The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

Oscar rode across the sky while reading the map, flickering his gaze to the position of the two suns and turning the map slightly to line up with the two suns' direction. Erden received his thoughts and followed accordingly, following the map's instructions. Passing through small villages and wide farms where people worked in the fields, Oscar felt nostalgic; memories of his childhood on the farm with his parents brought themselves to the surface of his mind.

Large airships flew on the clouds, some people staring out on the deck toward Oscar. He ignored their stares and continued on his way.

'A little more. Please wait a little more. Your son will be home soon.' After a few hours, a large sprawling metropolis came into sight, a center of activity with golden flags of a lion waving boldly and highly in the air. Large masses of people streamed over to the gates, stretching far back for miles, clamoring and laughing on their merry way. Oscar recalled Hons' advice and flew down near the walls and gates, great metal-plated structures that put the flimsy walls of the Burning Valley to shame.

"Halt!" A group of Exalts, clad in gold armor with helmets depicting the face of a lion, filled the air with their wary Ein, ready to strike at a moment's notice with their weapons. Most of them were Elite Exalts led by a Lower Knight Exalt, seemingly their captain. The captain held a hand out for pause and grasped his weapon with the other. "Any Exalts who come in must be interviewed to ensure no malice enters past these walls. Any attempts to resist will be met with death."

Oscar unmounted Erden and helped Avril off. Though he didn't have to do it, honestly, he enjoyed these little interactions with her, always a tinge of joy to him. Facing the captain, he roused a powerful Ein, not too overwhelming to avoid pressuring these soldiers but enough for them to feel the difference, and their slight retreat gave him space to speak. Oscar walked over to the captain and gave a bow in respect to the authority behind him. "I am Oscar. I have traveled from afar after ending my long seclusion. I have not taken my three-star fabricator examination and wish to enter this city to take the test and make my way home."

The captain received Oscar's two-star fabricator badge and examined it closely before taking out a strange artifact that resonated with the badge. Nodding his head, the captain returned the badge to Oscar and lifted his visor, revealing his faint smile. "A Greater Knight Exalt and a fabricator. It is an honor for Convecia to welcome new talent. Can we not convince you to stay and be employed within the city as a citizen?"

"It is pleasing to hear your compliments. But I've been away from home for a while. I must return." Oscar smiled and gestured to the two behind him, Erden and Avril, who wore her usual cloth over half her face. "The beast is my companion. I tamed him long ago, and he is my trusted friend. I assure you there will be no issues. The woman is my wife, Avril. We have been together for a while."

"Your last name?" The captain took out a log book and wrote down their names.

"Terr," Oscar answered.

"Very well. Oscar and Avril Terr. Here are tokens of your temporary residence in Convecia. Do not lose it because you need it to enter most places. You are quite strong but do not believe you can act as you wish, or else there will be severe penalties. Do you understand?" The captain's words were filled with confidence, not a single word out of beat. Oscar grabbed the tokens and gave one to Avril, pondering. He knew the Convecia Lord was a Marshal Exalt, but to be able to quell any disturbance meant they had a powerful force other than just the lord.

"Oh. You also just came in time. In a week, Convecia is having its Grand Gamble. If you want to make it big in name and money, it's the perfect chance."

"I understand. Have a good day." Oscar bowed again with Avril this time and entered through the city gates. The thick walls looked far sturdier up close. Oscar calculated and understood if he tried to siege this place with the full might of the Azure Sea Company with the Gatnons and Armadillo-Sixes fixed to grade three, it wouldn't be over in a day. Perhaps a siege would last weeks.

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'The resources and might in the Burning Valleys are too little compared to Convecia. The New Dawn must have never thought anyone would lead a full-scale rebellion against the Four Lords.' Oscar frowned. The invisible force moving in the shadows, hunting Reis users and committing vile experiments, unnerved him. Shaking his head, he noticed Avril was fidgeting and blushing down to her neck.

"What's wrong?" Oscar asked, worried about the cause.

"Back then…she wonders why Oscar introduced her as his wife." Avril's eyes darted around but never met his.

