Lurona city [southern shores of Fuminao Legacy Kingdom], local time [1793.12.27]

  That message wasn’t just a simple Interface notification. Zeph could feel a connection to his Soul, distinctly similar to a Soul-bond, that stood behind the text. The notification wasn’t even necessary for him to understand the words. It felt like a mind message from Gru almost.

  After recognizing that fact, he tried to answer the same way the System did it, similarly to how he ‘spoke’ with his bond. But this time he concentrated more on words than direct meanings. He also made sure to abstain from sharing any Soul-memory. He was able to share small snippets with Gru without causing his Tabu and Interface Skills to interfere and rise in levels, but he couldn’t be sure what would happen if he tried the same with the System.

  ‘You have seriously screwed sense of wealth if this place is humble for you…’

  ‘Give me Universal Points if you want to praise me, you greedy weasel! Ah, right, about that. I have a complaint! The Soul-bond Error should have never occurred, or been resolved immediately. Instead, you had us travel all the way to your Shrine… do you know how many Tabu levels we have gained because of this?!’

  Zeph huffed in displeasure. It was so much in their style. ‘We are not finished yet, but I have a feeling it’s not the place for this discussion. Or are you greeting every guest personally?’ he sent, aware that people around him were vacating their pedestals after only a moment.

  ‘Hmmm, yes. Let’s see…’ he sent with a deadpan face, opening his Notebook. He started reading from a long list, doing his best impression of a prosecutor reading out the charges against the defendant. ‘The Exchange viewing and access rights adjustment, possible Phleya upgrades, Soul-bond problem solution, Tabu, and Interface Skills negotiations, negotiations on Energy Enhancements gained from the PE milestones, requesting an explanation on why getting the Passive Spell caused the critical condition of my body, My Class and Profession requirements, Soul fragmentation healing po—'

  A notification interrupted his litany of requests, issues, and questions. The impatient undertone of the message gave Zeph small satisfaction, though. ‘Yes. I may plan for their implementation in the near future.’

  He rolled his eyes. ‘See you later.’

  Zeph stepped away from the pedestal, already turning to the elevators. The moment his hand left the hemisphere, he could feel the strange bond-like connection abating, before it disappeared completely. Shrugging, he followed the directions.

  Excluding the door opening mechanism and golden coloration, the elevator looked almost like its Earth equivalent. Inside, it was even equipped with a panel full of numbered buttons, although they were bulgy and made from the same black stone as the hemispheres.

  The walk was uneventful and a few minutes later, he stood before a big, triangular door. He touched a hemisphere embedded in the wall nearby, and the door split into three parts that slid away, hiding inside the walls and the floor. The interior was as plain as the hallway – all black, but with a golden floor, golden accents in all corners, and geometrical shapes forming a strip in the middle of the walls. A black sofa was standing near a low, golden table that held up a black sphere in the middle. On the right wall, he spotted a dumbwaiter, a big cabinet with bottles visible behind its glass window, and another triangular door.

  Curious, he checked that part of the room first, and he quickly learned what he was dealing with. Those were money sinks. Or rather, UP sinks. Well, except for the toilet – it was for free, thankfully.

  The cabinet worked similarly to a vending machine, although he wasn’t sure how the bottles were transported outside. Only a small section on the right side of the glass window had a handle, and inside he found a small tap and a set of glasses of different sizes and shapes.

  At least water is for free, he thought, checking the prices of other liquors by touching a black hemisphere set in the wall between the cabinet and the dumbwaiter.

  Who would pay 1000 UP for a meal? he thought in shock, finding an especially bizarre dish on the long list. The prices weren’t much for most goods, but even 100 UP sounded like a rip-off. Even if those are some rare delicacies, there is no ‘entree’. It’s just a waste of points.

  He shook his head sardonically. If the System deigned to offer Soul fragments alongside the meal, he would understand the cost. Buying levels sounded like a reasonable business. Sadly, it wasn’t the case.

  Not expecting much, he scanned the details of ‘Volitare Mushroom Salad’. He paused almost immediately – the multilingual names of the mushrooms aside, the list of strange proteins and other organic compounds was way over his head. He could feel that there was an additional meaning behind the words displayed through his Interface—a mechanism similar to reading from General Skills—so he tried to read a little to make sense of the text.

  Hmm? I see. The micro-composition of meals is visible only because of my education. Quite ‘optimal’ of you, System. After reading a little further, he sighed with relief. Jeez, those are for races that can’t find necessary nourishment nearby… It’s still a scam, if you ask me, though. The absolutely-normal alcoholic beverages in the cabinet also cost UP… Bleh!

