‘The whole town was a nice place.’ Ben thought.

‘A little dirty, but that wasn’t anything that couldn’t be fixed with a little fire.’

“It’s clear what needs to be done.” He told his gathered disciples.

“Lin Feng and his group are the only ones who haven’t returned, they will be in seclusion for the foreseeable future. We have work to do back at the sect so we will be leaving soon. I don’t want to leave this interesting ruin behind, so we will be taking the town with us.” He announced.

“Spread to word that a master has moved into the Bastion estate. Let the town know that you built this place for me and now that I’ve arrived I’d like to open my home to the public for a small festival. Use whatever bait necessary to bring as many people here as you can.”

Terra, Lilith, Hecate and the rest only had a vague idea of what Ben had planned. Nevertheless they had direction and they had their orders.

---

In the taverns and homes of Bastion many people were talking.

“Dearest. I’ve heard there will be a small festival happening tonight. Would you like to come with me?”

“No, I’m far too tired from work, Honey. We’ve had double shifts for three days now.”

“I’m usually the one saying I’m too tired for fun. Sinae, my friend at the market, told me they will have a free buffet with meat from Core Formation beasts there.”

“Really? How can they afford that?”

“Why don’t we take a night off and find out?”

---

“Hey, tramp. What's the news from the gutters?”

“Here’s something, mate. There’s news about the estate. A master moved in and is opening the doors to the public tonight. They’ll even have a beggars feast.”

“Expensive, that. You reckon it’s a trap for someone?”

“Probably. Wanna go see if there’s some coin to be begged?”

“Yea. We rats make small targets. Even if we only find a corpse, we can sell those to Old Ditch.”

“And if there are some loose purses…”

“Hehehe.”

---

“I don’t like it. This is their first major move. We can’t afford to be absent tonight, but who knows what their motives are.”

“Whatever we do, now is the time to pack the wagons and prepare the family to move. We may be able to make some valuable connection, but chances are we will need to run.”

“Damn that woman. Our spies and agents either disappear or find nothing. That estate is a fortress.”

“That itself is good. It means they keep order in their own house, that’s a sign of strength and wisdom.”

“Send for the ancestor and bring in all members of the company. Is my daughter still hanging out with that Terra girl?”

“Yes, but the girl is mute and your daughter only knows unsubstantiated rumors. All lines of information are controlled by the women at the teahouse.”

“We will accept the invitation and make sure my daughter represents us. Relying on my her relationship with that mute girl is the best choice we have.”

---

“Baram, did you hear from the other guards? There’s going to be a commotion in town tonight. There’s a master of the new estate and he’s opening its doors to the public.”

“All of us? Even the street rats? I doubt that will end well, Clyde.”

“Don’t call them that, they aren’t as lucky as us. Who will ever teach a street orphan to cultivate like our fathers did?”

“Cut it with the patronizing bullshit. You know Julian was killed just two weeks ago for the coin in his purse.”

“Ah, poor Lea. How’s the collection coming?”

“Just a trickle. Hey, how about asking the new master about compensation? He was a town guard.”

“We get paid from taxes taken from the market, is that running low?”

“Yea, stingy merchants always find some excuse.”

---

“Brother, your injury looks bad. We need to ask an adult about it.”

“The last one we tried to beg from did this to me. Don’t take the risk, Big Sis.”

“We don’t have to beg. I overheard the other beggars talking about a free meal tonight. If we go maybe someone will help.”

“My leg feels hot, Sis. Tell me a story about dad.”

“He and mom loved you very much. Before he disappeared…”

---

The town of Bastion lit up that night. Street lights were replaced with new sconces that led the way straight to the open doors of the estate. A festival atmosphere had taken hold of the town.

Street vendors sensed the change and were quick to take advantage of the situation. They hawked their wares and tried to make some money from the impromptu holiday.

The average resident noticed the change and decided to investigate. Instead of a quiet evening with friends and family, they gathered in small groups that gravitated towards the center of town and the new estate.

Ben’s new residence was lit up like a christmas tree. Bonfires were lit on the crenelated battlements and both the front and rear gates were wide open.

Attendants herded the long lines of people to separate areas. The homeless and poor were showed to the inner sections of the wall were long tables of hearty food was piled. Free medical care was provided to the wounded, bathrooms and the dormitory were free to use.

The general public were let in to the central area of the estate. Expensive meats and valuable herbs had been given to the best chefs of the town. They were far better than most could ever afford and every person there knew how valuable a meal like this was to their cultivation.

