Chapter 871 - Proprietary something (Patreon)

I think I have made a good trade with Tacita. Promising her a dagger also means she will stick around us and be on her best behavior until the end of this floor out of worry that I might go back on the deal. With so many unknowns about how this floor can turn out, it is only good to have her with us.

As promised by the Ruler of Diligence, who caused all of this mess and now scrambles to fix it, we have gained a compass item. It has no rarity, and it is like a normal compass, with its pointer showing in one direction, likely towards the closest group four member.

There is no need to wait further, so we jump down from the tower, moving across the sand in this heat. I think Min-Jae said it could be around 300 degrees Celsius. What a nerd, but shouldn’t he use Kelvin? He refused to use Fahrenheit, saying that Celsius should be used. But if I am not wrong, Fahrenheit is usually double that of Celsius, or close to it, so probably around 600 degrees Fahrenheit or close to it?

Damn, I miss my four hot dogs long, weighing as much as a standard 24-pack of beer and tall as about three lightbulbs stacked on each other, emotional support corgi.

But yeah, simply said, it is too fucking hot for poor guys from the Easy difficulty.

Still, how could something like this cause trouble for me? I pull the heat from the air around us and continue to turn it into mana that I feed to my crown. It is not as effective or rewarding as turning thermal energy, but it is a nice way to gather mana. Especially now that I feel almost like I am slacking when I do not do things like this.

Even after this break in the Game, my mind is still not fully my own in a way. Sometimes, just normal things, like watching Tess move hair off her face, feel unreal.

The fact that my mind does not feel like it is about to break apart sometimes scares me. It is an illogical fear, like I have failed to notice something, and it is already too late for me to fix it.

599 days and likely 23 hours that I have endured in that thought acceleration.

Actually, let us just call it 600 days since it is already so close. It is easier to think of it in such a way rather than 599 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 or so seconds.

So, my 600 days of mental training left me this way. I suspect this feeling would be worse if it were actually 600 days and these changes were ingrained into my muscle memory and reflexes rather than memories and experience. Even during the Game, I found myself lacking in control over my abilities. I think it is better now, but as I said to Nyssa before, I think if I am careless, I will kill someone by mistake.

I mean, it is what I always wanted: to quickly grow stronger, and I need to become even stronger, but still, something is missing to make me fully happy. But I hope I will always stay that way, unsatisfied and striving for improvement.

As for my body, it is worse than ever, but my mana moves easier than ever. Not even mentioning the increase by 1000 mana that my Mana Vessel evolution of my trait gave me, I think I am properly mana conductive now.

If Ruby’s warning of someone kidnapping me due to my conductive body did not come to fruition until now, it will surely become true soon.

It is a bit scary. I barely think of it, and there it is, mana already flickering at my fingertips. Not even mentioning the amounts. Where previously it was through pathways, circuits, and veins, now it feels like it moves through my body itself, every piece of it. Further trait strengthenings will improve on it, I am sure, and at this rate, even the slightest, tiniest resistance will disappear.

I will need to test it as well later, but I think the amount I can channel also improved greatly. The amount of mana I can use to power my skills is likely turning ridiculous, and that means I will need to find some skill that takes full advantage of that and truly test the high end range of my skills. With some preparation, it is possible I could prepare something to affect an area the size of a smaller country, or I can just continue to use Fuck Everything In That Direction Specifically. So far, it has worked.

“It’s Lily, and it seems that she is talking to some people from one of the Corporations,” Tess says out of nowhere, and I squint in the direction where she is looking, but do not see anything at all.

“Does it seem like she is getting scammed?” I ask.

Tess mouths something, but shakes her head and mutters while mouthing it, “...not enough... she says?”

“Are you reading lips now?”

“It is an obvious thing to try to learn with the sight I have. I hired a beyonder capable of teaching me that.”

“Is that where the shards I gave you went?”

“I spent some on local Megacity cuisine.”

“Anything good?”

