Soul Venerable (Re-written)

 

 

The Underground World is dominated by carnivores who typically could not survive under the sunlight, figuratively or literally, for various reasons. This doesn’t make them weaker, however. On the contrary, due to the brutal competition caused by the extreme lack of basic necessities such as clean water or food, those that could survive here are commonly more powerful compared to those of the surface world.

Therefore, it was common sense for two parties who met each other for the first time to show distrust.

“Who are you?” A woman with dark purple skin muttered. She wore a hooded robe underneath her leather armor. There are two broadswords, bow and arrows, and satchels containing various alchemical solutions on her person. From a glance, it was obvious that she’s an elite combatant as most people can only survive in the underground world by forming a group.

Those who wandered alone must be quite powerful or confident in their skills. 

She was showing distrust because… the man in front of her had killed a mature Giant Kararan Serpent with a flick of his finger. To kill the rank 1 giant serpent, it would take a group of Underground Hunters, the member of Hunter Association branch of Underground World, so that they do not take any casualty. It was common sense that beasts are stronger than humans. Even if you stack bloodline, body runes and artifacts together, large beasts are still powerful enough to toy with same-rank cultivators.

Otherwise, there’s no actual need for the Hunter Association to form. But, if you’re someone with desolate beast bloodline or higher, then it would be a different matter.

“Who I am is not important.” Mordred replied. His senses recognize the strength that the woman concealed. Since she was also so close, his hearing could analyze the frequency of her soul. Her identity and rank 1 cultivation base is now laid bare for him to see. “What’s your business here, dark elf? Your kin rarely comes to this portion of the world, are you looking for death?”

Naturally, the dark elf wouldn’t explain her presence. “Hmmph.” She turned her face and started making distance from this queer vagabond-like cultivator despite being saved from the large beast. After a certain distance, she took out an alchemical solution from her satchel and drank it. In less than 30 seconds, the dark elf girl had a new face and her dark purple skin turned unhealthy pale as if she was a native of the underground world. She also changed her sets of equipment and scattered some powder on her clothing.

Then, she proceeds with her travel. The situation with the vagabond-like man seems strange, but it was actually pretty common in the underground world. As long as she did not show hostile action and was lucky enough to not meet unreasonable cultivators, she should be fine.

Thirty minutes later, she was ambushed by a group of Silent Bats. These rank 0 bats are as big as a human toddler, they are merely a hassle when alone, but they always move in groups. Although they are named as silent bats, their main method of attack is actually through sound saturation. It’s just that the frequency of the sound that they produce couldn’t be heard by humans, so it seems like they are silently screeching while it was actually their attack. 

Fortunately, the dark elf has a long experience living in the dark underground world. This area that connects the 1st layer and the surface world is like a walk in the park compared to the real 1st layer. Beasts have the tendency to be weaker as they live closer to the surface, or in other words, only the strong may survive down below.

She took an arrow from her back and drew it on her bow. Her movement was elegant and swift as her natural talent is great. The bats who would be a threat to Hunters would be a mere inconvenience for a well-trained Underground Hunter like her. 

Swoosh, swoosh! The arrows have the same power as a wall-mounted ballista due to her powerful strength equal to 20 man, they accurately penetrated the bat’s hearts even though they were moving erratically at high speed. It was as if they were moving towards the arrows instead of predicted shooting. 

The dark elf finished this group of silent bats in less than two minutes, but she did not drop her guard. Instead, she took out her broadsword and made a defensive stance towards the direction of her back. 

“Reveal yourself!” The dark elf ordered.

“As I’ve thought. You really are skilled. The Giant Kararan Serpent is too much for you to handle because of its large size but you’re doing fine with smaller beasts.” Mordred reveals himself once more. He didn’t have the aura of a strong cultivator, yet the dark elf’s instinct is screaming danger regarding this unknown stranger. 

‘Someone who has cultivated Innate Sword Bones to the point of using his finger as a sword wouldn’t be a typical sword cultivator.’ “May I ask who you are, esteemed Sword Grandmaster?” The dark elf queried politely after reaching a conclusion that the man must’ve been a rank 2 grandmaster. Not only in the surface world, there's also a need to respect higher ranked cultivators everywhere. There’s no demerit in giving respect to him since she couldn't shake him off, anyway.