The higher echelons of society were invited into the private building at the center of the compound. There they were received by Lilith and her sisters and shown to the main dining hall, there they met Ben.

There he was showing his visitors a face his associates had never seen before.

He was charming and attractive. His crippled right arm was hid beneath his fancy dress and his best behaviour was on display.

Having spent many hours entertaining investors and parents back on Earth, this was no issue for him. He chatted with patriarchs, clan leaders, ancestors and the rest of the upper crust of Bastion. His promises were vague and offered information was valuable. He would wish for more cooperation, but never say precisely what he meant. He alluded to strong backers and powerful allies, but never gave their names or hard information.

The whole event was spectacular and hollow, grand and pointless.

The wiser spectators knew that something was going to happen, they waited with runners ready to deliver news and instructions. Teams were ready to move at a moments notice.

The pivotal moment came. Doors and windows were thrown open and Ben projected his voice over the whole estate.

“Welcome, friends. My name is Benjamin and this lovely property is mine. I apologize for any inconveniences caused to the local community, my servants were acting on my behalf.”

Anyone who had contact with Hecate shivered at this revelation. To have such a capable woman as a subordinate was a terrifying concept for everyone involved.

“At first I only intended to stay here for a few days before moving on, but when I saw the wonderful architecture here I knew I needed to take up residence here.”

The crowd, right on cue, laughed at this. The town looked like the slums of any other city and everyone knew it. Certain conditions caused the area to be under siege on a regular basis and twice a decade the whole town was burnt down and rebuilt. The long time residents were used to this cycle of destruction and construction.

“Oh, you think I’m joking? Why would someone like me be interested in a ruin like this? Have you ever wondered why the foundations of this town are so strong? I’ll tell you a secret, you’ve been living on top of the most valuable ruin I’ve ever seen.”

A cold feeling invaded those with better reasoning capabilities. The more inquisitive members of the public had looked into the phenomena of the town, but they only discovered that the foundations resisted any attempts at modification. The facts were known, but conclusions had never been drawn.

“It’s no wonder that you never found out about it until now. Everything of value is buried underground. Whatever plans you may have had for it, it will forever be barred for you.

“From this day onward I will be taking control of the town of Bastion. Those who wish to leave may do so and those who choose to stay will be given a place to live back at the sect.”

---

“Is he lying sis? This is too good to be true.”

“No, brother. If he really is from one of the sects then he wouldn't go back on his word like other adults. They already healed your leg.”

“I’ve heard stories about people disappearing.”

“He can’t make a whole town disappear. Orphans like us can always hide in some cozy corner and come out later.”

---

“What do you think? I like it, people are going to leave behind plenty of stuff to pick through.”

“Moving is always a chore. Learning the new byways and gangs always takes time.”

“Scavenging from a sect could make us rich men. There are probably some street rats there who can show us the ropes.”

“Imagine what the kitchens must throw out. I like the sound of this.”

---

“What do you think, honey? It sounds dangerous, but what if our child can enter the sect?”

“They are far above us, dearest. We could hope for some position as a servant to a cultivator. That would be enough to protect our family for decades to come.”

“No, honey. We have to take this opportunity. There is something more important than both of us.”

“You mean.”

“Yes. I’m pregnant”

---

“Damn that man. He’s pushed us into a corner.”

“Does he know we don’t have any other option? It’s my fucking daughter he’s using here.”

“I think he was aware of the connection and is using it as leverage. We don’t have any option when he strongarms us like that. The line in the sand is clearly drawn and we have been forced to take his side.”

“Let’s hope he can help us in the fight to come then.”

---

“Last beast horde? About a decade ago.”

“The whole town was leveled, wasn’t it?”

“I had just started out as a guard. The whole town was demolished.”

“Funny how old walls were fine. The foundations weren’t scratched at all.”

“That’s why that new estate is so important. He’s planning on defending against the beast horde.”

“Speaking of, listen to that commotion. What do you think is going on over there?”

“Just the feast. We sent Saul over there to get some dinner, why complain? We have a gate to watch.”

“Doesn’t hurt to talk about it. Someone’s speech is causing an uproar. Think anything will come of it?”

“Yea, something gonna happen. Just look at that new estate. It wouldn’t be built without a reason. We only need to focus on keeping our jobs, so we can’t relax tonight.”

“Always so tense.”

---

The mention of a sect immediately won over the poorer inhabitants. The chance of accessing cultivation manuals and resources was something only available to the rich and powerful. The average poor person would never even see someone above the Body Tempering Realm.

