The sun hung low in the sky, casting its golden glow over the small farming village of Kira. Shao, a young man with a mischievous grin, strolled through the market square without a worry on his mind on this lazy morning.

  "'Ello Mei, got anything fresh?" He asked a similarly aged stall owner.

  "Of course I do, what kind of a farmer do you think I am, you nitwit?"

  "Oy oy, how come you're in such a good mood this mornin'?"

  "Oh quit your yappin' Shao, and go bother another if ya aren't buyin' anything."

  "Who says I ain't buyin', I've got some Spiritgrass I wanna trade."

  "Well then, you can get 1 o' these bad boys, and skip along." Mei said with a wink, while slapping a big watermelon. "Next time start with the fact that you're bringin' business."

  "I did start with that in fact." Shao stated with a smug look on his face.

  Mei sighed, "Just take your melon and be off."

  Shao winked at her, handed her the spirit grass and left. He could swear he saw a smile on her face at the end.

  With his melon in one arm, Shao stretched the other as he walked away with a yawn.

  I'll win her over one o' these days.

  Casually strolling back to his house, Shao waves at his friends around the village. Just a hot summer day with a nice breeze, this is the life.

  "Get inside! Quickly! An immortal's comin'!"

  Fuck.

  Not this again. Every cultivator with an ounce of talent acts like he owns the place. If I were able to advance past the Mortal stages, I'd give 'em all a piece o' my mind. For now though, better hurry home 'fore the uppity little shit gets offended.

  The village quickly became empty, except for a few traders at the market who outright refused to just abandon their goods.

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  We landed a fair distance away, and casually approached the village. As we got nearer, I noticed an eerie silence.

  "Why is it so quiet?" I said, scanning the empty streets. "It’s midday. Shouldn’t the farmers be out, working 'n all?"

  Gerard simply shrugged. "Perhaps they’re hiding from the heat, perhaps it's a day of rest. It'd be best to ask a local."

  As we reached the market square, we spotted quaint little stall selling vegetables. I approached with my friendliest smile. "Excuse me, miss. Mind if we ask you a few questions?"

  She eyed me warily. "An investigator, are ya? I can tell you now, no one here’s dumb enough to steal from the sects."

  Where did that come from? I raised my hands in a placating gesture. "We’re not here for trouble. We’re travelers, lost and far from home. Could you tell us where we are?"

  She hesitated, then nodded. "This is Kira Village. If you head that way, you’ll find Stonne, another small village. And that road there leads to Kirome City, one of the largest in the Kingdom."

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  I thanked her, but before we left, I decided to investigate a little more into this village. "Is something wrong? I can't help but notice everyone is indoors?"

  The woman forced a smile. "Oh, it’s just a bit warm today. They’ll be out soon enough."

  I felt it best not to press any further. So I quickly returned to business.

  "Can I get one of those?" I said, pointing at a juicy-looking watermelon. I suddenly realized I hadn't eaten at all since we'd arrived in this world.

  Her deft hands quickly picked up the melon and she handed it over.

  Then my thoughts caught up to my stomach. We don't have any money. As if I'd planned this, I pulled out a Golden Core Construction pill and handed it to the her. Her eyes widened in shock as she accepted it.

  "Th-thank you, lords," she stammered, clutching the pill like a lifeline. She couldn't get out any more words, opening and closing her mouth, unsure of what to say. She wanted to refuse, but she couldn't.

  As we walked away, I reflected. Her reaction showed that clearly my home-made pills are incredibly powerful, and perhaps should remain hidden for now. In the end, buying the melon was a good thing in exchange for the lesson we'd learned.

  Before we truly left the village, we heard a faint shout in the distance. "WAAIT!" the stall owner ran towards us, holding the front edges of her apron, turning it into a makeshift bag. It sure seemed loaded with something heavy. "This is all the money I have, please take it, or I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, your kindness will be the beginning of a new fate for Mei Ling!"

  It was my turn to open and close my mouth a few times. Gerard, noticing my discomfort, swiftly took over and accepted her life savings, depositing it into a storage ring.

  I almost feel like we just robbed her. She said this was all of her money. I glance into the ring, finding several hundred coins, most of them copper, but more than a few silver and even 1 gold. I take out the gold coin and return it to her. This way I'll know she won't get into financial trouble because of me.

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  The journey to Kirome was uneventful, but as we approached the city, the landscape changed. The dirt paths gave way to cobblestone roads, and the number of travelers increased. I took note of the locals’ clothing, realizing that my own attire was far too extravagant. Oh that's why she thought we were investigators for some sect! I quickly swapped his ornate robes for something more modest, much to Gerard’s disapproval.

  "Master, you shouldn’t have to dress like a commoner," Gerard protested.

  "Sometimes, blending in is the best way to avoid trouble." I answered sagely, if I may say so myself.

  As we entered Kirome proper, I was struck by the city’s grandeur. The buildings were all made of stone, not the flimsy wood Kira village was made out of, and they were painted in various shades of yellows and reds. Somewhere I could hear other first-time-visitors discussing this - Yellow was the preferred color for homes, as it signified good health, and red was the color for shops, as it signified fortune. The streets were clean and well-maintained, a stark contrast to the rugged countryside. But the most striking feature was the inner city, Iroh, which sat slightly elevated above the rest of Kirome as if on a plateau. The inner city was surrounded by a massive behemoth of a wall, I couldn't wait to see it up close!

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  After securing a room at a local inn, we set out to gather information. We started with the innkeeper, a lively woman who was more than happy to share the city’s gossip.

  She told us much about local bars and which tea stall's had the most drama. "But the real action is in Iroh," she said, gesturing with her ladle. "You’ll need good money or a high cultivation level to get in however. They don’t take kindly to poor folk." She said with disdain.

  I nodded, it seemed that rich snobs were present in any world. "Thank you for the advice. We’ll start with the bars you mentioned and see where that takes us."

  Back in our room, we discussed our next move. "Iroh sounds like the place to be," I said. "But we’ll need to be careful. If we’re going to pretend to be Nascent Soul cultivators, how can we be sure we won't be discovered? I mean the people around here are barely at the Golden Core realm, and for those few who do have a Core, it feels exceedingly unstable. I'm not surprised they can't sense our power when we're deliberately hiding it, but the inner city will have stronger cultivators with better detection techniques."

  Gerard nodded. "I have faith in your abilities, Master. You’ve spent over a century perfecting your formations. Surely you can create one to discretely seal a portion of our strength."

  I let out a sigh of relief, "You're right, i may be underestimating myself. I'm glad to have you here Gerard. You're a good friend."

  He smiled, one of those rare sincere smiles that you don't often see from a demonic butler.