Red Book

Al and Cesar were greeted by a stunning view of the Exchange Center's interior as the glass wall cleared. It was a vast, bustling hall filled with various counters and kiosks. People in robes hurriedly moved about, forming orderly lines at various stations.Cesar wasted no time, striding purposefully. "Damn! This is the busiest I've ever seen it. Come on, Al! We've got less than an hour!"Without hesitation, Cesar passed through, and Al followed closely behind. Navigating through the throngs of people, Cesar instructed Al to search for the station labeled 15th Blood Vault before parting ways. Each station was adorned with a vibrant banner, manned by a cheerful individual in red robes.Eventually, Al spotted the station he was looking for and joined the queue at the back. The line wasn't as long as the one Cesar had found himself in.Looking around, Al noticed the person ahead of him was a young woman with striking gray hair. He was about to approach the gray-haired cultivator to ask about the difference between his blue pearl and their blood ruby.Unexpectedly, she stopped stopping him loudly saying. "Don't even think about talking to me!" Her words hit Al like a slap in the face. He was taken aback. "Sheesh, you don't have to be so rude," he muttered in response.The people behind him erupted and laughed at him, pointing at his robes. Since leaving the medical room Al had noticed that almost everyone wore robes with names written along the bottom, like personal signatures. It was clear that his flimsy medical robe stood out in stark contrast. His face flushed red as the line continued moving forward.Surprisingly, the gray-haired cultivator turned around with a frustrated look. She appeared to be around his age, wearing a purple and white robe with the name "Castillo" embroidered at the bottom.Despite their previous exchange, she spoke to Al and offered, "You're obviously new here and confused. Since you have my pity, I will answer one question. So, ask away."Al's embarrassment quickly changed into anger, "Forget it! I don't need or want your pity."The gray-haired cultivator seemed taken aback by his response and scoffed, "You don't want people's pity? Then stop being so pitiful."Al felt his rage boiling inside, but deep down, he knew she was right. Swallowing his pride, he muttered, "Thank you for letting me know."The gray-haired cultivator, now slightly surprised by Al's unexpected change in attitude, nodded in approval.After acknowledging Al, she returned to facing the front of the line and silently thought, "Huh, he might actually do well here."The line continued to move, and she approached the front.Al maintained a serious expression as he waited in line, contemplating the situation. "No wonder Cesar wants us to stay together. These people are only focused on themselves," he mused.As the gray-haired cultivator finished and moved on, Al was called forward by an old woman.Al approached the front of the booth and nervously presented his C-stone to the woman, who swiftly picked it up and examined it.Clearing his throat, Al softly said, "Hello, I was sent here... I'm actually not sure what for?"The elderly woman glanced at him and then back at the Conveyance stone, ignoring his question. Instead, she inquired, "Honey, how did you get this Conveyance stone? It's from the Supreme Leaf?"Al paused momentarily, gathering his thoughts, and blurted out, "Supreme Immortal King Godfrey."The woman's eyes widened. "Oh, that's all you had to say! I've actually met Immortal Godfried before, decades ago. Among all the Immortals in the Supreme Leaf, he's certainly one of the most renowned across all Six God Leaves. Anyway, give me a second. I'll get you all set."This encounter with this old lady was surprisingly pleasant. She even shed some light on Supreme Immortal King Godfrey. Adorned in an elaborate red dress, the woman placed her Al's C-stone on the stone stele behind her. Beyond the stone stele was the center of the 15th Blood Ring, a colossal 7-foot blood-red crystal.Observing the giant crystal, Al could see it pulsating like a heart and had what appeared to be electrical circuits at its base. If this were a computer, that would be the central processing unit. The stone steles acted like ports that connected to the crystal. The C-stones relayed personal information and were updated by the crystal.Lost in his thoughts, Al was snapped back to reality when the old lady returned with his C-stone. She was about to speak when Al suddenly exclaimed as if processing her earlier words, "Wait, you met him decades ago? When I met him, Godfrey seemed no older than someone in their late 20s!"The old lady chuckled, disregarding his last remark, and replied, "That's what it means to cultivate one's Will. Unfortunately, the path of cultivation favors a few and carries biases. May it favor you more than it has me."She returned Al's C-stone and explained that he had a balance of 300 merits and a one-month lease for housing unit #58. After that, she yelled NEXT!Al picked up his C-stone, still a bit confused by the old lady's mention of how cultivation can have a 'Bias' but before he could inquire further, the person behind him eagerly started their transaction. Al continued exploring the Exchange Center.He had already memorized the different stations: the first four were dedicated to Tasks for Merits, ranging from "50-145" "146-349" "350-649" "650+". while the last two were labeled "Blood Vault," which he had just left, and "Utilities and Facilities."Al looked over the long line at the second "146-349" Tasks for Merits station, where Cesar was still waiting, and walked toward the Utilities and Facilities station.Although uncertain about its exact purpose, he joined the line. Surprisingly, the line moved fast, and Al found himself at the front overhearing the small man in front of him say, "2 hours for Del Santos Good's Expo."When it was his turn, Al confidently approached the bored young man behind the station and stated, "I'd like to reserve five hours for any of your facilities that resembles a library."The young man looked at him with confusion and curiosity, then