Chương 90: Older Than Old

And as soon as Jordan saw the three portals, he came back to himself. Well, except it wasn't three portals anymore. For the portal in the center—the one Jordan had just managed to escape from—had shrunk down and poof'd into nothing before his eyes. It was a [Loop] closing itself. And with it, the 'world state' returned to what it had been at the moment of Jordan's [Cross]-ing. Perhaps that same restorative effect had come over Jordan himself. Because he was back in the truest sense of the word.

Filled with an immediate sense of duty and urgency, mixed in with a bit of panic (he wouldn't be Jordan Yu without at least some background panic!). He remembered clearly why he was here, and why it was imperative that he kept going. One [Loop] closed, two remaining. I'm guessing, by the most basic logic, that I have to close all three in order to 'beat' this portion of the game. The question is… which one next? He now recalled also the orientation of the portals.

The one to his left was the one Pewter had disappeared into. Whereas the one to the right had captured Hanza and Shaza. Not ready to do that one yet. Not while I'm still at 64. 5% of my VC. Which means… The portal to the left. To reunite the Gym Rats and continue their mana- seeking adventure. Assuming, of course, that there was any mana to be earned from inside the Void space. Only one way to find out. If the first [Loop] had tested Jordan's commitment, this second [Loop] would surely test his perseverance.

Did he have what it would take to see this quest to completion? Regardless, he had every intention of giving it his all. Bare feet scraping against a floor of rosy iridescence, Jordan made his way to the swirling mana to his left. The slightest of touches, and he was sucked into his next great trial. [Between Two Lives]: Time remaining: 74 days, 4 hours, 15 minutes Jordan had half-feared he might lose another 'day' simply by entering a different [Loop]. Thankfully though, the mechanic was tough but fair.

There were still 74 days left to close this new [Loop], but ideally, he would do it much sooner—leave himself plenty of attempts with which to tackle the third one. That was for third-loop Jordan to worry about. Right now, his priority was to get the lay of the land. Starting by noting that he'd arrived in this [Loop] on his own two feet, barefoot like he'd been on the other side of the portal. No gift horse for him to look in the mouth this time.

In fact, he was also dressed head to toe in his own clothes, alongside a [Character Sheet] that accurately identified him as a 32-year-old Jordan Yu. Whoever he'd been on the other side of the portal had been transferred directly onto this new scenario. The only difference was the Heavenly Cauldron again missing from his back." Well, this is good. Not that I'm the biggest fan of myself, but at least I'm more comfortable in my own skin." As far as he could tell, no one had heard his soliloquy.

He found himself alone in a densely wooded area, quite similar to the forest from the first [Loop] and Threestone Forest before that. Whatever (or when ever) this place was, it was safe to assume that it sat somewhere within Leafell borders. Jordan began to walk. Steadily and without hesitation. Because unlike the forest from the previous [Loop], this one presented him with an obvious route to follow. A remarkably straight and smooth footpath, clearly demarcated by rows of yellowed larch on either side.

The separation allowed the sunlight to shine through cleanly, which played beautifully upon the fallen larch needles that packed the ground. Jordan walked the footpath and never looked back. Never stopped to consider his options. Because, while he couldn't remember the contents of the first [Loop] very well, he'd certainly retained its lesson. A path stretched before him. He would walk it until such time that an obstacle or a new opportunity presented themselves.

Such had been the way he got anywhere in life, whether that life be back on Earth or here in some version of Stormvast. And what do you know? Before long, the path did lead to an obstacle. Or was it a new opportunity? It was a little hard to tell at first glance. An ooold man sat on a rock by the roadside, leaning on a walking stick for extra purchase and watching Jordan approach with shriveled-up eyes hidden beneath a pair of bushy eyebrows.

Jordan had felt the need to add extra vowels to the 'old' description, because the man really was the perfect personification of the word. Mottled bald head, snow-white facial hair, wrinkles galore, beard and goatee that drooped down well past his chest. If Jordan were ever to get 'old man' in a game of Pictionary, this would be the exact picture he would try to draw. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

For a moment, he wondered if this man might be what Hanza Padma would look like if the Shaman had just kept on aging in Threestone Forest. Jordan dispelled the notion with a slight shake of the head, deeming the walking stick to be the main culprit behind that illusion." Hello there!" Before he knew it, Jordan had taken the initiative. He was feeling a lot more confident about this [Loop] than the last.