  He backed off with disgust. It was worse than a money sink – it was a trap for wealthy spenders with a too-big ego.

  “Very good,” he said out loud, aware that the pseudo-bond was re-established the moment he had touched the hemisphere. “I don’t have to file reclamation that way, and you can use some feedback to fix this… thing. Taking people’s UP for what? A chance at survival? Because you are forcing them to visit the Shrine? I don’t think it’s ethical.”

  He stepped to the table and plopped down on the sofa, which was luxuriously soft despite its looks. His body relaxed immediately after sinking into the soft cushioning, the material molding to his body.

  Zeph sighed. “Of course, it’s not… from your point of view. I will believe it after I speak with someone who actually spent his UP on this,” he said, lazily waving his hand at the dumbwaiter.

  “Grrau…” his companion shrugged, not seeing a problem with this arrangement.

  “You have no right to speak. Your species is not only alien to this world, it’s evidently unknown in this System cluster, whatever that means.”

  “Gra!” it pointed out.

  “Ugh… No, that’s not my point. Even if it works for you, it might not for others. I’m sure the locals would rather pay in money or something else. That reminded me, don’t buy anything without consulting with me first!”

  “Gre?!” it vibrated in denial.

  The low, grumpy, and inarticulate vibration was their answer. Zeph patted his chest in a reassuring gesture before concentrating on the Onji.

  “Let’s start with that. How long that ‘Advanced scan’ would take?”

  “Not too bad. Taking into account how long it took to transform my Spell into the Passive Skill,” he said, squinting at the notification.

  “Don’t you have data from other Terrien, though? And what with that Ryuu species with Greater Willpower I have heard about?”

  “So it’s my fault now?” He crossed his arms. “Because this sounds suspiciously close to blame-shifting, cleverly hidden by fancy wording. How the hell could I know my Will could cause such problems? Isn’t that your job?”

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  “Don’t butter me up with gratefulness. You should have informed me if you are unable to predict an outcome. And firstly show me safer options, for once,” he argued, even if not meaning it entirely. Even with his current knowledge, he would definitely choose to have Gru and the Willforce Morphon full-body Modification. But, in his mind, it was beside the point. The System never suggested safer options for Will-related machinations. “And then, you say every Will-related change has to happen in the Shrine… how is that going to work after I start traveling in search of the Makrun? And before you start your mantra on how many resources you had to spend fixing your own miscalculated ministrations in-field – I know very well that the data you are gathering during those experimental implementations is worth much more for you,” he stated.

  “If you need a physical field laboratory, why don’t you prepare a small, portable one? And maybe present all the options instead of trying to coerce me to take a risky path?”

  He snorted. He didn’t care how ‘precious’ a Shrine Seed was if it could help his case. “Oh? So you think you wouldn’t have to intervene directly ever again? And because of that, you think you shouldn’t give it to me? Does that mean you will never propose an upgrade that can cause problems? Or suggest doing something that can permanently wound me? Will you be able to predict it properly this time around?” He shook his head and then glared at the notification. “Let me ask you one thing. Are you still able to fix my Soul-fragmentation?”

  “As I have thought…” he waved his hand dismissively. His indignation was leaking through the pseudo-bond, though. “You ‘suggested’ me to leave some of my Soul-fragmentation, but now you are unable to do anything with it, even in an emergency situation. You ‘suggested’ two most powerful Skill fusions involving my Will-Mana, ignoring safer options, and now you have problems with how they are functioning. Let me be straight – I feel cheated… manipulated even. And you have lost control of the situation. It’s not good business. Not in the slightest. Leaving me with Tabu, Interface, Soul-fragmentation, untested full-body Modification… only to restrict me to the location of your Shrine for future upgrades? What is this?!” The anger was starting to leak into his words… “I feel like a lab rake! Am I your guinea pig already?!” …Anger and the uncertainty that he felt for a long time now.

  So many changes happened to him during his time at Corora that he was starting to feel mentally lost. His faith in the System’s capabilities was dwindling, leaving him without a solid support he could lean on. They were the sole reason, the major directing force behind all those changes, and yet...

  “Grrrruuum…” his companion tried to console him, but the presence of this alien organism couldn’t pacify his raging emotions right now. Zeph had experience in controlling his negative thoughts, but when the emotions flooded like that…

  The System was quick to react. Instead of trying to influence his mental state, they proposed genuine solutions to the problems he spoke of. This was a correct approach, allowing Zeph to pull himself together enough to stop his Will from stirring up further.

