Chương 25: Imprisoning Records

Rank: Medium Bloodline Extraction: You are able to extract and purify Ether infused bloodline from dead organisms. The effectiveness of this ability depends on the rank of the record as well as the target organism. Kayzen grinned as he read the description once again. Bloodline extraction could be both a potion and a poison depending on how he used it. Right off the bat he could see a synergy between two of his records; this shard was a perfect match with his record extraction ability.

He reached out his palm and touched the shard, and with a flicker of crimson halo, it disappeared into his body. Now, all the immediate things were taken care of. As Kayzen looked around his room he realized that it was too messy to sleep in. Now he did promise to clean it, but he was in no position to do so. Thus, he picked up a cushion, a blanket, and left for the hall. After turning off the Ether-powered lamps, he plopped on the couch outside and left himself to slumber. …

When Kayzen opened his eyes again, he was blinded by the pillar of golden light. It was noon already. He had slept for over twelve hours. Judging from the fact that no one had come to wake him up, Vasser was still in seclusion. The Crusaders took their time ranking up unlike the Warlock's brutish method. Kayzen dragged his feet to the kitchen, and with much horror, he realized that there was no coffee. Indeed, in his haste he had forgotten to buy some daily necessities yesterday.

Now he could go outside and get a cup, but he didn't want to just yet. His body was brimming with Ether after becoming a warden. He needed to get accustomed to his powers before anything else. Kayzen left the kitchen and went to the bathroom to take a hot shower. The quiet dripping of water calmed his nerves and relaxed his muscles, allowing him to feel the strands of Ether circulating throughout his body. As he looked down he saw where all of them originated from: The sigil on his chest.

The multicolored symbol resembled the shape of hex merged with the wings of Hemogaster. As he reached out to the sigil, he gained control over the Ether flowing throughout his body. With a thought the glowing sigil disappeared and the Ether stopped its circulation. According to his will it flared back to life once again, resuming the process of drawing and circulating Ether. It took him a bit of trial and error before he figured out how to keep the sigil active without hindering his activities.

After changing into a fresh set of clothes, Kayzen moved to the veranda. Now it was time to see what he could do as the Warden of Records. He stretched out his roots of perception and covered the entire area. Everything had records. Every blade of grass, every flower, and even the microbes hidden beneath the soil. The primary authority of the Warden of Records was sealing or imprisoning a target's records. Without further ado, Kayzen chose one of the plants growing near the fence and focused on its records.

The plant was mundane, and so were its records. The records had no shape or energy, but he could sense them, analyze them, and even extract them if he wanted to. It was a fascinating feeling, and now he was all the more glad that he chose this path. He channeled his Ether into the plant and suppressed its ability to undergo photosynthesis. He was just trying it out, but surprisingly, it took no effort on his part.

He focused on the other aspects of its records such as making seeds, flowering, and other biological functions. Each time it took little to no effort. He went a step further and suppressed all of the plant's records. This time, he felt a tingle in his mind; or his soul to be precise. The plant was resisting even though it was futile. Such was the tendency of life. Still, as a weak non-sentient organism it didn't stand a chance against a Warlock.

'So this is what an authority means.' Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work! Kayzen digested some of the knowledge he had gained. Even without using Hex he could wield Ether due to the authority he had gained. Just as he pondered more, something happened outside of his expectations. He thought that the plant would shrivel up or simply wither away after he imprisoned its records, yet the reality was more harrowing. The plant was vanishing.

Without its records, whatever made the plant was unraveling itself and merging back into the Ether. Leaves, branches, and even the dust dancing on its stem, everything faded as if it didn't exist to begin with. Without records, there was no plant. No past, No present, No future. For a moment Kayzen was stunned by his own power. The authority was stronger than he had expected it to be. The most horrifying thing was that the records still existed, imprisoned by him.

Feeling the strain deepen on his soul Kayzen loosened his perception and let the records go. They too vanished just like the plant. Try as he might he failed to sense their destination.

'It's a great start nonetheless.' Kayzen knew that he wouldn't be able to do something like this on a more sentient creature. Not yet anyway. He walked around and did some more experiments; this time without destroying the plants. This was his home after all. It wouldn't be a pleasing sight to see the barren veranda every morning. One after another he observed and imprisoned parts of records. Unknowingly, a whole hour had passed by the time Kayzen realized it.

