Axl glared up at the churning storm, arcs of lightning cutting between heavy, dark clouds. He moved slightly to the side, and the storm's center followed, its pressure mounting slightly. It had gained some heft since last time, when he got his movement skill, and looking at it calmly now, he could clearly see the violence inside, how the fear everybody had of this thing was quite well justified.

  Each of those arcing flashes put to shame the strike that hit him when he got his chunk of lunar fulger. He could feel each one, their heft and the pressure clear in the roaring thunder that crushed the air in their wake. Axl simply knew that if even one of those errant bolts hit him, he wouldn't survive. Whatever these were, they were not meant for a G-Grade cultivator to live through, no matter how many Titles and Achievements they got from two separate subsystems.

  Still, Axl eyed the storm calmly, not sure if there was anything he could do, and soon it started to fade at the edges, clearly not having gained enough momentum to fully start its "minor" tribulation.

  Still wanting to make use of the opportunity, Axl activated the quickening layer of his [Gastric Cauldron] with a lightning-based activator, the one he used for his empowerment potion, all the while carefully eyeing the storm with as much Perception and a narrowed focus on [Mana Shroud] as he could. And there it was, the tiniest buildup. Seemed like using his alchemy internally shielded the effects, but didn't remove them entirely.

  Next, he used his new skill, [Bolting Motion], triggering the smallest movement he could. He felt the electric surge inside his body cut through his bones and muscles of his arm as he moved it aside. As he feared, the storm surged slightly, its fading even reversing a bit before starting to fade again.

  It took a good minute for the last of the clouds to go from fully transparent to gone, the heavy natural Mana taking another few seconds to begin crawling back into the air.

  With a sigh, Axl looked down, seeing Alifren, Moxlin, and Tem peering at him from the doorway of the arena building's entrance.

  "You done with that?" Yelled Alifren.

  Axl waved them over. "Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to do that, it was an accident. Nobody mention what I said to Tem to trigger it."

  Moxlin shook her head. "I didn't even hear it—so don't tell me! I don't want to know!"

  Alifren also shrugged. "I had my meditation broken by the thunder, so I didn't notice what caused it. I'm also fine not knowing, thanks."

  Tem flew over last, clearly shaken by the experience. "Yes, my lord, if it pleases you, it is best to refrain from any discussion of anti-Dao, as I presume what you mentioned is a force or entity related to such… Affiliation."

  He nodded. "Anything else you can tell me about that without possibly causing a tribulation?"

  Tem paused. "One moment, please, the administrator will speak through me directly."

  The small bird straightened, oddly stiff, his voice distant and strained. "The subsystem you mentioned is one of the more organized forces that openly challenge the Dao, its influence weak, but widely spread across the Tapestry. I have not heard of it playing a role in this Firmament since the time of Oocile, yet the Irialith archives may have further information. Much like this greenhouse, the archives are another trial you may undertake to unlock more of our civilization's legacy."

  "Oocile was involved with them? I thought he had his own subsystem."

  "Such are not mutually exclusive, as different subsystems ultimately subsume different goals. Mine own vale, for instance, allows most other subsystems to operate within it, and no path is forbidden, including the element claimed by the Dao. Regarding the balancer's claimant, Oocile courted riskier ventures at the end of his path, as his struggle grew more desperate. According to reasonably well-sourced lore, in the attempt to quicken his internal world into being, he triggered a tribulation of unknown force, an action that ended him."

  "And the Deep System is letting you tell me all this? Why?"

  The bird chuckled. "Not simply allowing, but rewarding me for providing such information. The Deep System seems to be enamored with those who pursue the riskier paths, encouraging them at every turn. I believe I need to say no more on this matter."

  Axl slowly nodded. It was likely as close to discouragement to keep going as the Deep System would let the vale administrator give him, much like how even that seemingly omnipotent giant cow also had to couch her advice when describing the offer of lightning constitution. Axl thought he might as well get some benefit himself from this kind of conversation, feeling a bit cheated that the administrator was getting good stuff at his expense.

  "I want to form a Cultivator's Core based on metal," he then took out the box with the lunar fulger from his storage and opened it. "And I want to incorporate this lightning-related metal into it, maybe. Any advice on doing this? Since the Deep System is in such a good mood?"

  Tem looked up at Axl, eyes narrowing in displeasure. "The Deep System approved the following guidance—there is a dungeon to the northeastern quadrant of the vale, where artisans may prove their craft to earn the tutelage of former masters of Irilith. Perform well in the test while in your current grade, and I will send you to an even greater instructor for refinement of your plan."