Even the middle class were impressed by the offer. To be associated in any way with the powerful Cultivators assured a secure life. All a family need do was attend to a single spirit field and their profits would be much greater than they were now. Their favoured sons and daughters would have the chance to enter the sect and cultivate immortality.

Only the wealthy and influential saw the offer for what it was, a power grab. Runners were already delivering orders all across Bastion telling some people to scatter and others to gather.

“Don’t worry, friends. Each one of you will find a place for yourself. Those who refuse my offer will be given compensation and let go without punishment. These are the best conditions I can offer.”

The crowds nodded at this. If it was a takeover, it was a bloodless one. While things would change, there was a low probability of disaster striking.

“That being said, you all have fifteen minutes before I burn your homes to the ground.”

The estate erupted into chaos.

---

“We knew he was going to do this. Tell your daughter to get close with Terra. She is our only hope here.”

“It’s sad that it got this far. I don’t like this decision, My hand is being forced.”

“The moment he set his eyes on Bastion it was inevitable. Forces beyond our scope have forced us down this path.”

“Damnit. I wish he had never came here. Now we have to join him in this.”

“I’ve sent runners to clear out the storehouses and gather our fighters. Our people are already out of the city.”

“Do more. That man will remember every message and summons, we can’t afford to act against him in any way.”

---

“Does he mean it, Sis?”

“Yea.”

“What about where mom and dad are buried?”

“...”

“Are we going to be okay?”

“We’ll be fine, little brother. It’s dangerous here, let’s hide in one of those rooms in the wall. He won’t burn down his own house.”

“But Mom…”

“Don’t be an idiot, Brother. If we grow up at all she’ll be smiling up in heaven.”

---

“Everything is inside the house! We have fifteen minutes to pack.”

“Dear…”

“Why aren’t you moving?”

“They’re just things. This crowd is going crazy, what could happen to the child? No, I’m finding a quiet place for us to wait it out.”

“Everything…”

“It’s just things. We have so much more right here that we need to keep safe.”

---

“Crazy rich people. It’s a shame to waste all that scrap.”

“That’s good wood. You could tack together a few neighborhoods if he didn’t want to burn it.”

“His loss. Turns out that if you have the strength, you can solve all your problems with fire.”

“We can’t pick anything up from the town, but didn’t he leave the doors to the main house open?”

“Good point. I wonder what’s inside?”

---

“Looks like something exciting is going on.”

“Should we sent for the sergeant?”

“Yea, there may be a panic. I’ll send a runner to get information.”

“This isn’t good. People are stampeding.”

“It’s too late, ring the alarm bell!”

---

“I can't allow you to do this to our town.” A voice boomed over the commotion.

“We built these houses with our own two hands. Like hell we’ll let you destroy it.” A single figure stood out from the crowd. He wore regal robes and had a sword in his hand that was clearly of high quality.

The pushing crowds stopped to hear what this second voice had to say.

“You know they're pieces of shit then, don't you? Don't blame the tiger when you build on his mountain. Someone was going to come and take this land from you, be happy I'm benevolent.” Ben sneered in return.

“Be happy that you're burning our homes down, are you really that stupid?” The dissenter yelled.

“Here's a good example of what I'm talking about. My friend wanted the town for herself, but backed down when I told her I was taking it. Do you know what plans she had for you? Death by a swarm of spiders sounds unpleasant, doesn't it?” Ben smiled.

“We've fought off many beast hordes in the past. We have the power do defend ourselves.”

“Fine then, a small demonstration of power isn't any issue. Take one attack from me. This is a new type of fire I've discovered, but never had a chance to use in combat.” Ben decided to try out his new core.

He lifted his hand and pointed at the troublemaker. He channeled some Qi from his new core and collected it at the tip of his finger.

The crowds watched the attack uncertainly. They wanted Ben to release his aura so they could determine his realm of cultivation, but not a single thread of energy slipped out. All they were able to see was one small spark of white light.

He flicked his finger at the challenger and the spark flew through the air. It made no sound and emitted no trace of Qi. It would be difficult to tell the difference between this and a spark thrown off by a campfire.

The unfortunate soul who would try to defend against this attack hadn't been idle. He had three separate defenses prepared.

“You’re underestimating me!” He shouted.

First he pressed out with one hand. Qi formed an illusory golden palm to match his actual hand. The golden palm shot out and met the white spark.