He wanted to experiment with his Hex's new property as well, but now wasn't the time for it. This was the best time to go to the market and do some shopping. His stomach was grumbling as well, reminding him to not miss another day's lunch. For once, he decided to take a walk around the town. With his Hemogaster backpack strapped in he crossed the wooden bridge and arrived at the other side of the pond. It was quieter than yesterday, likely because the skewer stall was empty.

Without any particular destination in mind Kayzen followed the crowd and went to the merchant district. Just like yesterday, he didn't forget to keep his sphere of perception to 10 meters. With the new authority he was all the more inclined in developing his perception. As he looked at one shop after another, something caught his eyes. A lavish signboard was lodged above a new building. Kayzen recognized the symbol of a cat holding a yarn ball.

Nyx, a popular clothing brand which conducted business across the entire human territory. He didn't expect them to make a branch this far out, but it wasn't that surprising since there were wealthy people around. Without hesitation Kayzen pushed the glass door and stepped inside. The tingling of bells alerted the receptionist of his presence. The inside was cozy, well-lit, and suffused with the faint aroma of tulips.

"Welcome, sir. What may we help you with?" asked a young lady wearing a maid uniform. It didn't make much sense for her job, but it did emphasize the shop's variety of clothing.

"Open for custom orders?" Kayzen asked.

"We sure are. Do you have the materials, or would you like us to procure them?"

"Both, actually. I want the best." Kayzen dropped his backpack on a counter, and for a moment the receptionist flinched before getting her bearings. It looked like she had realized what the backpack was made from. Kayzen gave her a nod and one after another he took out the bundles of crow feathers; and finally, the large wings of the Hemogaster. The receptionist was quite understandably disturbed. These weren't what one would have in mind when looking for clothes. Kayzen looked at her and shared the idea he had.

"I want the feathers to be made into a trench coat for myself. As for the base material, it would be great if you could help me with something that would allow me to hide or remain undetected. As for these wings, I want them to be made into stretchable inner armor for a lady. Should be light and durable, with the property of blocking poison and other corrosive things." The receptionist scribbled down the details and showed him an estimate of how much it would cost. Kayzen almost scowled at the numbers: 50 gold.

That was 90% of the money he had left. As if reading his expression, the receptionist clarified.

"If you want the best, then that's what you would get. We can make them into artifacts. Not on the level of what you would find in the rift, but better than any clothing you had ever seen." Her words would have been correct if not for the fact that he was from the Ashbourne family. Nonetheless, Kayzen was satisfied after hearing her explanation. The money was well spent.

"Pleasure doing business. Would you like to give the measurements now or on a later date with the lady? It would take us three days to arrange everything."

"Later on then. Also, the lady might not be able to make it in time. Would her armor do for measurements?" Kayzen asked as he himself was unsure when Vasser would finish her breakthrough. The receptionist nodded and made up a contract on the spot. Such a thing wouldn't be needed for normal clothing, but artifacts were different. After paying her the deposit Kayzen exited with less than thirty gold in his pouch.

He didn't roam aimlessly anymore and went to one of the places he had remembered yesterday: The Oak's Whisper Inn. Baron Huiyan had said that he would be able to learn more about the rift at any place where people gathered, and he planned to do just that. After a short ten-minute walk, he arrived at the venue. The inn had its unique charm. The gateway was made up of a large wooden arch, whereas above it were trees that towered as high as ten meters.

Even from the street Kayzen could see how well-designed the place was. The trees' branches curved inwards and made various stools and tables for people to dine on. The first impression was striking to say the least. Kayzen entered the inn and rather than going to the quieter upstairs area, he chose to eat at the hall below. One of his goals was to listen in on the conversations; and most mercenaries wouldn't be spending their money for a better sitting arrangement.

Sure enough, various noises and fragments of dialogues entered his ears. He withdrew his perception to just a meter and sat on a quieter corner. Apart from ordering a standard meal and an extra sweet dish, he didn't make conversation with anyone. There was no need to since the mercenaries and adventurers hadn't bothered to lower their volume. There were a few things worth of note. The army and some merchants were selling various things collected from the rifts and mutated monsters.

There was no lack of items crafted by people as well. They weren't as good as the artifacts, yet they were more in demand due to their cheaper prices. Another center of the conversation was how a mercenary group was wiped out by the rift creatures. Those present here didn't know much since the army was suppressing the news, but all in all, Kayzen had a solid idea on what he needed to do. Be it for experimenting or buying various items to improve his strength, he needed money.

As for how to earn it, that was simple as well. After becoming a Warden he was confident in his earlier idea of using the shard fragments for storing and even transferring records. Based on the conversations, there was a perfect target he had in mind. It was time to make some Night vision shards.