  Axl felt a tension in his mind, noticing that his [Mental Map of Irialith] skill now had a dot on it, indicating where the administrator was referring to. Axl also clearly noticed that subtle inflection of disapproval by the administrator in the end, there, but he needed as refined a Core as possible for his Class to start working properly. Plus, Axl wasn't quite ready to let go of the idea of using lunar fulger for it.

  As much as he didn't want to be led by the nose into deranged danger by an overly eager system, it was still pretty obvious that lightning was strongly aligned with him, perhaps even more so than metal. Axl just wanted to pursue it on his own terms, especially since just barreling forward was likely to get him killed before even finishing Terrania's quest.

  "Where is the void-attuned treasure I'm after?" Axl asked, hoping to keep the information train going one more station.

  Tem smiled wryly. "The Deep System has restricted my ability to assist you in such a matter, young struggler. Good luck with your further pursuits in our vale."

  With that, Tem blinked, looking around for a moment before recovering with a bow. "I hope the conversation was fruitful, my lord."

  "I know I'm not supposed to be afraid anymore," Alifren said, "but I can't believe you so shamelessly tried to use that conversation to get more from the vale's administrator itself. I mean, he's supposed to be at least in the peak of the E-Grade!"

  "Yeah, that was kinda scary," Moxlin said, shyly half-hidden behind a firepit seat. "I've seen mommy just eat people who talked to her like that."

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Axl exhaled, recognizing that he really was a bit too curt. He should've recognized that if the bird talked in such a formal way, it likely reflected how the higher-ups liked to be talked to as well. "Sorry about that, you're right. I didn't think about it, and felt like I had to ask about what I needed quickly, or the opportunity would pass by."

  It wasn't just that, of course, but something about this administrator made him feel like it was more a computer program than a real person, like the replicas in the arena that he fought with. Why else would it have to talk through the bird as opposed to just talking itself? But then again, Nox also didn't bother to speak to him after she sent him off, just getting Moxlin to act as her delivery, so maybe heads of a subsystem weren't meant to be so hands-on? Or that they ultimately had more to deal with than a G-Grade guy mucking about in their stuff and had to delegate the more ordinary goings-on in general.

  Axl turned to Tem and bowed deeply at the waist, mimicking Roken's most formal form. "Please extend my sincere apologies to the noble administrator at my discourtesy."

  Tem bowed back, looking somewhat relieved. "If I may, my lord," he said, "I was privy to much of your conversation, and I do have general instructions on how to utilize the travel rifts you have unlocked, which may assist in your future ventures pursuing specific natural treasures. Normally, you would receive a simpler message from the subsystem on their usage, but your peerage earned a personalized instruction."

  Axl perked up at that, and gestured for the bird to continue.

  "The moment you wish to activate your exit from this cultivation ground, you simply need to will it, and all the rift portals you have unlocked, which in your case is all of them, will open. You may then peer within to select one, as well as sense the Mana or other forces within to select your choice. Your map skill will also indicate where each rift leads to."

  "Now that's useful," said Axl. "Can I get these opened and scope them out before deciding to leave? To better study where I want to go?"

  "Indeed you may, simply will them to open and they will do so. Take care that if any of your party leaves without you, they will be unable to return, and will need to engage in the challenge trial themselves in a separate instance of this rift should they re-enter unescorted, not benefiting from your title."

  Axl nodded, glad this was so useful, and willed for the rift exits to open. All along the treeline, neat, elliptical rifts opened, each one showing their destination beyond a shimmering translucence. He was surprised how different some looked—there were overgrown swamps, wastelands of molten lava, even one that seemed to be suspended high in the air, looking down at a windy expanse punctuated by floating rocks.

  Each one he focused on showed its relative position in his [Mental Map of Irialith], and again Axl really appreciated the convenience, even if it was just a common skill. Maybe I should also try to get some more of these, instead of being so damn picky about rarity all the time.

  Axl pointed to one of the far side, turning to Alifren. "That one is barely a few hours hike from the longhouse, apparently nobody found it out yet, since its half-buried under a ruin."

  "Convenient!" Alifren smiled, "I was coming up with a plan to deal with the mantis myself, and with this, I'm fairly sure I can make my way back without any real trouble."

  Axl briefly glanced at all the other portals, counting there were over a hundred of them, so it would take him a while to examine each one, hoping to figure out where to go next. This was a bigger help than he could've hoped for, since getting the mental map skill only confirmed with precision how truly massive the sanctuary was—it would take him about three months to go from one end of it to the other if he kept to a decent pace of 100 kilometers a day. Before, he didn't really let himself stop to consider that this meant the area was nearly 9,000 kilometers across, or a good third greater than what the old American Empire was at its longest, and almost reaching the entire circumference of Luna. How big would the planet be, if this single sanctuary was so massive?

