact proves otherwise and invalidates it."
"I see. Then, how can I exit this room, sir?"
"I will send you out now. Please have fun with the game." As Joshua finished speaking, Sila"s vision went blank as if someone turned off the light. When he could see again, he found himself in the hotel room he logged out in.
Moving his hands and feet, Sila couldn"t notice any difference. However, after recalling that Joshua told him the effect would show up in reality, not the game, Sila no longer paid it any mind.
Opening his system window, he didn"t find any new books. The flow of time in Monster Soul was five times faster than reality, so it"s natural that it would take Mora some time before he could send any books to Sila.
Exiting the hotel, Sila could see that the city had changed. Instead of the deserted city with only androids present, it had become a bit more lively with the sight of people, though the number of players was still a lot lower than any of the other cities he had visited. This meant the Blue Pigeon Guild had started its new business.
There were many things he wanted to do before practicing the arts. Sila teleported to his mansion and found the information Bluebird had left for him. After reading a part of it, Sila decided to store it in his system window and went to find Bluebird. It turned out to be easy since there were signs indicating the location of the branch of the Blue Pigeon Guild.
Sila followed the signs and arrived in front of the building. Looking at a symbol on the door, he couldn"t help but recall the first time he met Bluebird.
The man he was looking for was standing behind the counter, wearing a bartender suit. Bluebird had the same appearance as when Sila first met him. With the sound of the door being opened, Bluebird immediately removed his sullen face and showed a bright smile.
"Welcome to... Oh? Sila? Where have you been?"
"Are you working again?"
"Yeah, so d.a.m.n annoying. Boss ordered me to take care of this new branch. She told me no one in the guild is more knowledgeable about Lost Grea City than I am, so she a.s.signed me as the front desk staff. At least, until she finishes training other staff to work in my place."
"Well, what she said is true. No one can possibly know more about Lost Grea City than you, Bluebird, since you explored every corner of the city."
"If I knew this would happen, I wouldn"t have told her. I thought I would get her favor, but I get work instead. d.a.m.n. I"m too lazy to work."
Sila couldn"t bring himself to pity Bluebird. "If you don"t want to work, just quit and become a guildless player."
"Uwah. But I still want a salary... Are there any jobs out there that will let me do nothing and still get paid?" As he said this, Bluebird started mixing drinks. He shook the mixture well before pouring it into two gla.s.ses. He drank one himself while giving the other to Sila.
Sila dismissed Bluebird"s nonsensical blabbing. "The reason I"m here before is to ask you about the psychic-type skills."
"I already put the information on your table in the mansion though. Super detailed. Written by Sir Bluebird."
Sila placed the "book" that was three times as thick as a telephone directory on the counter. The reason for its thickness was the fact the Bluebird wrote it page by page and tacked them with a stapler. If he had written the contents inside a standard Monster Soul book, the book would automatically shrink to a moderate size when closed.
"The book is not sorted by page number, alphabet, or anything. How can I find information I want to know?"
"It"s sorted by me, that"s obvious." Bluebird pointed his finger at himself. "Sorted by me; my preference."
"..."
"You can"t find the info you want? It"s very easy to find though. Just tell me what you want to know."
Sila stated the names of the three skills that he wanted to learn, to which Bluebird nodded and flipped the pages at a fast pace. He copied some contents onto a piece of paper and handed it to Sila.
"There you go. It"s super easy to find, see?"
Sila took the piece of paper and looked at it, confirming that it was what he wanted. Written on the note was the locations of the skills and brief descriptions of their abilities.
"Thanks... By the way, have you selected a third skill for yourself?"
Bluebird smiled. "I haven"t. However, after some talk with the Android King, he half-forced, half-begged me to trade my right to obtain a third skill for his knowledge about how to use the ultimate skill of my race, Psychic Nest Returning Bird. Once I accepted his deal, I was kicked out of the palace and prohibited from entering."
