With the Hellmouth Ray defeated, Sage didn’t waste any time in sending it away to the Inner World just like the other beasts. He made sure to send it to one of the isolated bodies of water like some of the other troublesome beasts. The beast was in the sixth tier so it was supposed to be a challenge to battle, but Sage had been caught off guard by the sheer power of its speed law. He’d thought a Hellmouth Ray would have a law to empower its terrifying collection of teeth but he hadn’t expected it to also have another law that made it so fast he could barely keep up. If he hadn’t figured out a way to protect himself from the tail he would have been locked into a stalemate. He’d have to just constantly rely upon his Foresight to dodge its mouth and the follow up swing of its tail, and since he was too slow he’d have to try and make the ray bored of him.

Well, that was if he didn’t try any other options. He didn’t want to risk entering the Universe Ring since the ray’s fangs might be able to damage it. The Purple Mist Sect would probably be able to help him take it down, but how many of them might die in the process? He was here to push himself to the limit so why would he choose to sacrifice subordinates instead of feeling threatened? He felt a rush from triumphing over such a powerful beast, but there was still no improvement in his laws.

Maybe I have to go up against something that uses a similar law as my own. Then I can see different ways to use it?

After the difficult battle, Sage returned to the Coral Shallows, avoiding starting any more conflicts on the way back. He killed a few dog sized lobsters that shot out from underneath a few rocks and tried to rip off his limbs. He’d already collected plenty of their species and capturing them would waste his time. He continued back into the city and decided to try and socialize a bit more with the people in the Depths. He already had access to plenty of people to relax with on the Inner World, but he was always a little on edge.

The ‘control room’ he built to give others access to his senses and prevent him from living in two scales of time at the same time became a sort of crutch. He didn’t want to get caught in a dangerous situation on the outside world while he wasn’t in the control room on the Inner World. This meant that Sage spent most of his time either in that room or in his adjacent quarters. You could only socialize so much when you never wanted to leave your house, even if that house was immense and had every amenity. While everyone around him was part of his Clan, they were so many generations removed that they felt more like employees and subordinates. Inviting them to socialize felt more like giving them orders. They would be pressured to agree, and even if they honestly wanted to hang out with him, he still felt uneasy about it.

On the other hand, socializing with people in the Depths might end up feeling more like a game because of the time difference, but he preferred it over being that overbearing boss that makes all their employees attend company parties. There was also the chance of gathering new information to improve the reference material for the Clan. With this idea in mind, Sage didn’t head towards the teahouse that served Cultivators in the manner that he was used to. In the Depths there were establishments that catered to every specific type of cultivator. If he were to head to the ones aimed towards Eastern Qi Cultivators, then he would only be able to gather information second hand from what others had experienced.

Instead, he was planning on using his advantage, the Heart’s Tongue, at a mixed establishment. There were some places for people to mingle in, which seemed to mostly be populated by those who lived here full time. Those who had given up on returning to their origins, or that weren’t able to, enjoyed these places. They weren’t going anywhere so they had plenty of time to learn other languages and chat with others in their same situation. Sage stopped at a larger one of these establishments that was quite packed at this time of day and saw a lot of people that while still dressed in a very eclectic manner, seemed far more relaxed and casual than the fighters. They still had the same style of dress as the more driven new arrivals, but just in more subdued and relaxed styles. They weren’t dressed for war, but everyday life. He even saw elements in their dress that were similar to the clothing worn by the squid and octopus demi-humans. The floating cephalopod people, which he quickly learned were called ‘Gilogos’, didn’t have humanoid bodies, so they didn’t wear the same clothing. All the Gilogos wore were hats, necklaces, veils, and rings/bracelets. The squid and octopus demi-humans had humanoid bodies yet with animal-like parts. They had their own unique style that seemed based upon the Gilogos’ accessories. After living here a long time, it seemed these other types of people picked up some of their fashion sense.

Or maybe they just didn’t want to spend extra to buy foreign clothing?

Most of the people seemed to enjoy their lives and were here to unwind and mess around after a day of work. Sage chatted with a few of them, making small talk and learning some of the basics from them. They were surprised that he could speak with all of them flawlessly and were happy to share the local news. In the interest of being easily understood all of these people were speaking the local language of the Gilogos. Instead of having to learn the language of every other type of cultivator, they’d all chosen to learn to converse with the locals instead. After a bit of smalltalk and casual drinking, Sage took notice of the few people in the room that weren’t enjoying the festivities. They looked more like they were here to drown their sorrows instead of just unwinding after work.

One of them in particular caught Sage’s eye because they were wearing something that looked very much like a hooded sweatshirt. Sage walked over and took a seat just down the bar from the man. When the bartender arrived he pointed at the drink the hoodie wearing fellow had, “I’ll take whatever he’s having.”

Then he glanced over to the man, “Add another round for him too.”

He’d tried to get on the man’s good side with a gift, but he didn’t immediately try to chat the fellow up. Since this guy looked like he was drowning his sadness, then it was probably just a matter of time before he started to open up. These sorts of people were the ones that shared their life story with the bartender when no one else was around. They would be stoic and silent until they had a few too many drinks and worked up the courage to get stuff off their chest. Or at least that was the stereotype, right? Sage downed his drink and ordered another, waiting patiently to see if he would become the chosen confidant.