"Were you headed somewhere? Do you need some help?" The old man didn't answer right away, instead looking Jordan up and down. He then appeared to smile, though it was hard to tell with his eyes and lips hidden in snow-white." I could ask you the same thing, young man." The man's voice was crisp and strong, not at all what Jordan had imagined from his appearance. The latter hesitated for a moment before playing along."

I suppose you could," Jordan said with a nervous chuckle, already far less sure of himself compared to a moment ago. When the old man didn't respond right away, he added, "Do you know where this path leads to?"" I should hope," the man said, "that I would know the location of my own house."" Ah!" Jordan brightened in an instant, taking this reveal to be a signpost.

"You're on your way home, then. Just stopping to smell the peonies, are we?"" There are no peonies anywhere nearby."" Y—yeah, sure, but it's just a say… never mind. Um, do you need help getting back to your house? I could maybe, uh—"" Do I look like I need help?"" N—no? Well, I dunno. I'm just trying to figure out…" Just like that, Jordan seesawed between confident and flustered.

Through it all, the old man kept his maybe-a-smile and perfectly neutral tone, giving nothing away as to his intentions nor his impression of the young traveler before him. Then, even as the young traveler caved under the enormous pressure of small talk, the old man suddenly got up, click-clacked his way over to Jordan, then hopped on his back! Jordan nearly dropped his new cargo, purely due to the shock.

The old man was somewhat heavier than his shriveled-up appearance would suggest, but he might as well have weighed nothing for a Lv. 30 Gatekeeper who lugged a 250-pound cauldron everywhere he went. Besides, judging by the assured litheness with which the old man had performed the stunt, he probably would have been perfectly fine even if Jordan had dropped him…" Well, what are you waiting for?" The old man gave his new ride a couple of gentle whacks with the walking stick.

"You offered to help, young man, so help. My house is at the end of this path; you can't miss it." So, instead of being gifted a horse, Jordan was the horse in this scenario. Maybe not how he'd imagined it would go, but so far so good. The scenario was progressing, at the very least, which meant he hadn't fucked up yet. And if the 'knot' at the center of this [Loop] were as simple as helping an old man get on with his day, then 74 days should be more than plenty. Hm, it's weird, though.

I keep referring to this guy as 'the old man' even though he's clearly important enough to be a named character. Why don't I just use his name? And that was how Jordan realized something even weirder. Namely that the old man didn't have a [Character Sheet]. Why had it taken Jordan so long to notice?" Hey, uh, mister? I don't think I got your name."" I didn't get yours either."" Oh. Yeah, hi, I'm Jordan. Jordan Yu."" Well met, Jordan Yu." Jordan had been party to many different introductions in his time.

This, however, was his first time introducing himself to someone who happened to be riding him piggyback." Um, mister? Your name?"" Hm? Ah, yes. Well, it's not so simple in my case, you see. For I've been known by many different names in my time. But… I suppose you may call me Antiquity."" Antiquity? For real?" Jordan let out a surprised chuckle.

"So you don't just look old, you also mean old, too!"" What are you saying, young man?"" Nothing, sorry, don't mind me. It's just… an unusual name, that's all."" I could say the same for yours, Jordan Yu. But I do take your point about 'Antiquity' being rather… overdone as far as sobriquets go. It started as a joke, you see. A bet between myself and Aperture to see who could pass as the bigger pompous ass."" Aperture?" Jordan parroted again, now frowning.

"Why does that sound so familiar? Aperture, Aperture… as in the Aperturian principles?"" Aperturian principles?" It was Antiquity's turn to parrot Jordan.

"That pompous ass decided to codify his teachings, did he? This is the first I'm hearing of it, but I can't say I'm surprised."" Wait, so you know Aperture? The Aperture? The guy every Stormvaster quotes when they're offering shelter to strangers or fighting over a bill at a roadside inn?"" Of course I know him. He and I are brother-disciples, for better or for worse. We both studied under the Great Master Fuxi." Jordan—and Antiquity with him—came to a complete standstill.

One by one, the puzzle pieces fell into place. Why this old man on the side of the road lacked a [Character Sheet]. Why, by the same token, he seemed unable to see Jordan's [Sheet]. And even why Antiquity was so reminiscent of a super aged-up version of Hanza Padma. A caster does tend to find the strongest resonance with those in their direct lineage. But there are exceptions to the rule.

I myself have [Communed] quite happily with a master swordsman from the Everhome Dynasty as well as a pre-unification adept of some renown." Mr Antiquity?" Jordan asked, already awestruck before he'd even heard the answer.

"What era are we in right now?"