Chapter 32 – Mommy Came to Visit
"Um, Young Master, I'm already done, I can give it to you if you want…" Harvey gave the news hesitantly. He slowly pulled up his pants and stood back up.
"Wow, that fast?" Glottis was impressed. "Alright, give it to me."
"Just a moment."
Harvey lived in a single-room apartment. It was a big room with two beds next to opposite walls, one for himself and another for his mother. He opened the drawer next to his bed and took out a black notebook.
It was his school's phone book. It had all the students' numbers and it was distributed to all students. Each student got the numbers of those of the same age as them, whether they were in the same class or not. Glottis did not have it only because he ditched school more days than he didn't.
"The number is one-four-two…" he read the number straight out of the notebook. He was unsure if he should reveal his methods or just attribute the 'achievement' to his hacking skills. In the end, he decided to come clean only if Glottis asked him to.
"I didn't expect you to be that good," Glottis said excitedly, "If it's the right number I will add ten grand to the deal!" He promised without thinking as he jotted down the number.
"Ye- yeah… Thank you, Young Master," Harvey answered. With the additional incentive, his desire to explain his 'hacking' has vanished entirely. Without further ado, Glottis just hung up the phone.
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Glottis scrutinized the four pills in his palm. Those were the four pills he needed for his cultivation – The Skin Strengthening Pill, the Blood Vessels Strengthening Pill, the Bone Marrow Strengthening Pill, and the Muscle Strengthening Pill. The one meant for the skin was white, making him wonder if it was meant for him too.
He spent 60 FP on pills and 20 on the basic martial arts package, leaving him with only 13 FP for living. It was not too bad though, after all, he lived most of his life with only two points. He did not know what good those 93 points were, so 13 still sounded much more than the average.
"Hey, why the hell were Mike's Fate Points restored and increased when he broke through but not mine?" He asked the system.
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| **Notice** |
| The system used this luck |
| to fuel your breakthrough. |
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"What the hell? That's not fair! I want my points back, I could've earned a lot!" Glottis complained.
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| **Notice** |
| cultivate manually |
| Diligence is always rewarded |
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"Oh come on, not this crap again…" he sighed. After cherishing the sensation of getting stronger yet again, he left his room to take a bath. He wanted to go to school again. There was still a certain student and a certain teacher he wanted to meet.
"Good morning, Glottis. I see the foul habit of leaving your room naked never left you in my absence from this house," an authoritative feminine voice greeted him as soon as he opened the door.
"Mom?" Glottis was surprised to see the newcomer. "I just wanted to ask you if mine was bigger than Mike's," he smirked as he walked past her. His body was still itching from yesterday's 'spar', and the bruises didn't disappear yet, albeit they got much better. The healing rate of a cultivator was indeed a marvel.
"No, it's not. Don't worry, however, gold diggers don't mind the size of your tool, so I'm sure you can still get laid whenever you want," her voice followed him down the corridor.
"Good to know you have a sense of humor, Mom. I thought you could only breathe in and out with your eyes closed," Glottis laughed it off, "Sometimes perhaps a little sharper when younger boys were around."
"Argh!" He groaned as he found himself on the floor, "You can't use violence if you lose an argument, that's just being a sore loser," he complained. He got up and entered the bathroom.
"I use violence to discipline my disrespectful son."
"Fine, I'm going to take a bath, was nice seeing you around here. Come more often."
Glottis tried to close the door yet it refused to budge as though it weighed tons. He eyed his mother in suspicion, "Mom, do you want to watch me bathe?"
"No, but I'm here to see you," she declared, catching him off-guard. He thought she was there for some kind of business or whatever.
"Oh, is it about the training together thing? I still haven't finished that thing I mentioned the other day, it might take a while before I can come to live in the mountains with you for training," Glottis recalled their last meeting. He just turned to her and leaned on the door, his butt resting on the smooth wood and his hands doing nothing at the sides of his body.
"If you think I believed you for a second, you must be delusional. No, I'm here because my servants told me you defeated Leonard yesterday in a duel. I must say, I'm impressed," she explained.
Glottis opened his mouth in surprise, unsure what to say in response. "You can't be here to punish me, right? It was a duel, I didn't assault him or anything. It even happened in the dojo!"
"No, no, it's quite the opposite," she started with a slight smile but didn't get to finish her sentence.
"A reward, then? That's cool, how about helping me deal with Mike Teuto?" He jumped excitedly from the door, letting his thing sway in his movements.
"Yes, a reward. However, I'm afraid you don't get to choose your reward. I'm going to a gathering with a few old monsters at Oralia. It could broaden your horizons and allow you to meet with some influential people. I want you to come with me."
Glottis did not have to hesitate, consider, or contemplate. He enjoyed going abroad, but there were good people to travel with and there were bad people to travel with. There wasn't a shred of doubt in his heart that his mother belonged to the second type.
"Oh, I wish I could, but it's still school time… I can't just miss the classes, it can affect my future…" He did his best to come up with something convincing.
"No, it wouldn't, you squander money faster than all the top graders in your school combined, without an ounce of intelligence in your brain," she frowned in annoyance, "Are you saying you don't want to travel with your mother to another country? Are you afraid I would embarrass you?"
"You are the coolest mom on the continent, how can you embarrass me?" Glottis raised his two hands in a calming gesture, "I just don't think it's a good time for me to leave the city for many days."
"Please, do me a favor, I know you ditch school more than you don't. We are going out in two days, be ready. I will tell Annie to pack everything you need for the trip. If you lack anything, you have enough money to buy it and leave it there anyway." With that arranged, she turned and walked away.
"Wait, no, Mom! I have feelings for a girl here and something wonderful just started blooming between us. Don't take it away from me, Mom! Don't you want your son to be happy?!" He shouted at her back.
"Pfft!" His mother couldn't hold back a little chuckle this time, "Don't worry, Son. You won't spend all the time with this old hag if that's what you are so afraid of. There will be plenty of hot girls there; you know what the daughters of those monsters always look like."
"I can hit on them?" his expression brightened. Those 'monsters' were powerful cultivators; they always married the best women, which in turn often blessed them with beautiful children.
"Of course. If you are powerful enough to beat Leonard, it means you are not a waste anymore. I'm sure you won't embarrass me with your current power. I must admit, I expected to see you rise earlier, I've been waiting for you here for four hours since sunrise. How did you advance with that attitude?"
"I have cultivated in my room since sunrise, Mom. The morning hours are when the Qi is the cleanest. Diligence is always rewarded."
She eyed him in suspicion, clearly not believing him. "Fine, keep up the good work. As long as you keep turning stronger, I won't complain about your habits," she shrugged and left.
"Aiya… I have never been to Oralia before…" he pondered on it as he dipped in the hot water. Annie was evidently aware of his bruises since she added healing herbs to the water, and the soothing effect applied instantly.
Oralia was a small continent in the west, and what was special about it was the fact it was governed by a single large country. There was only one smaller kingdom to its east on a relatively big island connected to the mainland.