Chapter 37 - Trade

Whoa... Look at this eldress.. Quite a successful transformation.. Think we can learn something useful ?

Hey kid, why are you sizing me up as if i'm a chicken.. ? You are a strange kid.. Tom said. Anyway, you shouldn't
go east anymore, you won't fare well over there with the weight of your companion.. Entire place is cursed... as
you go deeper east

I noticed.. But i've this old tendency to go to dark places east

Huh ? Then do what you want.. Youth nowadays are really strangely careless.. Unless you go west, this curse
will increase in frequency, entire place is a shade zone.. This place used to be a major re-supply hub for the
alliance back in the day.. Unfortunately it was.. made out of service by demons..

I see, but there are some religious holy energy around.. Why are you tricking people within houses ?

I was going to send you on your way back, Tom looked guilty.

I guess you are a good ... creature.. Tom, aren't you, isn't he, Eldress.. ?

Hey speak to me properly... I'm Jean Pierre Thomas the Third..

Ehm, I guess.. Larchen looked at the eldress, amused.

Well, come with us..Tom is it, we are going west regardless..

Don't try to be funny kid, you may die before you start your "research".. That place isn't a joke.. If you stepped in to the hut you'd be wandering west.. By the time you knew what's going on, you'd be back on the main road.

Larchen didn't say anything.. he was picking his nose looking at the side.. looking comfortable and busy..

Ehm, I guess I can come with you, if you pay me..

No thanks.. I don't like to travel in groups.. We'll attract too much attention. Scram..

What a bastard.. You and your mother eventually get in trouble over there.. You'll see then how much useful I could be. He then slowly transformed back to a transparent light dragon.. He was really taking his time..

Hey.. what is this an amusement park ? I told you to scram..

Tom then looked around, and jumped directly into the elder's body.. as if a host of white smoke.. were sprayed on the air from an exhaust..

Bastard... Larchen said..

Hey, there is hardly anyone here.. I'll leave her later.. Don't worry.. And I might even improve her body..

Sigh.. Fine, you can remain, but let me tell you something honest.. Unless you want to die, don't try anything on her, that person is too important a person, for you or me to mess around with.

Tom looked scared... Of course I'd be a perfect gentleman. Hey. I can't get out... What is this..

Good, now you are cursed, same as her.. Good.. That'll keep your very honest..

You mean i'll turn to a monster like her ?

How would i know ? That'll teach you not to ambush people for whatever..

I think it is some of kind direct personality curse, Larchen... Eldress-Tom said..I can feel my soul being wounded, as if
it is being picked by a hive collective.. That's why I can't get out.

That's good, only way out then is to heal her.. Let's go, my boredom is killing me right now..

Eldress were drooling, but were attentive, as Tom made her reach her toes as exercise posture..Lets go.east then

Let's rest first.. I need to look around in this cabin.. Now that it is clean.. We can rest and get ready..

The placed looked normal enough. It was a hut with one window..Pretty standard construction around this region.

Let's see what is in this book...

...

I've managed to pay many of my debts.. that i've accrued over the last year. The issue really was painful to me. My mood is really improved.. The faction rallied together after our victory, and everyone started to work together.. We've got all sorts of official permissions.. I'll describe them on the next pages in detail

Wow.. Let me skip over.. Larchen sighed..

The struggle however remains the same.. The disfunction in the army is still the same as well. And battles often become a tooth and nail affair as the leadership simply doesn't know how to manage this conflict. The situation is unlikely to improve.

The discipline of the enemy differs from us.. We are still tasked with providing logistical and strategic support to the main army..

There is a city upon the hill, and both sides are very interested for its ownership.. Strangely, leadership advised me to not to do a direct approach to hold the city. The populace is religious and there is a big divide on opinion about whom they would give their support.

They also told me, this one is important because they produce a rare drug that can enhance soldier performance, thus neither side really dares to offend them.. That is why the nobility on our side also prefers taking over instead of total destruction..
So this area had a more different value than just another fight on a hill.

My engineers could use the rest I suppose.. It wouldn't hurt them to have a good meal.. Maybe we could find a translator, I've many books from the library, but we couldn't find anyone with skill to translate them for decades..

Anyway, we keep getting odd reports.. But our objective remains the same, to garner public support for alliance.

Larchen skipped ahead, this was so boring..

I asked for some time off from my regimen, my supreme self needs not the company of others.. They say the experiments I perform are dangerous, and there are bad rumors about me.

I've decided to use my cultivation and change my body.. using myself as the test subject.. The inner art I mainly train in, powers up from the insight of the stars themselves.. I think next stage of my growth would work well with this transformation..