Ling Xiao returned the bank teller to his place behind the counter, dropped the [Celestial Veil Shroud] he'd used to hide their disappearance from other customers, and immediately felt bad about what he'd done.
But what other choice had he had? He needed him not to run off and tell the guards about him. On top of that, he needed to know how to access his account—assuming it really was locked.
How else could he prove, quickly and reliably, that he was who he said he was except through an explosive display of magic?
Admittedly, he'd been curious what the extent of his magical strength was too. He might have seized the first reasonable excuse for casting a high-tier spell.
It had been…impressive. To say the least. He was used to casting similar spells in the game of Chronicles of the Seven Heaven-Tribulations, but the realism changed everything. He'd felt that explosion in his bones. It had rattled his entire skeleton and lit up the world around him. He'd purposefully Voidtrace Stepped an enormous distance away, into the deep wilderness far out of range of Xuanhai Imperial City and nearby cities, but even with that precaution, he might have alerted someone.
Regardless, he felt bad about what he'd done. Because the teller was shaken, his face pale and his knees wobbling.
Which was a maybe fitting reaction to being kidnapped and forced to watch a strange man – a figure of myth – disintegrate a small section of wilderness with a wave of his staff.
Thankfully, he had a spell for this. He had a spell for most things.
"[Calm]."
Mental magics were a whole branch of the arcane, and naturally his character, Ling Xiao, was well-versed in them. There were few branches he wasn't comfortable with.
He could have erased his memories entirely and skipped all this nonsense, but that idea disturbed him, hence he'd taken an alternate path. It seemed like the sort of line he shouldn't cross. Though this was the world of a video game he once played, it was clearly real life, and these were real people. Messing with someone's memories or free will was wrong.
A spell to calm someone down didn't feel like it counted. It might be a borderline case since technically it was mental magic, yes, but it didn't do anything more than sitting down and taking some deep breaths would. The teller certainly wasn't cured. He just didn't seem hysterical and ready to flee anymore.
His knuckles were white as he gripped the counter top, leaning on it for support. "I apologize for any…slights…you feel I offered, Lord…Ling Xiao."
His shaky words weren't helping him feel better. If he was this rattled after a calming spell, he'd left an impression.
"It's fine. Is my account really locked?"
He nodded rapidly. "But it was preserved. Your funds are still available. You'd simply have to speak with someone with higher-level access to the banking system to remove the lock."
"Who?"
He hesitated. "For a case as important as yours? Likely the Chief Banker himself, in Tianwu Capital." He seemed extremely worried that he would be upset by that answer.
He was annoyed, but more at himself for having terrified some random service worker. And, admittedly, irritated at the situation itself. He was seriously barred from his account?
"I see. I intended to head that way regardless, I suppose." He waved a hand dismissively. "As I said, I'm here on private business. Please don't spread the word."
He practically fell over himself in his rush to assure him that he wouldn't, and he left the bank feeling slightly gross with himself. He'd definitely gotten too caught up in his 'proof of identity'.
…The explosion had been really cool though.
Back out in the daylight, he reevaluated his plan of attack.
It had been too much to hope for to simply withdraw the funds he needed. Nothing was ever easy. That said, it couldn't be difficult to make some basic Spirit Jade Tokens, not as a level two-thousand plus mage.
Heck, his inventory might be mostly empty, but he had a set of healing and mana potions he could pawn off, right? That would be an easy way. He hardly needed a mountain of riches, just enough to buy food and a place to sleep. And also a Celestial Thunder Caravan ticket – which would be faster?
The train would be the more comfortable of the two, at a minimum.
Pulling up his inventory, he tapped the square holding his health potion and withdrew one. The flask was wide and triangular with a fat base.
He sloshed the potion back and forth, watching the liquid inside swirl and crash against the glass in a fascinating way. The fluid seemed much more magical when disturbed, changing hues into various shades of sparkling crimson and gold.