The two attacks collided and the palm warped, shrunk and broke apart. The spark showed no change.

The challengers face paled.

“Fine, I’ll show you my real strength.” He yelled.

Previously, his aura had been at peak Core Formation. Now his aura rose a to what could be called half step Nascent Soul. His skin began to glow with a dim golden radiance.

Nascent Soul! The crowd broke out in cheers when they saw this.

“We finally have a Nascent Soul Cultivator!”

“We’ll be safe from the next beast wave! It may not happen at all.”

“He’s done for.”

“Get the fancy bastard!”

“He thinks he can order us around!”

The new Nascent Soul champion of the town drew out a long thin curved sword. He was wary of the strength of the spark, so he overdrew on his power to assure his swift victory.

In truth he had only broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm recently. He had yet to learn to control his newfound strength.

The blade began to glow brightly along with his golden aura.

He dashed forward and slashed at the white spark. The attacks met and there was a small flash.

The crowd was shocked. Nothing had happened.

Unlike the palm, the sword attack passed straight through, unimpeded.

If someone had a high enough cultivation or a special eye technique they would have seen the sword edge meet the spark and the spark burrow through the sword instantly. A very small amount of molten metal flew out of the hole, flashing through the air. The sword material cooled instantly, leaving the sword mostly intact.

His first two attacks failing, he decided to retreat and admit defeat. Servitude was better than death.

To his horror, when he stepped back, the spark moved too. The distance between the two didn’t stop slowly decreasing. It was like the spark had a different frame of reference than the rest of the world.

The spark continued and the challenger had only a fraction of a second before the spark hit him. His skin hardened and turned to gold. The ring on his finger flashed and three items flew out.

A purple vial shattered on him, adding a deep violet hue the his aura, a silver cloak wove around him, adding a layer of armor and a golden shield emerged and met the spark just before it met contact.

The purple light dimmed the second it touched the spark. The same scene of spark passing through metal happened again with the shield. A hole in the silver cloak flashed with a small wisp of flame.

The spark touched his golden skin. Immediately webs of frost started crawling over his chest.

The figure of Ben suddenly appeared in front of the man and touched the spark with one outstretched finger. The spark disappeared.

‘Interesting properties. It passes through material, melting it. Anything within a few meters is frozen and it moves relative to the targets position.’ Ben thought.

‘Fantastic! It contains laws of space and time. We will have to conduct some tests when you return.’ Alice was delighted.

‘This give me an idea. To get back at that fire demon we need something to fight fire. How about this, I call it the entropic field. It’s technically forbidden technology, this is how it works…’ Ben talked with Alice in his head.

The mans golden skin dimmed back to normal and he fell to the ground, unconscious. The crowds watched the anticlimactic conclusion to the fight in silence. There was no flashy ending, no fiery death, no last second counters to prolong the battle.

Ben looked around.

“Thirteen minutes.”

---

“That's it then. He was the strongest expert in town.”

“None of our informants knew he had entered the Nascent Soul Realm. I’m sorry I let it slip by. That could have been our downfall.”

“At least we didn’t send one of our own to test him. It’s a good thing my daughter got close to that Terra girl before we acted against him.”

“Everything is going to change, sir. I’ll be organizing our spies and informants. Do we need anything from our properties before they are demolished?”

“No. Everything of value had been moved already. Go gather the family together.”

---

“Have you ever seen an attack like that, dear?”

“Never. I couldn’t even tell what element it was. I’d guess lightning, but it moved too slowly. Perhaps it was fire, but it froze him.”

“Does this change anything?”

“No. We stay put and wait it out. This is still the safest place for us.”

“Yes, dear.”

---

“Heh, that poor sod had it coming to him. Is someone taking away the body? Maybe he has a storage pouch we can lift.”

“No, I can see him breathing. We couldn't get away with it.

“See anything that catches your interest?”

“That silverware looks pretty fancy. That vase too.”

---

“Did you see that, sis? Is that how cultivators fight?”

“Not usually. Most of the time there’s more flashy attacks, they take longer and they struggle back and forth.”

“At least there was a finishing move. Did you see him poke that guy!”

“I don’t think it went like that…”

---

“People are fleeing the city! They say that the owner of that new estate is going to burn down the town!”

“That can’t be right. Someone will stop him.”

“He’s already been challenged, he won.”

“If that’s case, we can’t win. Open the gates, tell the men to clear the streets and let people flee. It’s the only thing we can do.”

“Got it, Guard Commander.