“A few really nice places. One of them sells drinks that are ridiculously good.”

“Are you turning into a drunkard on top of a thief now, Tess?”

“If I do not drink, I am not capable of calmly working with the crazy people around me.”

“Understandable,” I say, and this time I really mean it.

We pick up the speed, and Tess warns us that they seem to have noticed us, though no one appears threatening. A short while later, I begin to see them as well. Lily’s petite figure is standing in the desert in front of what looks like a landed spaceship, with a hangar door open where three or so people are waiting and watching us approach.

Soon, the Bulldozer of Lust notices us, or perhaps notices the compass, and looks our way. Her body is ridiculous, given how much she spent on constitution and the potency attribute strengthening variation of it. She has good sight even without actively strengthening it, and she waves at us.

When we come close, she runs up, putting her hands behind her back and giving a big smile. “Hello.”

She tries to hug Tacita, but the mute girl jumps away. If she were a cat, I am sure she would be swatting at Lily. Instead of her, Lily then hugs Tess, who lets her, and then she stops in front of me.

I am no stupid man. I know she started with the girls, so I have no reason to refuse a hug. Like making it seem fully casual and… I cut these thoughts and reinforce my body as she puts her hands around me and squeezes while pressing her head against my chest.

I look down, watching her smile, and clumsily pat her back in a hug. Lily is the type of hugger who holds on too long, so I wait a while, but it does not stop.

“Lower your natural barrier, you are blocking me from healing,” she says as I look at her face so close in front of mine.

“I do not want to.”

“I know your body is fucked up. Everyone knows it. I swear I will hold you all day and even enjoy it if you do not let me heal you. It is for your own good.”

“Lies used to be believable.”

That makes her smile even brighter. “You remember that wyvern blood you gave me and that I promised to make a concentrate of? I already did it. I also can sense another extremely powerful blood you have on you, similar to the one from your trait. I bet you want me to help with that, right?”

“Perhaps.”

“Well, perhaps this is extortion then,” she snuggles closer and rubs her face against my chest. “The longer you let it go, the more I will think you are enjoying it and just making this last longer,” she smirks, and presses her ear against my chest. “Maybe if I wait and listen long enough, I will hear your heartbeats speed up.”

“I could just teleport away,” I say.

“You cannot overpower me, and my natural barrier is too powerful. We are also touching too much, so even if you somehow teleport, I will likely move with you.”

I try my last defense. “People are watching, are you not ashamed?”

“Not at all, I do not give a fuck, as you would say. The corpos can stuff themselves if they find it annoying, but they will not because I am a pretty good healer worth being friendly with.”

Looking down at her, I wonder: Is this my fault? Is this the consequence of my breaks from Group 4 and all the time I’ve spent delving into the beyond? Have these already lunatic and terrifying members become even more unhinged?

“Sure then, heal me,” I sigh and lower my defenses a bit.

That causes Lily to smile victoriously as she relaxes and lets go of me, but in the next moment, I teleport two steps away from her, leaving her with her hand hanging in the air.

A stream of my mana surges as I use it to power [Redistribution] and lock her in place, absorbing the kinetic energy of each of Lily’s movements. Even as she tries to overpower it, to push through, I spitefully continue to power it with more and more, not caring how much effort it takes and how much of my mental processing goes into it.

Once again, I am reminded that I cannot allow myself to be weaker than Lily. I cannot show weakness either.

Leaving her standing behind, I walk towards the three corporate rats while Tess boops Lily’s nose a few times and then continues to join me by my side.

The three men are all selari, wearing normal clothes, as I notice that within the hangar where they stand, there seems to be a controlled climate.

“Were you trying to scam her?” I ask them directly.

The leader of them just smiles and steps a bit ahead, just a half step from exiting the barrier within the hangar. “I am Balkalathejek from Novus Venture Corp,” he bows slightly, “and these are my assistants, and I can assure you that we were not trying to scam Lady Healer. We just tried to come to a trade that would be the best possible for both sides.”