“Who I am is not important.” Mordred shrugged his shoulders but he took out a Hunter’s ID card. The six physical attributes, race, or other credentials are censored, but it reveals his last name as ‘Xinjian’. Showing one’s Hunter ID Card was a universal gesture as an introduction and to showcase that he means no harm. Her own ID Card resonates with Mordred’s, which means it was genuine.

Hunters are prohibited from fighting against each other unless there’s justification. Otherwise, they will receive harsh reprimand from the Association. Of course, there are methods to circumvent this restriction, but information-path experts are employed by the Association; it is actually harder to fool the Hunter ID Card compared to stealing the treasury of a large clan.  

“Are you going to leave these corpses here? Silent Bats’ vocal cords is an excellent sound-path material. I heard the surface world’s Hunter Association has a high demand for this.”

Since Mordred concealed his clan’s name, it means that ‘Xinjian’ doesn’t want her to know his affiliation. But, his name is sufficient to tell where hailed from.

‘A sword grandmaster from the Qin Empire?’ The dark elf did not lower her guard but she started to dismantle the bat corpses that she killed after making sure that Mordred did not have malicious intent. Strong cultivators are oftentimes queer. The dark elf would rather not fight this unarmed cultivator who can kill a mature rank 1 Giant Kararan Serpent with a flick of his finger.

“So, what do you want from me? Why are you following me, esteemed Grandmaster Xinjian?” The dark elf consumed another vial of alchemical solution. A few seconds later, her appearance returned to her original dark-purple skin and knife ear. She also revealed her ID Card, but she censored everything including the name.

Mordred touched his chin as he took a closer look at the dark elf’s face, he didn’ bother to check at her ID Card. ‘As I’ve thought. She looks similar to Dietrich Delcroix within my memory. It can’t be that… the Delcroix clan in Galatreon are actually dark elves? Since Dark Elves are one of the Superior Elven Species, then they should be ostracized just like the High Elves and Light Elves. Why are they in my home, of all places?’

In the first encounter, Mordred helped the poor dark elf who was being chased by the mature rank 1 Giant Kararan Serpent. The dark elf left before he could initiate a proper conversation due to distrust. Sometimes, meeting humans is far worse than meeting beasts, but it's not like the underground passage is filled to the brim with people that he’ll lose her tracks. Mordred identifies other people not through their physical appearance but their unique soul undulation frequency.

She was the first intelligent person who he met in these two weeks of exploring the convoluted cave networks that connect the underground world, there’s no way he’ll leave her be.

‘Advancing to rank 1 allows me to delve deeper into my previous life’s memories, but they are mostly in a messy state. My encounter with her became a catalyst that reacted with the memories relating to Dietrich because she’s a dark elf… I am slowly remembering most of the secrets that I hid related to Delcroix clansmen, such as from what region of the Land of Sand and Fire did I take them from, or what kind of technique that they cultivated.’  

‘I see… So that’s why the Delcroix clan is in Galatreon. No wonder they are not ostracized by other clans of Galatreon. As natural antimages, their [Magic Resistant Skin] racial talent resonates well with the Space Marine template model from Holy Terra, so my previous self took a clan of Dark Elves under my wing and trained them as antimage space marines.’

‘Since that is so, then it’s weird for my Schutzstaffel (SS) to not find me yet. Didn’t I leave some contingencies relating to my resurrection? Damn, I can’t remember the specific details. Perhaps, there’s actually a Sovereign trying to infiltrate Galatreon, so they needed the group with the highest military power to stay behind?’

‘No, it can’t be. Galatreon city walls are covered by a special method that would not allow any Sovereign enter unless it was me and direct assault on Galatreon would be unwise. A single Sovereign wouldn’t be enough. Perhaps, a group of Sovereigns are trying to deduce my methods?’

The more he thinks about it, the more it seems to be the fact. 

‘Heh. You think my Galatreon could be bullied even if I have no Sovereign stationed there? There should be enough genetic material to refine a handful of replicants based on me to take command. There’s also countless Replicants and Chimerae of various strong cultivators whose genes I collected during my travels. They should be sufficient to hold out for at least 50 or 60 years until their lifespan is completely used up. Even then, there should be my mechanized units with no lifespan limit, but the advancement of time will render them useless unless my Richtofen clan subordinate could maintain the domination of magic-technology of this world.’

While Mordred is staring at the dark elf’s face and being distracted with his own thoughts, time marched normally. Actually, his computational power allows him to have accelerated perception of time, but the sheer amount of memories he has has distracted him for quite a while. The dark elf is feeling uncomfortable when Mordred focuses his sight on her without responding to any of her queries. 