Since Bluebird accomplished the quest, same as Sila, he had the right to roam free around Lost Grea City. Because he hadn"t obtained all three skills, the system would think he had yet to receive all of the rewards, so he could enter everywhere, even the forbidden zones, to search for the skills he wanted. The Android King came to the realization that it would be super troublesome for Bluebird to continue to roam free in his kingdom, so he quickly closed the deal and declared the palace as one of the forbidden zones.
"That"s good. It should be better to be able to use your unique skill. What can it do though?"
"In the future, you will have to call me Emperor Bluebird. How about asking for my signature now?" Bluebird puffed up his chest.
"Is it that good? What can it do, actually?"
"Huhu. It"s my trump card, so it"s a secret. Well, at least I can tell you that: Be it Lone Wolf"s fist, Montra"s spell, Cross" sword, or Zero"s magical qi, in front of this skill of mine, they would... Huhuhu." Bluebird smirked.
Sila frowned. "...Is that so?" He thought he had heard Bluebird telling him something like this before.
"Sure~ But I"m still not used to it. I will be a dead man if I make a mistake when using it, so I"m undergoing secret training for the time being."
If Bluebird really was undergoing secret training, he shouldn"t have told him. This thought crossed Sila"s mind, but he decided to keep it to himself.
"Anyway, I"ll be going now. I have a lot to do." Sila stood up, but Bluebird pulled his hand.
"Wait. Sila. Did you forget something?"
Sila looked around. "Hm? Do you mean this book? Keep it. I don"t think I will have time to read it."
"Nah," Bluebird opened his palm. "I meant the beverages. These two drinks are 5,000 silver."
"Eh? I didn"t even take a sip. And you are the one who made it on your own accord. Furthermore, why two? You drank one yourself, didn"t you?"
"Man, you"re rich. This amount is nothing to you. Think of it as treating your dear friend. Ah, it"s my Boss"s fault, she pressured me to find money for the guild."
"Of course, I can manage to pay 5,000 silver. You should at least tell me first though. If you had just asked, I would"ve treated you. You shouldn"t trick me like this."
"Ow, sorry, this poor Bluebird was in the wrong. I have learned from my mistake. Next time, please properly treat me. Actually, just think of it as Boss"s fault. I"m just a poor, pitiful debtor trying my best to return money to the greedy creditor. I"m forced to do everything I have to even though I really don"t want to."
"...Yeah. I"m not that troubled by money, and the Blue Pigeon Guild is helping me a lot. I just checked my bank balance and noticed that I earned a bit of money recently, though I still owe money to the bank. Well, with the amount of income, my debt should be cleared sooner or later. I will just think of 5,000 silver as the information fee."
"Thank you for your kindness, Mister Sila, but you don"t have to pay for it. It"s on the house this time." Yardpirun"s voice could suddenly be heard five seats away from Sila, causing Bluebird to flinch.
"B-Boss. How long have you been here? Why don"t you inform me of your arrival? So that I can welcome you with the best of my ability."
"I got here just a moment ago, Sir Bluebird the Emperor. I"m terribly sorry that my poor guild extorts money from Sir Bluebird. We are ashamed. It"s only due to a certain someone that our guild is so broke."
Bluebird"s face went pale. "Ahem... B-Boss. Please don"t take it to heart. I was just joking around."
"The words we speak can sometimes bind us. Please be more careful about what you say, Sir Bluebird."
Meanwhile, Sila was thinking deeply. Previously, he couldn"t detect Yardpirun"s presence at all even though she was very close to him. While it"s true that it was because he didn"t use Divine Raiment, in reality, his opponents could show up anywhere and anytime. Because of this, he needed to be using Divine Raiment at all times. This event inspired him to come up with such a concept as a base.
"Mister Sila, If you don"t need anything else from us, may I ask you to leave? I think I will have to train my employee some more. And here I even thought I was going to replace him with someone. As it turns out, he still needs more coaching."
Sila didn"t know what fate awaited Bluebird, and he didn"t think he wanted to know. Personally, he thought it would be best for Bluebird to be punished for some of his actions. Therefore, he bid Yardpirun farewell and left without making eye contact with Bluebird, who seemed to be pleading for his life.
