NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: Acceptance
After throwing a tantrum for the better part of an hour, Nobu found himself completely and utterly exhausted. Even his resentment towards his bindings was beginning to fade away as a sudden and intense feeling of helplessness joined the grief that had overwhelmed him.
It was in the midst of this despair that Nobu's eyes fell the phone-like stone tablet. If he were to have any chance of returning home, he would need to become stronger. The tablet was his key to reaching the very pinnacle of the world, and, depending on how the messenger and camera apps functioned, traveling between worlds might be possible. The fact he here at all was proof evidence that a path existed between this world and Earth. He just needed to find it.
Seeking comfort in this idea, Nobu forced himself to a seated position before methodically pressing the surface of the tablet with his toe. If the number above the glass sphere reflected his cultivation base, he would need a lot more than 2.4 Aura just to survive. There was also a chance that, like any other Clicker App, he would need to spend points to purchase various upgrades. In other words, his Aura was both his lifeline and his currency, a dual-edged sword with unlimited potential for growth.
Determined to both master his cheat and, one day, return home, Nobu focused all his attention on clicking. He calculated that he would be able to click around 60,000 times a day if he invested a full sixteen hours towards it. This would earn him approximately 60 Aura per day, and, while he wasn't sure how this compared to other people, even a marginal amount of Aura was better than nothing.
What Nobu was unaware of, at least for the time being, was that 60 Aura per day was a monstrous amount for someone at the beginning stages of cultivation. Children undergoing 'Tempering', the name ascribed to Foundation Training, would spend between four and eight years increasing their cultivation base to 1000. This was the requirement for becoming a Rank 1 Bronze Soldier, so, were he to focus his efforts for an entire month, Nobu would already be well on his way to reaching Rank 2. If he persisted for an entire year, even reaching Rank 2 Silver Adept(20,000AU) was well within his grasp.
On the Nian Archipelago, reaching Silver Adept before the age of twenty was considered quite the achievement. This was significantly impressive from the perspective of the noble families, but, were they to discover he had reached Silver after a single year of training, even the most powerful sect in the country, the Orochi Sect, wouldn't be able to ignore him...
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Though she felt as though her trip to the outskirts of the city had been completely wasted, Yui did her best to appear calm and unflustered as she made her way into the Inn. There, standing behind a rather ornate reception desk, a middle-aged woman with raven black hair and uncommon red eyes waved her over, asking, "How'd your search go?" before immediately following up by asking, "Want me to have the kitchen prepare something to warm you up?"
Electing to ignore the first question, Yui nodded her head, answering, "That would be appreciated. Thank you."
With an approving smile developing across her face, the Proprietress dinged one of the many silver bells hidden behind the desk. Shortly thereafter, a young girl, no older than ten or twelve, hurriedly emerged from the backroom before lowering her head and saying, "Thank you for summoning this little one. Please tell me how I might be of service."
While gesturing towards Yui, the middle-aged woman explained, "Inform Nana to prepare a meal. After that, begin heating the bath. I believe our guest is fatigued after a long day of searching...?"
Though she didn't appreciate how the woman was trying to coerce her into paying for additional services, Yui had always been quite fond of baths. Thus, rather than refuse the service, she nodded her head and said, "Thank you." before producing a golden coin from the purse in her sleeve. This caused the Proprietress' eyes to shimmer, but, with Yui being a Golden Warrior, it wasn't surprising that she would have gold coins on her. After all, it was well known that advancing from Silver Adept to Golden Warrior required a practitioner to absorb the energies contained within 100kg of purified gold.
Quickly pocketing the golden piece, a courteous smile developed across the face of the Proprietress as she casually mentioned, "The clothes you asked us to obtain have been prepared. Would you like me to send someone up, or...?"
Shaking her head, Yui stated, "I am not afraid of seeing a man naked. I will carry them up on my own."
As someone who had been educated on the matters between men and women from a very young age, Yui's aversion to the opposite sex was virtually non-existent. She had also steeled her mind for the possibility that she might be attacked in the bath at some point, so, while she wasn't impervious to feelings of shame, she would never allow herself to have such an easily exploited weakness.
Squinting her eyes in acknowledgment of Yui's confidence, the Proprietress forcibly suppressed her curiosity as it was very clear the young woman across from her wasn't an easy target. Her demeanor was reminiscent of a warrior belonging to one of the Noble Clans. Thus, rather than risk offending the powers backing her, the Proprietress retrieved a linen parcel and a pair of fur-lined boots from beneath the desk before handing it over with a smile.
Accepting the parcel with a completely neutral expression, Yui turned her back on the Proprietress before immediately making her way up the stairs to the second floor. This was where the majority of guest rooms were located. As for her own, she had purchased the suite on the top floor, as, prior to departing home, her Grandmother had explained that it was better to be high profile than trying to lay low.