"Oh. That is because you don't have an identity of your own. We would have been held up and questioned if we came as simple wanderers. My identity as a fabricator offers some immunity from that. Listing you as my wife helped to bypass the process for you." Oscar explained while walking across a large bridge.

"I see. Hmm. Avril Terr…." Avril mumbled.

"I like the sound of that," Oscar said in a low voice, barely discernable to anyone.

"Did you say anything?" Avril finally focused her eyes on Oscar.

"Nothing. I'll let you know later." Oscar laughed.

"That's not fair. She's really curious now, poking Oscar in the cheek. What did he say earlier?" Avril pouted.

Passing the bridge, Oscar was greeted by the bustling activity of everything he had missed. Cheers of children swept by under the cool breeze, stomping of feet clattered on the smooth, paved stone roads, and the people conversed with each other in all manners, business and casual. Many Exalts and Exalt Beasts roamed around, minding their own business on their way.

"How interesting. A couple of other Greater Knight Exalts are around, not hiding their presence at all." Oscar glanced slightly over to several Exalts. "I wonder if it's related to the Grand Gamble the guard mentioned."

"I wonder what the Grand Gamble is? Do we have time to stick around for it?" Avril hummed, clearly interested in the event.

"If the time is right, sure. But we should see if the portals are open." The portals in Convecia opened on fixed schedules due to the amount of Ein needed to maintain the connection. Not knowing the current timeline of the portals, Oscar led Avril and Erden to the portal district, where four large circular rings stood upright on wide platforms. He clicked his tongue at seeing the rings were not powered on, not a speck of Ein rippling in their gaping holes.

"Excuse me. Excuse me, sir." Oscar bowed to another guard in the same lion uniform. "When is the next time the portals open up? It is urgent."

"You just missed it. The portals were activated yesterday. The next opening will be in two weeks. In the meantime, you can enjoy the Grand Gamble." The guard said respectfully.

"Damn. We were just a bit too late." Oscar cursed, cracking his neck to dispel the discomfort.

"Don't feel too bad. It's only two weeks more." Avril patted his back with a sigh. She seemed restless as well after receiving this news.

Oscar sighed and knew her desire to find her mother and sister had to be put on hold as well. That desire was so strong that no matter how often Oscar wanted her to come to the Farksky Continent, she always rejected him. Yet, she was holding it in surprisingly well, making him scoff at his own impatience.

Leaving the portal district, they looked around for the Guilds and entered the Alchemist Guild Branch in Convecia, the marbled and beautiful halls reminding him of the Pavilion. Since the portals were closed until two weeks later, he felt he might as well make the fake reason he gave for entering a reality. Oscar went over to the counter, where a receptionist welcomed them.

"I would like to take the three-star alchemist examination, please," Avril said.

"Are you a two-star alchemist?" The receptionist asked.

"Officially, no. I do not have the badge, but I am an alchemist."

"That's fine then. There is a fee for the exam. You can pay in 10000 gold coins or in equivalent treasures." The receptionist smiled and cleared parts of her counter.

"Will this be enough?" Oscar dumped several grade-three ores from his space pocket.

"That is fine. Thank you for your payment. Now, name?"

"Avril."

"Last name?"

Avril widened her eyes slightly, turning to Oscar and snapping back with reddened cheeks. She stammered out, "Terr…."

"Ok, everything is set. Please make your way over to testing site 404. Be warned. The exam will take several days, so please be ready." The receptionist bowed and gestured in the direction Avril needed to go through.

"Wait for me! Don't do anything fun without me!" Avril smiled brightly and disappeared off into the hallway.

Chuckling at her retreating back, Oscar turned to the receptionist and wrote on a piece of paper, "Can I purchase a grade-four Supreme Healing elixir here?"

"A grade-four Supreme Healing elixir? That will cost a lot and take time." The receptionist wrote down her response, keeping up her smile, a testament to her professionalism.

"How long and how much for one grade-four Supreme Healing elixir and one grade-three Pristine Glow elixir?" Oscar placed his silver guild membership badge on the counter. He spoke this time, "I can upgrade this as well."

The receptionist bowed and said, "Follow me, valued customer."

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