As he exited through the door, someone walked in the opposite direction. She was a woman in white wuxia clothing.
White Swan entered the building. Originally, she was stationed in Zhongsuyuan City. However, she had been told to come to Lost Grea City to meet Boss.
"h.e.l.lo, Boss... Eh? Bluebird." When she said Bluebird"s name, she didn"t even try to hide the disgusted expression that appeared on her face.
"Swan, please wait for a minute. I need to talk to Bluebird."
"Yes, Boss." White Swan sat on the sofa and watched an enjoyable show in front of her.
After a short while, Bluebird was bruised all over. He would be fine with just getting beaten up. What he was more afraid of were his boss" eyes, which seemed to see through his mind.
"I"m in the wrong," Bluebird said with a pitiful tone while transforming into a tailorbird.
"Transform back immediately. I"m afraid to accidentally kill Sir Bluebird in this form. Why don"t you use your proud skill? You can even fight against the Four Emperors, so just a punch from a poor guild leader like me shouldn"t pose you any threat, right?"
However, Bluebird refused to transform back. Boss"s punches were too quick; he wouldn"t notice he was punched until after the attack was finished; there was no gap in which he could do anything. There would be no way for him to utilize Psychic Nest Returning Bird even once.
Yardpirun sighed. "Let"s end it for today. We will continue later. As for the cost of beverages... Since I"m a greedy creditor, Sir Bluebird will have to pay for it."
"Eh?" He was about to argue when he looked into her eyes and froze.
"The new employee is waiting in front of the weapon shop. Please guide him through the important buildings around Lost Grea City so that he can take your position," Yardpirun said, which caused Bluebird"s eyes to instantly sparkle. He flew out of the building immediately, afraid Boss would change her mind.
Then, Yardpirun approached White Swan.
"Bluebird caused trouble again?" said White Swan. This question naturally came out of her mouth as if it was a matter of fact. In fact, even if one day her guild were to collapse, the first question that would come into her mind would be: What did that b.a.s.t.a.r.d Blue do this time?
"Yes, you could say that. Fortunately, the one he tricked was Mister Sila; he isn"t the kind of person who would publicise this. If it had been someone else, our guild"s reputation would go into the mud."
"He was so low as to trick a customer? As I warned you, Boss, you should fire him already. I already lost count of how many times that guy caused trouble."
"If we overlook his personality that is seriously in need of discipline, his skill is the real deal. For example, please take a look at this." Yardpirun placed the thick book in front of White Swan.
"What is this?" White Swan took it and flipped through the pages.
"Detailed information on every psychic-type skill that can be found in Lost Grea City. He spent less than two weeks collecting all this information. He didn"t even intend to sell the information; he just did it for a friend."
"Two weeks?! That"s crazy! Look at how thick this book is." As White Swan was about to praise him, she stopped and frowned. "But it"s not sorted, isn"t it? There are a lot of cross marks, and the handwriting is so bad."
"That"s right. But if we edit it, sort it, and make it easier to read, it will be a bestseller. Can I ask you to do that?"
"M-Me?!"
"That"s right. You"re the most suitable person for this kind of job. If this book makes a killing, our financial problem will be solved, so I want there to be no issues with the book"s quality. As for your position at Zhongsuyuan City, I have already prepared someone to replace you."
Listening to Yardpirun"s request, White Swan had no choice but to accept. "I see, Boss. By the way, when is the deadline?"
"The sooner, the better. The war event is almost here, and this book will provide players with an edge, so it"ll surely sell very well. How about a week?"
"Only a week?!" White Swan exclaimed with a loud voice.
"Bluebird took less than two weeks to finish it. He wasn"t even completely focused on gathering information."
Listening to Boss"s reasoning, White Swan shut her mouth. Instead, her hatred toward Bluebird grew stronger.
"It"s because of that d.a.m.n Blue-Colored Catastrophe!"