While this might seem a little contrary, the truth of the matter was that people were far less likely to target a young yet wealthy person traveling alone than someone willfully attempting to lay low. The former implied they not only had a powerful backer but the skill to defend themselves from normal threats. Inversely, those who attempted to travel incognito were often fugitives or weaklings lacking in confidence. Such individuals made easy targets, so, as a young woman traveling alone, displaying her wealth was a better deterrent than keeping it concealed...
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After his previous experience with the old woman, Nobu's body instinctually reacted when he heard a subtle knock at the door. Every muscle in his body tensed up, and, were it not for the fact his arms were still bound, he would have adopted his characteristic southpaw stance. (A/N: Southpaw means he uses a left-handed combat stance.)
Fortunately, the person that came through the door wasn't the old hag from before. Instead, it was a petite woman with raven-black hair, part of which was styled into two distinct ponytails. Her eyes were also black, but, much like her hair, they reflected a blue sheen when reflected in this light. This was a rather mysterious phenomenon, and, were it not for the fact she was as flat as a landing strip, she would have been among the most beautiful women Nobu had ever met. Her outfit didn't help in this regard, as, rather than wearing something cute or fashionable, the young woman looked like someone trying to cosplay a samurai from their favorite anime...
Noticing Nobu's gaze, Yui immediately adopted a frown as she uttered, "Brazen..." in a disapproving tone.
Tilting his head in confusion, Nobu asked, "Huh? What do you mean, 'brazen'? Don't tell me you're one of those girls who gets offended just by people looking at them..."
Though he wasn't as bad as some of his peers, Nobu was, much to his annoyance, lumped into the generation known as Millennials. His sensibilities were drastically different from the native residents of Nian, and, while he had never gone as far as pressuring someone to sleep with him, he had been sneaking into Night Clubs since he was seventeen. Thus, the moment he observed the raven-haired woman's reaction, he couldn't help feeling she was stuck up for someone wearing a skirt that didn't even cover a full third of her milky white thighs.
Seeing Nobu's 'lecherous gaze' drift towards her legs, Yui's body turned into a hazy golden blur as the parcel she had been holding lingered in place for a tenth of a second. Her movement had been so swift that it was only after her hand was firmly wrapped around his neck that Nobu's realized she had moved.
Using a single hand, Yui lifted Nobu up until his face was only a few centimeters away from her own as she asked, "I pulled you from the streets and this is how you express your gratitude? Don't think for a moment that, just because I saved you, I won't kill you with my own two hands."
Finished with her warning, Yui threw Nobu so that his back collided against the wall of the Inn. The constructions in Nian were built to accommodate people who could easily crush boulders with their bare hands, so, while a heavy crashing sound could be heard throughout the Inn, the only thing to receive damage was Nobu's bound arms.
Having fallen face-first onto the bed, Nobu did his best to suppress a pained groan by gritting his teeth hard enough to draw blood. He wanted nothing more than to curse the woman for resorting to violence over such a small matter, but, understanding there was nothing he could do against her, he kept his face lowered for several seconds. From the perspective of Yui, this showed that he was reflecting on his actions. In reality, the pain emanating from Nobu's broken right hand was causing him to seriously consider headbutting her in the gut...
Using her aura in a manner reminiscent of Telekinesis, Yui manipulated the parcel and boots over to her side before alighting from the bed and explaining, "I have some questions. Answer honestly and I will release you from your bindings and reward you with these clothes. Attempt to deceive me and you can spend the rest of the evening contemplating your life choices. You've already exhausted my goodwill. Do not play games with me."
After taking a number of deep breaths, Nobu rolled to his side, rage and indignation visible in his grey-blue eyes as he asked, "What do you want to know?"
Though she wasn't fond of the hateful glimmer present in the man's eyes, it was infinitely better than the casual way he had been regarding her before. Thus, after a brief moment of silence, Yui asked, "How long have you been living in Owari-Asai City?"
Resisting the urge to say he had only just arrived, Nobu remained silent for several seconds before answering, "Eleven years..." in a subdued yet aggressive tone.
Nodding her head in approval, Yui manifested a solid gold chair out of thin air, taking a seat before proceeding to ask, "Tell me, have you ever heard of a man named Nanamori Natsu? He should have been living on the outskirts of the city until two years ago. I have been given a mission to search for his grandson. If the information you provide leads to his discovery, I will be sure to compensate you handsomely."
Though she currently held Nobu's life in her hands, Yui's success in cultivation could be attributed to her righteous character and forgiving heart. Those who harbored resentment in their heart had a harder time extracting the essence from minerals, so, for the sake of her dream, she wasn't above forgiving people who had slighted her. What she never expected was for Nobu to look at her like she had lost her mind before proceeding to laugh in one of the most annoying and grating voices she had ever heard...