  Each of these rifts, however, meant that he could jump to any part of the vale and be a few days hike to any specific destination, at most a week for some of the more remote edges. And that was if he didn’t get lucky like with the longhouse, with there being a rift almost on top of it. Suddenly, the two years he had left to establish Terrania's nexus felt less of a laughably short deadline.

  Relieved about this development, Axl willed the rifts to close, and they all got back to work, with Alifren going back to meditating over the spiritual obsidian tree's roots and Moxlin to her array. Axl joined Moxlin, for a while noting her improvements in making a concentration array, having in mind the [Temperance Eggs] natural treasures he found earlier for her to improve her Mana usage.

  When Axl noticed Alifren was deep in meditation again, he sat next to Moxlin, and she climbed up to his shoulder, noticing he wanted to talk.

  "When the tribulation storm came about," he started in a low, steady voice. "Were you in danger? Could you escape quickly enough?"

  "Well, I was kind of focused on my work," Moxlin muttered, a bit embarrassed. "But Alifren picked me up on her way to the building. I even got angry at her for ruining the talisman I was engraving before noticing what was happening."

  Axl nodded, relieved. Since Alifren came back, he couldn’t shake Gildear's warning about the undead, especially with so much of what Axl knew about her being focused on her fears. He just didn't know what to expect when that was suddenly gone. But Axl looked up at where she sat over the roots, half-faced away from them, and noticed the straight line from there to the building's entrance. Moxlin's array was at least half a dozen steps away from that line. Alifren delayed getting to safety to get Moxlin, even leaving behind the roots that were clearly a valuable cultivation treasure for her new path.

  "What do you think of Alifren now?" he asked.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Is she… Scarier, in any way? Say when I'm not around?"

  Moxlin stared at him, disbelief clear in her eight tiny eyes. "No. Alifren is just like herself, you know. I guess you really didn't pay much attention when the party actually talked to each other outside of battle, you obsessive weirdo."

  Axl was about to disagree, but then stopped himself, realizing she was right.

  "Maybe use some of that overpowered Charisma to actually interact with the people you're around," she continued. "You'll get to know them a bit better than not at all."

  A cold dread descended on Axl. "I might have seen Brillhit's betrayal coming if I did."

  "What? No!" Moxlin shouted. "That’s not at all what I meant!"

  "Hey, keep it down!" Alifren yelled back. "Some of us are trying to meditate!"

  "No complaining from the freeloader gallery!" Moxlin held up a forepaw, clearly trying to flick off the undead orc. Axl again wondered where in all the ore of Ost she picked up the gesture, not to mention how he could tell exactly what she meant with it. "Mommy's hole, I'm even defending you over here!"

  Alifren returned the gesture. "Well, defend more quietly!"

  Axl chuckled. Looks like that's where Moxlin got that from, and I didn't even notice. He hadn't seen the orc's crass side before, having thought she was rather demure and reserved. And this was with him thinking he'd spent plenty of time with the orc party, but apparently, it wasn't nearly enough to get all the information he needed. Clearly, this meant he had to up his practice of Charisma.

  Adding up yet another thing to work on to the endless list, Axl went back to the arena building, letting Moxlin continue her idle bickering with Alifren. The small spider had rightfully pointed out his costly mistake. After all he'd been through, he should've known better, from Olkan trying to kill him to being jumped outside the longhouse, not to mention seeing the dead orc that was stabbed in the back—literally the first thing he stumbled upon in this so-called sanctuary. He should've seen right through Brillhit's plan.

  In retrospect, not only was it suspicious that the elf was the one leading them to the rift, but he was also quite a good deal stronger than the orcs in the party, and never seemed to get too close to any of them. Axl thought at the time the elf was also just not as comfortable with the constant, intense chatter the orcs engaged in, an impulse he shared, but it likely allowed the elf to avoid being probed too deeply with Charisma.

  The one piece of information Axl had missing that would make the whole situation obvious was that killing other sentient beings gave so much Karmic Energy. Until he killed Brillhit, he assumed that it was about the same as killing beasts—so why bother killing your party members when a single outing to kill beasts would be more profitable? Somehow, the information Axl missed was so obvious and widespread that it simply wasn’t really mentioned at the longhouse, like how people never really talked about the purple clouds and weird lines of triangles in the sky.

  Axl sighed deeply as he sat with his back to the wall depicting the spiritual obsidian tree, feeling the mosaics behind him shimmer and drift in their dancing Mana, for a moment letting the intricate art distract him from his guilt. The orcs deserved better than what they got, than what he got them. He couldn't help but think of Suliana and how worried she was about them, and how he failed her too.