There was a saying ‘Eyes are the window to the soul’.

Due to one of his various soul traits, seeing Mordred’s directly to the eye became a harmful action. Of course, Mordred has suppressed it greatly so that he wouldn’t randomly kill people, but his strong soul quality means Mordred passively puts pressure even on stronger entities.  

The uncomfortable feeling caused by his gaze slowly turned into pain. The dark elf lowered her gaze and let Mordred eyed her up and down without retaliation. ‘His sight is as ‘sharp’ as a sword. Just being gazed at by his eyes already pricked my skin as if I’m being traced by the edge of a keen blade… This is perhaps the higher realm of a sword cultivator’s Reduced Force Field? Is he a Sword Saint instead of a Sword Grandmaster?’    

The awkward encounter of merely gazing up and down while the other party suppressed her presence as if she was a mouse continued for five minutes. 

“Right. I’m sorry about that, you remind me a lot about my old acquaintances.” Mordred touched the spot between his eyes as he suppressed his soul traits further. He realized that when he focused on his gaze, it must’ve felt like being traced by a cold blade. “I have no desire to meddle with your affairs, but your presence wouldn’t be accepted in the surface world… at least in this part of the continent right about now.”

Basically, Mordred is giving her a free warning as an apology for making her uncomfortable. 

“Esteemed Sword Grandmaster, are you aware of the situation on the surface world?” The Dark Elf raised a question as a reply. She sensed the goodwill behind his words. Although it seems implausible, her 6th sense was developed after living long years in the underground world. At the very least, it would be a great tool for her to detect malicious intent.

Mordred rummaged through his memories and deduced the situation through a small amount of clues that he heard during his time as Shion. “Last I’ve heard, the Gray Steel Sword Saint are leading a group of elites to assault a high elven hideout in Azaria forest. Since you’re also a superior elf species, it wouldn’t be a good idea for you to come to the surface. Perhaps, wait for another decade or so…”

The dark elf was shocked. It took her quite some time to digest Mordred’s warning. “A decade… I can’t wait that long.” There was conflict in her eyes, as if she had something urgent to do.

Mordred shrugs his shoulders. “Up to you… I don’t care.” He’s merely trying to satiate his curiosity because of his past memory. He had gathered sufficient information on dark elven soul undulation from her. Now, not a single Dark Elf could hide from him. 

He has no further business with her so he turned around and left.

“Grandmaster Xinjian, please wait!” The dark elf chased after his back. Despite being rank 1, she wasn’t confident in reaching the surface world intact. She might be looking fine and energetic, but she hasn't slept for a week due to the danger of this place. After constantly being on edge, her senses have been dulled by fatigue. Otherwise, she would be able to hide from the group of Soundless Bats. 

‘Fuck. Is my luck so bad that I’ve encountered a weird person? Weren't dark elves supposed to be arrogant and condescending before you tame and train them into pets?’  Mordred wanted to sigh, but he held himself back. He turned around to face the dark elf. “What is it?”

“We’re roughly at the depth of 60 kilometers under the surface, and it doesn't seem like you’re going towards the first layer. W- why don’t we travel together until we reach the surface?” The dark elf stuttered in the middle of her words because Mordred looked directly at her eyes.

“Dark Elf, do not mistake my goodwill with acceptance.” Mordred’s face turned cold. “I absolutely despise superior elves, and it’s not like I need your aid, but…” He paused. “I guess Dark Elves are acceptable. You have betrayed your homeland, after all.”

“I…” The Dark elf was lost for words. 

Contrary to his words, Mordred doesn’t actually hate dark elves. At the very least, he has experience in taming and training them so he knows their strong and weak points. “There’s indeed some things that you can give me in exchange for protection.” Modred eyed her body while showing a tinge of desire. “What do you say?”

The dark elf has survived over fifty years in the underground world. She might be relatively young and weak compared to other dark elves, but she survived due to her tenacity and wit, knowing where to stand her ground or when to bend. That being said, she knew what he desired from that look alone. 

“I might not be experienced like the Lust Matriarch, but please let me serve you…” the dark elf kneeled in Dark Elven ethics. It means she will be having a cooperative relationship with Mordred where she will be taking orders from him. But in exchange, Mordred is responsible for her safety.