---

‘Better use my blood flame, this is a large town. I can also make my fire target buildings and avoid burning people. Let’s wrap this up. I have a lot to do.’

“Ten minutes.” He shouted, before descending nearby stairs.

He crossed the courtyard under the gaze of the milling crowd. He climbed up to the top of the wall and looked out over the busy town.

“Lilith. There are three people in this town we need to recruit. The two children watching from the window there and the pregnant woman standing in the corner beside that man. This is the first time we’ve found three people in one location. There are also two men who have been stealing from us that seem to have some special properties. Leave them alone and let them stick around. Arachnae is nearly done excavating the town from underneath. It’s almost time to go.” Ben told Lilith.

“The three candidates will see you soon.” She answered him as her sisters went to work collecting the mentioned people.

“Five minutes.” His reinforced voice reached every corner of the town.

‘The Entropic field is much more dangerous than anything you’ve ever made. This is a planet killer. It may even go further than that.’

‘I know. The only thing stopping it will be the infinite void of space. I plan to use against the fire demons.’

‘It may pass over to this world and any other worlds it has a connection with.’

‘I’ve thought about that. A good solution is a void array and a suitable vessel for the energy.’

‘You could start the research into void arrays right now, but where are we going to find something that can hold the energy of a whole world?’ Alice asked.

‘I’ll make it, naturally.’ Ben shrugged mentally.

‘There are many things that can go wrong here, mainly the vessel could shatter, releasing all its pent up energy at once. I’m also worried about someone more powerful noticing your actions.’ Alice’s voice had a hint of concern in it.

‘It appears that if I stay on the surface of this world I am partially safe from those beings that are much more powerful than me. I also have some ideas about energy storage that may even surprise you. I think I can modify a spirit stone to absorb exponential amounts of Qi.’

‘Tell me more.’

‘The internal energy of most spirit stones can only be depleted or modified. Creating or enriching a spirit stone takes decades. The highest quality spirit stones can slowly capture ambient Qi and refill itself if not drained dramatically.

‘What I propose is this, we obtain one of these high quality spirit stones and…’ Ben continued his inner dialogue with Alice.

“We’ve brought the persons you asked for.” Hecate respectfully interrupted Ben’s musings.

He looked over at the three people who had been brought to him. There were two children in rags with dirty faces and one sobbing woman in middle class town clothes.

“Why is she crying?” He asked.

“We had to separate her from her husband.”

“Bring him here and try not to cause the woman undue stress. It would be bad for the child.” At this the womans face paled. Did this man have some designs on her baby?

“Relax, Mother. You cannot let yourself harm your child. I'm not going to take it from you. I only wish to see the child grow up healthy and strong.” Ben tried soothing the mother to be, but she naturally didn't feel comfortable without her husband by her side.

He sighed and placed his hand on her shoulder. A thread of illusion Qi entered her and went straight to her brain. A second later she was asleep and dreaming about a large happy family.

“I hope that you two will be easier to deal with.” Ben looked down at the two dirty children.

“Sis…” The smaller boy hid behind his sister.

“No... I mean yes. What do you need us to do?” She tried to put up a brave front for her brother.

“Behave yourselves and watch.” Ben said.

He turned to the town below him.

“Times up.” His voice boomed.

On his open hand a red flame appeared. Much like the spark from before, this flame was small, only the size of his palm. This too he gently tossed at his target, a small hut next to the estate walls.

The flame landed and caught just like any other fire. It spread to a nearby woodpile and climbed to the thatched roof. Soon the whole hut was on fire.

There were two curious properties about this fire. No smoke was rising from the fire and when the hut had been reduced to ashes, huddled in a corner of the ruins was a shivering old man.

The man looked around at the spreading fire. It had already turned their houses to ashes and spread further.

The scene from the wall wasn't what people has expected. They were ready for a conflagration that would consume everything. This gentle cleansing of fire was more like a good scrub than a holocaust.

The flames consumed everything but flesh and passed by so quickly it was as if the breeze itself was disintegrating the town. Ashes were blown away leaving confused people and panicking animals.

It took a few minutes for the fire to burn through the town. The only structures left standing were the outer wall, the foundations of the town and the new estate.

The massive spirit vessel appeared over the town, dwarfing it. The shadow of the airship was at least four times that of the town.