How much would one of these sell for? They were the highest-tier health potions he'd been able to buy, meant for his challenge runs soloing the Fallen Celestial Sovereign on mythic difficulty. They had to be valuable.
But even he had a limited supply. Maybe he shouldn't sell it. Again, he only needed enough Spirit Jade Tokens for basic food, shelter, and miscellaneous needs.
Not really thinking, he tugged on the cork and popped the potion open, curious what it smelled like.
Honey, mint, and cinnamon. The scent was instant and pervasive, but even more noticeable was the way magic gushed from the vial. It was a palpable thing it was so dense, even to his resistant magical senses.
Fumes drifted out of the thin neck of the flask, settled onto the cobblestone, and spirit grasses began sprouting from the cracks, jade-green foliage appearing from nowhere, growth spurred on by the immense regenerative properties held in even a whiff of the potion. He hastily capped and inventoried it, looking around to see if anyone had noticed. No one had.
So, uh, yeah. Probably too valuable to pawn. The same went for his mana potions and other challenge-run consumables.
Well, fine. There was always working for a living.
He meant the Eclipse Sovereign Legion, of course. He was looking forward to experimenting more with his abilities anyway. A hunting trip was in order. Two birds with one stone.
He was still getting used to being in a fantasy world. Being around everyday civilians was already surreal. Stepping foot into the Eclipse Sovereign Legion and being met with humans, elves, demons, and even a dwarf, all of them dressed in varying sets of armor – platemail and flowing robes and leather cuirasses – was another matter altogether.
Everything was so vivid and real. He hovered at the doorway, taking it in, before someone cleared their throat to remind him that he was blocking passage in. He hurried forward, which probably didn't fit the image of the legendary Heavenly Sovereign, Ling Xiao.
Though, the blush didn't touch his cheeks; it was only in his head. He'd never been an especially emotive person, and Ling Xiao's body was even slower to show reactions than his previous. He had been calmer and more composed than ever, externally speaking, through today's encounters. That said, he felt awfully like a tourist the way he gawked around, even if another person would simply see him coolly surveying the space with bored eyes.
His gaze drifted from one adventurer to another. Most wore a small, metallic emblem pinned to their chest. He saw mostly Copper, a few glints of Profound Iron, and a rare flash of Mythril on the handsome blond knight standing by the board. It was clearly some sort of rank identifier.
He spotted the receptionist's desk, a sturdy wooden counter tucked to the side, and headed for it.
The receptionist was a human woman with twin brown braids. She was pretty, slightly plump, and seemed like the sort of person who would normally be wearing a friendly expression at all times, but right now she seemed ill, leaning against the counter heavily and obviously wanting to be in bed rather than at work. As Ling Xiao approached, the woman forced herself to perk up and plaster a customer service smile on.
Ling Xiao couldn't help himself from asking, "Had an interesting night?"
It was just too obvious. He'd been there. Not that he overindulged often, but he recognized the signs.
The receptionist winced, then let out an apologetic chuckle. "That obvious? Yeah…festival started a little early for me. Once in a century opportunity to celebrate. Why not, right?" She took a breath. "How can I help, young master?"
At least she wasn't calling him 'little one' or eyeing him dubiously as if wondering whether he belonged there at all. Of the three interactions he'd had, this was his favorite by that fact alone.
There was a recurring issue he was running into: being reborn into his character had given him a wealth of knowledge on sorcerous topics, but no intuition for any of the other facets of this world. Meaning he was missing a lot of common knowledge.
He knew he wasn't going to remain anonymous for long. Extensive efforts were pointless. Twenty minutes ago he had teleported a man into the wilderness and exploded a quarter mile with the wrath of the heavens themselves.
So he asked with a total lack of grace, "You buy monster parts here?"
The receptionist oriented herself to that question. Likely, the Eclipse Sovereign Legion was as much of a staple to society as banks were. Ling Xiao's question was the equivalent of walking into a grocery store and asking if they sold food.
Put like that, he winced. He could've asked something less suspicious even if he'd given up on flying under the radar.