  He could now feel that his Will was on the verge of another resonation, but he wasn’t sure if infecting it with those depressing emotions—assuming it hadn’t happened already—was worth the possible advancements in the Willpower PE. He was all into increasing it, but not all changes brought positive results, and he knew this one would be just an aftermath of his past burdens.

  It took him a minute to stabilize his mind again. He was gracious to Gru and the System for giving him time and not interfering directly with his state.

  “Sorry… it seems I am not… in the best condition,” he said, massaging his eyes. They were slightly too moist for his comfort. “I thought I left the past behind but… Anyway,” he changed the topic and raised his head. He would need some time alone to sort his feeling out, but that was to be done later. “What restrictions? Also, what happens when Tabu or Interface rises to Tier 2?”

  “Not ominous at all…” he commented as Gru vibrated in accordance. “The Seed is acceptable. Can’t we just throw away the wish and the price of the Skills? Their current functionality is alright, thank you.”

  “What ‘negotiate’?!” he asked aggressively, ignoring the rest of the System’s message. “You are partially responsible for how they formed! Are you going to make me pay for your mistakes?”

  “Wait, explain this to me, first. I’ve heard it will make some of my information public? Like my position. Also, supposedly, some people can detect that I have a Tier 2 version of Tabu because something in my Soul will change…” he said, trying hard to remember what Aisha has told him. His Memory was high enough to actually help him recall her words. “Right, it should allow you to freely experiment with my Soul, too?”

  The message was very disgruntled.

  “Hey, you didn’t explain that part before. If you are so forthcoming with this information for everyone, I’m not surprised some bad rumors started to form,” Zeph said accusingly, pointing a finger at the notification.

  He opened his mouth to argue further, but quickly find out he didn’t have much to say to that.

  “…Point taken,” he reflected. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I would rather live without you randomly modifying my Soul. I know we cannot plan for it fully before the ‘Advanced scan’, but it sounds unreasonable in any case. You will probably just fuck me up even more instead of helping.”

  Zeph almost choked on his own saliva after seeing the notification. His booming laughter filled the room a moment later.

  “You”—he started before exploding in laughter once again—“Your own program...hahaha…”

  It took him a while to calm down. That scene was so hilarious that he decided to engrave it in his memory.

  “Sorry, sorry,” he said, suppressing a chuckle. “Ahem… So, about that General Skills…”

  Zeph paused, his good mood dispersing almost immediately. The last part was difficult to swallow.

  After mulling over it for a moment, he had to admit that it was unavoidable, though. “Okay, that’s fair. But don’t blow me up without talking to me first or analyzing my body, no matter what the situation may look like. And I mean it. Prana from Earth can disable any Mana functionality, potentially. The same goes for the Nether. You won’t be able to assess the situation without speaking to me if your Mana-dependent constructs start to malfunction…”

  “Sure, let’s leave it at that,” he said, sighing with relief. It was probably the most important point he wanted to discuss. Well, almost. “Let’s change the topic slightly. Aisha told me that I am at risk of losing the Exchange entries relating to Earth’s knowledge and my otherworldly status. Is that true?”

  “Even if I officially join the Guild?”

  It isn’t that bad, but… he thought, looking down thoughtfully. After the integration, I didn’t have access to the Exchange, so I don’t even know what can be useful. Losing the entries that could help Gru, or fix issues with my other problematic Traits, can end up badly… He frowned. That’s not the only problem. Ghrughah’s works are worth much more currently, assuming he wasn’t wrong about my current options provided by the System and the Exchange. But will that last after level 100? Right now, I’m not only ignorant as to the full scope of my access, but I also have no idea how it compares to the current technological level of the world as a whole…

  “Can’t we work out something more permanent?” he finally said, stroking his beard. “I am not sure what you will cut off in the future. Taking into consideration Gru’s situation, and the recent problems you had with my development”—he paused, giving the notification a stinky eye—“I believe cutting me off from potentially life-saving options is a bad idea. Can’t you just restrict me in knowledge sharing? It’s not like I know how ‘items’ like ‘the Garuan’ are made, anyway.”

  That confirms Aisha’s suspicions… “You mean, not until I cross the line,” he deadpanned.

  Zeph sighed heavily. “And if I contract you to solve certain problems as a payment?” he asked with hope.