“I see, do you mind if I call you just Bal?” I ask.

"I do not mind it at all, I do realize that my name might be difficult to remember for some people, Mister Gwyn," Bal says.

That causes me to glance at Lily, but Bal continues to talk. "I have not learned it from Lady Healer. My associates and I have been able to watch the Game," his voice is smooth, carrying a smile in it, yet it does not feel like he is making fun of anyone. "You and your sister have been fascinating to watch, and that end... I am sure it will be spoken of for centuries to come, especially with the return of Starless Sky."

"Well, I bet you have not watched it in a legal or intended way," I say, but Bal just stays quiet and continues to smile. "So, what did you want from Lady Healer?" I ask him.

"We intended to purchase one of her healing marks for further examination. We had already started arranging the arrival of a test subject, where she would put it on, before you and your friends interrupted the negotiations, Mister Gwyn."

A loud crack makes my body shudder, and I slowly turn around to watch Lily’s body twist and bulge as she pushes through my kinetic hold. Even with the ridiculous amount of mana I power it with, her body is monstrous, and it also makes me wonder if her natural barrier is not stronger because of her Constitution. Maybe it is not only body upgrades that strengthen it?

But these thoughts of curiosity disappear as Lily twists and breaks her neck, instantly healing it back, just as she twists her limbs in their joints and restores them. The amount of kinetic energy is ridiculous as she powers and reinforces her body. Twisted and turned our way, she then takes a step and then another, forcing her way through, and with each step, she faces it better and improves her ability to push through.

In the end, she stops near us, looking at me with a glint in her eyes that clearly challenges me and makes fun of me.

I begin to reach toward more of my mana to accept her challenge when a cough catches my attention, and I look at Tess, who looks back with a lifted eyebrow.

With a sigh, I let go of my kinetic hold on Lily, leaving it for the next time. A movement catches my attention, and I glance to the side as I watch Tacita, hidden within her field, casually stride past the barrier on the edge of the hangar. Unnoticed by Bal and his assistants, she heads in.

"Nathaniel and Tess will trade in my name," Lily says, and she moves close to hang on Tess’s arm, where she pokes the blonde.

"It is up to you, Lady Healer," Bal says. "As for our offer, it still stands. An information exchange for one healing mark, and if both sides consider it adequate, we can share more information in exchange for another healing mark."

Fixing my clothes, I clear my throat and look at him, reaching toward Nerdthaniel submind. I lean in slightly, making my posture casual, yet I try to mimic the way Lissandra radiated her pressure during my mental training, letting them at least partially feel my own restrained mana through the barrier.

"Bal," I start, my voice low. "Let us get rid of the pleasantries and ignore the fact of just how much you have tried to rob my precious friend of. You want a piece of Lily’s life’s work. That is fine. But you surely understand what we are dealing with."

I take a slow step forward, almost touching the barrier. "What you talk about is not just simple healing marks, and though we are just attendees, some of us are not stupid. You want to get your grubby hands on her proprietary somatic healing constructs, uniquely developed by Lily’s incredible talents. We know you will attempt to harvest, replicate, or deconstruct the underlying logic of the mark. I will not be warning you of the localized... unpleasanties that it can cause to the test subject and anyone too close, I am sure you are aware of that."

I gesture lazily toward the metallic walls of the hangar. "I have heard enough of how Corporations operate to know that your specialists will attempt to bypass the encryption to steal Lily’s intellectual property. In such a case, it is not just the mark we are trading, but also a risk of breaking Lily’s trademark, and that carries much more value than just to exchange it for... some information. So, let us hear what kind of data you think is worth enough to warrant this level of access. Do not even dream about the second healing mark, and make sure it is worth Lily’s time."

When I turn to my side to look at Lily, she panics for a short moment as all attention turns to her and she lets go of Tess, glancing with her eyes from Bal to me and back to Bal before just nodding quickly. "What Nathaniel said! It is my proprietary something healing construct, so you better pay up!"

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