The remainder of the trip wasn't nearly as troublesome as the big birds from before, even going down the tall cliff wasn't difficult with the dwarven vehicle's built in grappling hook guns

Passing through the blackened grasslands which was bereft of any actual grass and further through the burnt forest while taking a road the Gardelos had cleared YuJu finally arrived at earth's borders

The sight upon which he came was desolate, to the point that it lacked the slightest sign of life or anything for that matter as all one could see was an endless expanse of trampled lands that spoke nothing of the civilization once developed on it

This despairing view that would plunge others into a gloomy mood at the very least didn't pull the happy traveler from his jovial mood at all for it was far too common of a sight, his gaze didn't linger on it either as he glanced back at the fussy creatures in the cages to make sure they weren't causing too much trouble

The big bird aside there were several new 'companions' brought along his journey, most of which took the form of fluffy blue balls of cuteness trying to murder him with bone arrows every now then only to fail as he flicked them away with his bony fingers

'Quite handy these are'

He thought staring at the solid bones, it's been some time since he evolved Aaron and the after effect of the skill subsided, that however did not change the new material his bones seemed to turn into

'I hope flesh can grow on them still, if not...'

Wiggling the bony fingers creepily the ever practical man thought it wasn't too bad to keep them like this either, the lack of muscles did not hinder his control over it due to some unknown reason thus removing any downside, bar the horrid looks of course

While he thought about the possibly unstylish future a few black dots appeared in the sky grabbing hold if his notice, they were small and blended well into the night sky, so much so he would have missed them if their gaze did not lock onto him

Squinting his eyes he got a vague look of their figure but that was more than enough to identify the constant source of mayhem for this region of the Infidome

"Should I also capture some Kha'si for Subrina to experiment on? Hmm....Better not, I would presume her hands are full as is''

With their tangible nature they proved to be the best experimental breeds easily available so he might come back and hunt some for her later

For now however he allowed his smoky aura to enshroud the vehicle in its entirety, it was to deter the scavenging creatures from causing unwanted trouble

The scouting bugs slowed down for quite a while once his aura showed itself, they didn't give up chase however and kept a moderate distance for they seemed hesitant on whether to abandon their prey or not

After crossing a few kilometers the buggy fellows made up their mind to get closer and take the risk, his aura wasn't an imposing or threatening one allowing this bout of courage to come about

'They are getting bold, that means the nest nearby is nurturing something strong otherwise they would be just as cowardly as the other Kha'si'

Keeping note of this he opened the hatch and threw a few knives, taking out a couple of them without a sound

Seeing their comrades die without notice as soon as they approached the strange mist the scouts figured this was a dangerous creature and decidedly flew away toward the nest to inform them of the nearby danger

....

A few hours later the smoke covered vehicle finally arrived before another smoke covered land, in fact both seemed to have the same sort of mysterious atmosphere to them, as if they belonged to the same entity

"Hmm interesting"

Curiosity piqued he walked through this changed land, while others might not spot their own hands within it he could clearly see everything except it felt like one was looking through sunglasses

Arriving at the double doors of the villa occupying the center of the land he was just watched with a curious smirk as they opened from the other side revealing a happy yet composed face

"Welcome home Master"

The smiling Subrina bowed and made way for him to enter

The two of them then walked through the villa silently, though they haven't seen each other for quite some time they were in no rush to catch up, Subrina was tactful enough to keep her excited feelings to herself as she dutifully acted her maid part

The two soon arrived at the dining room where the aroma of food wafted about enticing him to sit down and have a meal, one he didn't bother with for a while now

During his sumptuous meal she only poured him wine, otherwise she was still by his side till he had his fill

Done with food he headed straight to the bath where he was greeted with hot steam the second she opened the door as a ready made bath came to view

Letting loose his clothes he slipped into the warm yet hot water, the temperature being just right for a hot steamy bath

"Mmm, you've prepared well"

"Thank you Master"

She replied to the praid while kneeling behind him, wrapping her smooth fingers around those still somewhat skinny yet firm shoulders to give the man a much needed massage

Though still composed her heart was palpitating with joy, after all she'd prepared everything for his arrival after sensing it through their bond and it made her beyond the moon to see him so satisfied, especially since something told her his journey wasn't the best, or at least not as he hoped it would be

This relaxing atmosphere continued for quite some time, with nothing to disturb them or requiring their immediate attention they set aside any troublesome thoughts and just enjoyed the moment

...

"Mhmm~"

Standing from the now lukewarm water he stretched his body causing the joints to produce satisfying cracks while Subrina by the side brought out a towel and dried him once he exited

"Has anything out of the ordinary occurred while I was gone?"

Allowing her to slip a black robe over him he finally broke the silence and questioned

"No Master, everything has been quiet ever since you left, the haze outside prevented any troublesome creatures from approaching"

"I see, when did the haze come about?"

"Around the time you left, a gentle haze enveloped the surroundings, this didn't do much to deter most beasts however but still scared off quite a few tough looking ones, that is until a while ago when the haze turned to this dark smoke unnerving even the simple minded beasts from coming in"

They walked through the long halls as they spoke, his eyes roaming around the place for any changes

"Hmm, does it affect you in any way?"

"Not at all Master, I can somehow clearly see through it even though I also know it should block vision"

This was the same as him so that meant his subordinates were not infused negatively with the House's upgrades

Touring around the first two floors he noticed the lack of anything new and couldn't help but ask

"You've persevered the place as is?"

"Indeed Master, I wanted to keep it the same until you came back and changed it to your will, excuse me however for clearing some space on the third floor without permission, I needed somewhere to conduct my studies"

"It is quite alright, show me what you've been working on"

"As you wish Master"

Guiding him to the third floor with a spring in her step the hard working maid revealed the fruits of her labour

Shelves stocked with makeshift glass tubes or random bottle filled the floor, crowded around them were the entertainment equipment previously making the gym and entertainment center while many, many items of various origin scattered all around

Boar tusks, feathers, teeth, plants of varying color, even meat and blood filled glasses, the place was more of a junkyard than a study hall

Others might be overwhelmed by all this garbage but YuJu quickly honed in on a few bottles on the shelves, grabbing hold of them and taking a better look, even tasing one while he was at it

"Hmm, you replicated the nourishment brew well, it looks to be of low quality but I presume it's because you didn't have better materials to work with"

"Indeed Master, I can't go out of the villa in fear of being killed so I could only lure the beasts to the plant you gave me using some of the blood brews I made, at least until the smoke enshrouded this place, from then on nothing came even when I poured bait all over the place"

It made her frustrated having nothing astonishing to show, not to say her knowledge hadn't improved by strides but with little material she couldn't put it to use

"I see, I will send someone to help you with procuring materials, for now let's go check on that little fellow, I believe it's about time I gave it a name"

"I will lead you to it Master"

Setting the brews aside they headed toward the backyard where his first guard took root