‘Why the fuck is she comparing herself to one of the Dark Elven Sovereign ‘Lust Matriarch’ who lived her life whoring to powerful Sovereigns?’ Mordred rolled his eyes. But, her words remind him of his experience with the Lust Matriarch. ‘She was truly a top grade whore who kept on sucking even though I choked her… How could her throat be soft and tight at the same time?’. Just the thought made him aroused, but he has his priorities straight. “Stand up. You’re right, I am not going down to the first layer, but there’s something that I need to find before I can take you to the surface world.” 

The dark elf stood up and gazed at him inquisitively. “Grandmaster Xinjian, perhaps I could be of help?”

Mordred doesn't feel there’s a need to keep a secret since it’s not an overly rare treasure. It’s just something that he couldn’t get in the market without paying an exorbitantly high price. “I’m looking for… a Tributary of the River of Time.”

“Oh!” The dark elf raised her voice. She was quite knowledgeable regarding the River of Time Tributary. 

The river of time is a layer of existence that overlaps with the material world. Since it overlaps with the Morgen world, there are some locations where the ‘frequency of existence’ is closer than usual, causing the properties of the River of Time to manifest in the material world.

These types of places are often revered as the Tributary of the River of Time. 

For mortals, it is a dangerous place where time flows differently. Time might be reversing, accelerating, rewinding a scene of the past, future, or even stopped altogether. The myriad of effects of the River of Time might do nothing to one’s physical body, but there’s a chance that it’ll consume your lifespan ten times faster than normal or grant extended lifespan instead. 

Thus, the River of Time Tributary is an extremely dangerous location despite the infinitesimal chance of benefits.

However, things are different to time-path users. 

The Tributary is their source of time-path resources such as timeforce in various concentrations or other incorporeal time materials, useful not only for cultivation but also as combat resources.

Since Mordred isn’t a primary time-path user, he has no dependence on the River of Time Tributary. His goal was to get a Tributary and refine them into his rank 1 Dimensional Storage ring so that time flows inside it. 

That’s right, he wanted to refine his own dimensional factory.

As a refinement-path expert, hand-refining consumables such as bullets or grenades are inefficient. The future of refinement-path is all about automation. There’s no need to actually hand-craft them and waste time. He isn’t a barbarian from a backwater place, he is a Magus who hails from a spacefaring civilization. 

Mordred already has Furnace Units, Fabricator Units, and the necessary materials to refine all the supporting systems such as the conveyor belts, industrial inserters, and reactors to create a fully-functioning factory. The only thing that he lacks is ‘time’. His dimensional storage ring is stagnant, everything put inside will be subjected to chrono-stasis, rendering them useless in most situations other than for preservation.  

As stated before, the River of Time Tributary is rare but not one of a kind. In the surface world, the volume of which the Tributary could be fully utilized is less than that in the underground world. This wasn’t caused by any special reasons, but it was simply because the underground world has more ‘3 dimensional’ space that is more accessible. 

As an example, the Tributary of the River of Time might manifest in the air, so surface dwellers could not fully utilize them due to being inaccessible. 

The high skies are the territory of powerful wind elementals or other powerful flying beasts; most cultivators would not travel beyond a certain point. The sky is ‘empty’ from the naked eyes but it was actually filled with dangerous lifeforms. 

That being said, although the underground world is also filled with dangerous beasts, the situation is actually better than the skies.

Cultivators can rest while traveling in the underground world, while in the skies, you’ll have to drop down to the surface. Flying takes a significant amount of energy, and as one flies higher, the terrestrial magnetism becomes even more powerful, as if the world isn’t letting anyone reach the high heavens. Therefore, the underground world has a higher chance of housing the Tributary of River of Time that could be exploited. 

As for the danger of underground beasts? Well… with Mordred’s Myriad Synesthesia being updated every time he devours the souls of beasts, it’ll be hard to ambush him even if he can't fight. 

“Dark Elf, you sound like you know about a nearby River of Time Tributary?” Mordred asked a question.

“I apologize for being impudent, please call me Valerie instead of my race.” The dark elf replied as she sought forgiveness for her earlier action of distrust, but both sides didn’t think too much about it as it was a necessary attitude to survive. “I passed through a dangerous location a week ago but I am unsure if that’s a River of Time Tributary...” 

“Elaborate.” Mordred did not change his tone.

“Roughly 19 kilometers down below, I sensed the existence of a rank 2 Chicken Year Beast.” Valerie began to tell her story.