"Er, yes?" the receptionist said. Her name tag read 'Danny'. "Don't think our evaluator is busy if you needa appraise some parts. Should I go ask?"
She'd generously interpreted Ling Xiao's question as if he were seeking an appraisal instead of literally wondering if the Legion bought monster parts. That was fortunate.
"Not right now," he said, his face not betraying his embarrassment. "But probably soon. It's by appointment?"
"Don't get enough traffic for that," she snorted. "But we can set one up if you want. From a big city, are you?"
He'd have thought Xuanhai Imperial City was large itself, but he supposed by the standards of Tianwu Capital it wasn't. Xuanhai Imperial City was far, far to the north, set in a relatively dangerous part of the Northern Kingdom. It was by no means some tiny city, but even in the game it hadn't been a twentieth the size of the capital of the Central Kingdom.
"Tianwu Capital," Ling Xiao said.
Danny's eyebrows shot up. "From the big city. Heard good things. Been wanting to head down that way myself, but—" She waved a hand. "Bit of a ride, to say the least."
Ling Xiao nodded. The conversation slowed.
Oh, jeez. Was he supposed to comment on Tianwu Capital, now? Small talk. Not his specialty. Better to launch into his next question.
"The badges everyone is wearing. On their chests." He tapped the location on his own. "Those are…ranks?"
Danny's reaction was even more doubtful this time. "Y-Yes?"
"How do those go?"
Danny's mouth opened and closed, but she replied nonetheless. "Same as coinage. Copper, Profound Iron, Mythril, Saint, Celestial, Heavenly Void Jade. Though most people call Heavenly Void Jade ranks 'Titled', on account of being given official titles and all. Never seen one myself," she added, in that same conversational tone, but Ling Xiao could tell she was talking on autopilot as she studied him with growing curiosity.
"And how does ranking up work?" he asked, barreling forward without concern. What was the worst that would happen? The receptionist went around gossiping about a strange person who had shown up in the Eclipse Sovereign Legion? That had to happen all the time.
Again, Danny clearly found the question odd, but she answered. "You start at Copper, and when you hit level two hundred, you automatically qualify for Profound Iron. Mythril and up takes approval from a guildmaster. You need enough quest points, a review of your missions, and to pass the exam. It's not just about being able to blast your way through everything. It doesn't matter if you killed all the monsters if the town was destroyed in the process. The upper rank badges are a mark of prestige for a reason, and it's about knowing how to act with discretion as much as knowing how to kill things efficiently."
"I see." He kept a straight face, since that was his only defense. "As far as selling monster parts, are there rank restrictions?"
He'd been curious about how ranks worked, since they weren't present in Chronicles of the Seven Heaven-Tribulations, and thus one of those changes he'd been taking special note of. But selling loot was his real end goal. He needed to make Spirit Jade Tokens, and killing monsters was the easiest way – at least, the easiest least suspicious way that also let him experiment with magic more.
"Um," Danny said for the hundredth time, telling Ling Xiao how strange this interaction was to her. "No. There are rank restrictions on quests, but if you have monster parts, or other loot, our appraiser will give you a fair deal. You might be able to squeak a little more coin out walking through town and selling stuff individually, but the Legion pays fair from what I've heard. Not the best, but fair." She shrugged. "I ain't going around and selling Briarhoar Spikes myself, so I can't say so for sure, but I haven't heard complaints." She laughed. "Not ones I put value in, at least, since people will complain about anything. Our prices are fair."
"That's all I needed, then. Thank you."
"My pleasure?"
He turned and strode confidently away. Incredibly, his cheeks still weren't burning. His embarrassment seemed confined within himself. This new body was good for a few things, even if it created more doubts to his age than even his last.
His target was the quest board. He didn't think he would be taking any of them, since he would have to register first, and killing monsters and selling whatever he got seemed easier anyway. But he was curious what they said, so he might as well while he was here.
Unfortunately, he was intercepted halfway to the board.