“Final warning. Anyone who is still inside the town walls will be considered one of my people. The town will be leaving in a few minutes. Anyone who wants better accommodations is welcome to board the spirit vessel.” Ben’s voice carried to every corner

“If any of you are unhappy with my actions taken today, you are welcome to file a complaint or call the customer service hotline. Either way I don't care what you do. If I cared, I would have just killed you all outright, but I'm trying to do things in a official manner.”

There were many small dramas taking place in the ruined town below. Adventuring groups broke up, families said goodbye to lifelong friends, couples split up when one party valued security and the other independence.

Many unseen tragedies and main events in the lives of little people took place on this day.

This tapestry of human interaction wove itself while something curious happened just outside the walls.

Just outside of the main wall was a ditch that was there to make the wall that much taller. All along the bottom of the ditch small holes appeared. The holes widened and connected with each other.

Ropes fell from the spirit vessel overhead and hung down onto the walls, then a nightmare began for the guards and many other townspeople.

Spiders, thousands of them, started climbing up the ropes with great speed. They hung onto the vessel and placed their webbing there. Then they flung themselves from the airship in a black rain and fell back to the town walls, trailing their webbing behind them.

The spiders climbed down the walls and disappeared into the ground. Then they climbed back up their silk and repeated the process. Soon there was a solid netting that connected the town to the airship above.

Unseen by everyone but Arachnae, Ben and Alice, the ground beneath the town had been excavated by Arachnae and her numerous brood. It was an irregular shape with many tunnels leading to odd rooms. The ground supporting the underground structure was replaced with dense webbing many times stronger than steel.

The spirit vessel was attached to these webs and the roughly 2 million ton town was ready to hoist into the air.

The whole project was absurd from first glance, but Ben had three tools at his disposal that made the task an easy one. He had an excellent team at his beck and call that neutralized the townspeople, a monsterous airship available to only the greatest of the sects and the biological marvel that was a spiders web.

---

“Sis…” The little boy was crying.

“It’s fine. No need to worry, little brother.” The slightly older girl held him close.

“I hate spiders.” The boy wailed.

“Don’t cry.” She comforted him.

“I really hate spiders.”

“Brother... Don’t look behind you.”

“Hmmmmmmm. They smell delicious. Can I have one?” A new voice made itself heard.

“No Arachnae. I’m using them for something else. Look, now you’ve frightened them. They are my outer disciples so keep your claw off of them. This way, my students, it’s time to meet the rest of your class.” Ben herded the traumatized children towards one of his assistants.

---

“Clyde. We’re lost.”

“Shut up Baram. It was you that suggested we board the airship to steal anything not nailed down. Guess what? Everything was nailed down.”

“I wasn’t the one who tried to mug that young man. Why would you think you can steal from a cultivator?”

“At least we got away. Funny though, how did we lose him?”

“I guess we just got lucky.”

“Hey, is that a rabbit up ahead?”

“Yea, a horned one. I’ve heard about them, their the weakest possible magic creature.”

“Let’s try to catch it. They can be sold for good coin.”

“Sneak up as close as you can and we both jump for it.”

“...”

“...”

*Crash*

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“WHAT THE FUCK?”

“Every single fucking time! You have shit luck!”

---

“We’re out of our league here. The family is at risk of being devoured.”

“We must stand together even as we become prosperous under someone else.”

“Call a gathering. At this time we need to be as unified as never before. The slightest internal struggle could rip us apart.”

“I will make it known.”

“Mobilize our forces. We will take this opportunity to spread out influence over the others.”

“We must also take care to not antagonize our new benefactor. He must need a lieutenant for this rabble, we may as well fill the position.”

---

“Not much of a point to guarding the wall now.”

“What about the spiders?”

“There are dozens of them for every one of us. If they wanted to kill us, we would be dead.”

“It makes the people feel better to watch a familiar figure. Not everyone boarded the spirit vessel.”

“They make me nervous. What’s gonna happen to us?”

“Eh, it’ll be fine. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Torture for years then our souls are devoured?”

“...”

“Spiders it is then.”

---

“I thought I wouldn’t see you again. What did that monster do to you?”

“He’s not bad. He didn’t mean for us to part.”

“What did he do to you?”

“He gave me a cultivation technique, some spirit stones and several potions.”

“What potions? What cultivation technique? He just wants to take advantage of you.”

“I don’t know what the elixirs were, but I feel great and my cultivation is soaring. The cultivation technique is a good one, here, take a look.”

“What an advanced method! We could never afford something like this.”

“He is good, in an uncaring kind of way.”

---

The spirit vessel soared off into the distance, a valuable ruin hanging beneath it.