picked up Al's Conveyance stone and placed it on top of the stone stele behind him. After a brief moment, the circuits on the pillar's base illuminated, and the man returned Al's Conveyance stone, uttering a simple "Next."Al began looking for Cesar again with a smile on his face he could not hide. Cesar was finally being attended to. Cesar seemed to be seriously pondering something before handing over his C-stone.After seeing him finish his exchange, Al called out to Cesar, who walked over with a grim smile."So, how did it go?" Al inquired. Cesar lowered his gaze, scratching his head before answering in a low tone, "I signed up for a 150 Merit task, and, well..."Looking back up at Al, Cesar forced a smile and asked, "Have you ever seen a golden eagle?"Al shook his head. Cesar said, "Apparently, I'm supposed to collect two feathers from five different golden eagles within a week."With a puzzled expression, Al spoke, "If you don't know what a golden eagle is, then why did you take it?"Cesar stared at Al, disbelief evident in his eyes, and retorted, "You need merits for everything here! Even my housing unit costs 10 merits per day."Al grinned, and in response, Cesar exclaimed, "What the hell are you smiling about? What part of that sounds good to you?" Peering over his shoulders, Al whispered, "I'm rich. I have 300 Merits and a free housing unit for a month."Cesar scoffed. As the two left the Exchange Center, the tattooed blonde man shouted, "58.67 minutes, cutting it close.""What were we talking about again?" Cesar asked just as Al was about to remind him of his newfound wealth. Cesar burst out into laughter, mocking Al's notion of being rich. "That's right, you think you're rich, hahaha! Do you know who else had 300 merits when he arrived? Me! And you know how many I have right now? 90! At this rate, I'm going to be kicked out!"Al's excitement quickly deflated once again. However, he remembered that he had purchased five hours of library time. He checked his C-stone and realized he had already lost 50 merits, leaving him with 250.Determined, he turned to the gloomy Cesar and said, "I'll have to wait longer before I can eat. I need to get to whatever qualifies as a library in this place. I've already spent 50 merits for it!" Instead of rebuking, Cesar provided directions to the library and exchanged housing unit numbers before watching Al rush off.Whispering to himself, Cesar contemplated their financial predicament, "Oh, Al, at this rate, we're both going to end up getting kicked out... unless." He glanced at his C-stone, his expression shifting with determination, before turning on his heels and hurrying back to his housing unit.Al diligently searched for the one-story building Cesar had described. He remembered seeing something in that description before reuniting with Cesar.He soon spotted the building, and he couldn't help being impressed by its weathered stone walls covered in ancient ivy, which gave it a sense of timeless beauty.Unlike the Exchange Center, this building had stained glass windows that offered a distorted glimpse of the interior. However, what puzzled Al was the absence of a visible door or entrance.Determined to gain access, he walked to one of the triangular ends and noticed a young woman reading a red book. She stood in a white robe adorned with delicate pink flowers, and the name "Jung" graced the bottom in elegant black lettering.Al stood next to her, silently hoping to catch her attention. But as time passed, it became apparent that she hadn't noticed his presence. Growing impatient, he cleared his throat to draw her focus and introduced himself, "Hello, Miss Jung. My name is Alexander Adamos, and I have a 5-hour time slot to use the library. How do I get in?"Jung extended her palm, signaling Al to hand over his C-stone. She returned it to him after placing it on a nearby stone stele. She turned around and pressed her hand against the wall, causing a luminous green sigil to materialize. The bricks shifted, creating a narrow opening just enough for one person to pass through.Al stepped cautiously through the entrance, expressing his gratitude, but the curly-haired girl resumed reading, paying him no mind.Once inside, the bricks seamlessly moved back into place, concealing any trace of the entrance. Al turned around, his gaze drifting down the seemingly endless aisles of bookshelves that stretched before him. The air was filled with the scent of ancient knowledge, inviting him to explore the depths of the library's treasures.As Al looked around, passing by robed individuals, feeling somewhat out of place in his hospital gown, he observed the library's patrons engrossed in their reading.As he was about to take another step forward, he was drawn to a small figure who appeared before him. Cloaked in a magnificent crimson red and gold garment, the person's face was concealed beneath a hood. "Is there anything you're looking for specifically?" the mysterious figure inquired.Al hesitated, his gaze fixed on the figure's smallness. Gathering his thoughts, Al replied, "The mental realm, what is it? Also, what is this 'Will' everyone says they're cultivating? And breathing techniques, do you have any books on that?"Without delay, the short stranger pulled back his hood, revealing a small gray and white fox's face with bat-like ears and dark, beady eyes. The creature sported a wide smile, seemingly unfazed by Al's initial startle.Swiftly, the well-dressed fox motioned for Al to follow and headed toward the nearest row of bookshelves near the library entrance. Reaching the end of the aisle, the fox retrieved a red book, the same one the young woman had been reading outside. Handing it to Al, the fox promptly departed, not allowing Al to express his gratitude.Glancing at the fox's cloak, Al caught sight of the name "Sitto" embroidered on it—an unexpected encounter with another helpful individual.Al sat quietly, "What a helpful little guy." He directed his attention to the book, its hardcover adorned in vibrant red with a blue outline devoid of any text. Slowly, he turned to the first page, eager to delve into the mysteries that lay within.