Cavereach City. Caveheart Isle. Dadangar Archipelago.
Hour of Ox (07:00 AM – 08:00 AM)
Aksai strolled through the busy streets of Cavereach City.
It had only been an hour since the morning sun had risen in the sky. As such, the city was still embraced by the night’s chill, but it was gradually being warmed up by the sun’s rays.
The Spirit farmer was content with his preparations and decided to head out of the city, his destination none other than the Eternal Beast Dynasty Forest, which would require traveling to the mainland.
Aksai was about to take a turn on the road and go straight for the city gates when he heard the voice of a young girl.
She was a street artist and a low-level Spirit cultivator with an initial-stage cultivation base. Her divination stall was modest, adorned with colorful clothes and small trinkets that glittered in the morning light.
A sign above her head read, “Future Readings – 10 Spirit Stones.” The girl was barely 15, with short, curly brown hair, bright brown eyes, and a determined expression. Her name was Naisha Xin.
Naisha called out to the passersby, telling them that she practiced a special divination-type cultivation technique that let her look into the future of other Spirit cultivators. She was advertising her talents and asking people to use her divination services for 10 Spirit stones.
Nobody was approaching her stall, and the passersby just ignored her. However, Naisha was not disappointed at all as she continued to call out to potential customers. It seemed that she had more maturity for her age than she should have.
Aksai turned to see the young girl, her eyes shining with hope despite the lack of customers. He approached her with a smile on his face. He saw the big glass jar that she used for collecting Spirit stones, but it was almost empty.
Naisha smiled mirthlessly at him when she saw him looking at the jar.
“Big brother, do you want to know your future?” she asked, looking at Aksai with hopeful eyes.
Aksai sighed as he looked at the jar. He took out 25 Spirit stones from his storage ring and dropped them in the glass jar. Naisha’s eyes widened in surprise and gratitude as she looked at the generous sum.
She was about to invite Aksai to grab a seat in front of the counter when she saw him walking away from the stall. “Big brother, where are you going?” she asked, her voice filled with confusion.
Aksai turned around and smiled before saying, “I don’t believe in divination, little one. I didn’t give you money to know about my future. Consider it a gift from me.”
Naisha’s expression turned determined as she quickly came out from behind the stall and approached Aksai using Light Steps. She held his hand and looked at him accusingly. “Big brother, you can’t do this. I don’t want your charity,” she said, her nose scrunched in defiance.
“Look kid, I don’t have time for your practical jokes. How can you read divination?” Aksai asked, trying to get away from the determined teen girl.
He just decided to perform this random act of kindness to soothe his ego and make himself feel better about himself whenever he was about to perform human experiments. The Spirit farmer was just using these acts as a kind of damper to stabilize himself from the bloody acts he often engaged in.
Aksai didn’t have anything against the girl or her struggles on the street. However, he didn’t want to get duped by her either.
Naisha held Aksai’s arm even tighter before speaking as if she could read his thoughts.
“You think I’m running some kind of scam here, don’t you? Haah! They all think that. But I really do practice a divination-type cultivation technique. You have to believe me,” she said, trying to pull Aksai’s robust frame towards her stall with her small figure.
Despite her efforts, she was unable to move Aksai even a little bit because of his altered bulky figure.
Aksai was amused by Naisha’s confidence and work ethic. “Alright. But make it quick,” he said before approaching the girl’s divination stall.
Naisha smiled brightly and quickly went behind the counter to assume her position as a diviner. She closed her eyes for a moment, centering herself, then opened them with a newfound focus. Aksai took a seat across from her, his curiosity piqued.
Naisha took a deep breath and began to chant mantras softly, her hands moving gracefully as she formed a few hand-signs that were completely unknown to Aksai. Then she used her right hand index and middle finger to draw three Essence Equations in the air, which floated between her and Aksai.
“Big brother, touch one of the Essence Equations and pour some of your Spirit essence into it,” Naisha said, looking at Aksai intently.
‘Well, she is putting on a good act if all of this is fake,’ Aksai chuckled in his mind before doing exactly what Naisha told him to do. The remaining two Essence Equations disappeared on their own as soon as Aksai selected one of them. The selected Essence Equation then changed color from blue to red and from red to black before dissolving into thin air.
Naisha looked a bit surprised by the changes in the Essence Equation. She then looked at Aksai for quite some time as if she was reevaluating him. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.
After a few moments, Naisha opened her eyes and looked directly into Aksai’s.
“Big brother…I see… I see a great journey ahead of you, filled with trials and triumphs. You will encounter both friends and foes, but your strength and wisdom will guide you through. Beware of the shadows that linger, for they seek to challenge your path. And… there is something else… a great power, waiting to be awakened within you.”
‘Haah! That could mean a whole lot of things or absolutely nothing in this world. Dadangar is full of dangers and opportunities. What you just said about me is applicable to almost everyone present in this city,’ Aksai thought to himself and sighed.
However, Aksai acted neutral and listened. While he didn’t put much stock in divination, he couldn’t deny that the girl had a certain presence and sincerity. He nodded thoughtfully, more out of respect for her effort than belief in her words.
“Thank you, little one,” Aksai said, standing up. “Keep working hard. You have a bright future ahead of you.”
“Wait, big brother. I am not done with you,” Naisha said, reaching out and keeping her hand on Aksai’s, preventing him from leaving her stall.
“I… I admit that what I said was a generic description that I often use to… foo… cough… I mean… um… “entertain” people. But… but for you… I will make a real divination. You gave me 25 Spirit stones after all. I’ll give you your money’s worth.”
Naisha said with a sincere determination.