“I can find some more, just cleaning up some karmic pollutants would be enough - it’s just paychecks from the Will.” Jianmen shook his head: “I’m gonna need to give them back anyway.”

“Give them back? What do you mean?”

“Okay.” Jianmen took a long breath, as if he needed to prepare for what he was about to say: “So, simple introductory lecture on universe-hopping: first, you will need to find an ‘anchor’ in your destination universe - it could be either a vision, or just a simple piece of memory; second, you need to be powerful enough to create a tunnel that’s steady enough, the tunnel doesn’t have to be all the way through, but it needs to be stable; and third, you will need to have the crystals for two purposes: first, you have to infuse yourself with its energy so that when you break into the other universe, your presence would not be annihilated by the Will of the other universe due to your lack of karma chains; and second, you will need those crystals to mend the damage you did to your previous world, because you have to literally break off from the karma chains of your original universe in order to enter the new one. ”

“Okay, but what happens if you don’t mend your previous world? Is that part really necessary?”

“It’s technically not, but it’s a major dick move, and it will very likely cause you more harm than if you did.” Jianmen chuckled and laid back on his wheelchair: “You know, breaking the karmic chains has been the major source of my injuries ever since I’ve been in this world - they are corrupted chains, but it still hurts like a bitch to break them off.”

“And even that - ” Josephine Wong sighed and her eyes became slightly evasive: “Even with this hefty a cost - you’d still want to do it again?”

Jianmen went silent for a while, then said: “Let me know what kind of power you will need and what forces you are trying to recruit so we’re not targeting the same potential allies. I can try to arrange some meetings with some people I know. The Depth Dwellers still owed me some favors, and so do some other groups of power wielders. And I am looking to try to win some favors from a fallen … well, I mean a very powerful guy who has ties to the elementals.”

Josephine Wong’s eyes flickered, and she went along with Jianmen’s change of subject: “Speaking of Elementals, I spoke with Paulo Chang, but he - how should I say, he’s not very fond of what I proposed.”

“What can I say, you should’ve sent a foodie in your stead, or a lightning mage, or just an academic with no political ambition.” Jianmen laughed out loud: “Did you at least bring wine?”

“I did, some of the best elixirs we have in storage.” Josephine Wong shook her head with a frustrated smile: “But according to him, he as a newly anointed Elemental Lord has no authority to march into war, not with enough forces to help us.”

“That’s a load of bullshit.” Jianmen frowned: “He’s just asking for a price.”

“Tell me about it. I asked him what he wanted in return, and he just said he would need time to think about it.” Josephine Wong took out her buzzing phone and skimmed the various messages she just received. Then her facial expression changed and she had to stand up: “Okay, looks like my team just found something from that relic. But we’re also having a bit of a situation. I’m gonna go and check it out, you wanna come with me?”

“My pleasure. Is One Eye there?” Jianmen rolled himself to the fridge and asked.

“Yes.”

“Okay, then forgive me madam I’m gonna need a drink.” Jianmen opened the freezer on his fridge and took out a spherical glass jar covered with ice and frost filled with some thick dark brown liquid. He shook the jar a few times, seemingly to make sure that the liquid was not frozen solid.

“So you’re using this now?” Josephine Wong frowned as Jianmen drank from the spherical glass jar and his face all twitched up like he was drinking something extremely spicy: “I thought it was saved for special occasions.”

“This IS a special occasion.” Jianmen let out an “ah” like someone who just drank some really cold beer, but his frown indicated that it was not something that he particularly enjoyed: “It’s my first appearance, and our first since the hospital. If there’s gonna be someone on the outside, I’d better appear ready.”

“Politics, never thought I’d hear this from you.” Josephine Wong chuckled as she watched the dark liquid take effect on Jianmen’s body. This was a special oil, the recipe to which was dug out from an old archive and completed by them quite a while back, right after meeting and getting to know each other in Realm Greenrock. Its effect was that it would seal off a major portion of one’s power, but at the same time it would also suppress the injuries, trauma, sickness and even ingested poison inside of one’s body and soul. Thus, drinking this oil would allow Jianmen to move and even use some of his Xuanli relatively freely and without any obvious hint of injuries and his significantly weakened state, but it also meant that he would only be able to use a small portion of his Xuanli, and his recovery would be stifled and even partially reversed course.

Yet, this was something Jianmen felt in his heart he must do, not just for himself but also for Josephine Wong. The aftermath of the incident at Clearwater Municipal Hospital was not only that Josephine Wong’s team lost a few powerful teammates and many agents. It was also that the local departments of the Division had shown a sign of weakness, which created a power imbalance in the area. This, Jianmen believed, was one of the key reasons that some of the High Brokers of the Exalted Bondsmen dared to stir up a war at this time.

After a few seconds, Jianmen put the jar back into the freezer and blew out a stream of smoke and cinder. The next moment, he stood up from the wooden wheelchair and stretched his body: “Let’s go, let’s put on a show.”

“Rash, can you watch the inn while we’re gone?” Josephine Wong asked Rash, who was playing with Snowball behind the reception’s desk.

“Alright, travel safe!”