Johann led Yuriko into a parlour that was quite out of place within the bowels of the mountain. It was in one of the buildings just a couple of dozen paces from the wall. It was two storeys tall and the upper floor was where the two of them sat. Inside, the house was decorated with a mishmash of wooden furniture, wrought iron sculptures, and landscape paintings of fractal patterns that faced portraits depicting commonplace animals such as fish within a pond, cattle pulling plows, and horses running on a pasture. The ground floor also had the kitchen, which she easily sensed considering it was one of the only kitchens she actually saw within the city. A chef was inside prepping ingredients, and another was just lounging on a chair. 

The parlour felt spacious even if it really wasn’t. The walls were viewscreens with a high enough definition to fool the eye into thinking it was a window, but her Anima perception easily discerned the truth. Still, it wasn’t to say that the view wasn’t pleasant, it was. Snow-capped mountains, pristine forests, and a babbling brook going over a small waterfall were set on each wall. The last one showcased the skyline of Dragon Fall City, or maybe any other city that had skyscrapers. She certainly couldn’t see the blocky mega buildings in that viewscreen. 

There were six tables in the parlour and only one was occupied. There was a waiter standing attentively next to the stairs, who turned to them when they climbed up and gave a short bow. Johann greeted the man with a cheery wave. 

The other people in the parlour: a grizzled woman and a younger man, both in crisp, no-nonsense clothes. They turned to look at them and nodded casually to Johann, saying “Your Grace,” before they looked at her. The woman was nonplussed, but the younger man dazedly stared at her until she and her new acquaintance settled on a table. Then, the woman slapped him upside the head and he blushed bright crimson. Cute. 

Once they were seated, the waiter approached them, but before she could say anything, Johann said, “Afternoon tea, please. Royal set.”

At Yuriko’s questioning look, he chuckled and answered, “Forgive my presumptuousness, but I greatly enjoy the Royal set and I’d like to share it with you.” He reddened slightly, “I, uh, have a bit of a sweet tooth.” 

Yuriko grinned. “So do I, actually.”

“Ah, a fellow connoisseur!” Johann’s answering grin was just as cheerful, and he had a mischievous glint in his eye. “My parents absolutely hated sweets, so my sibs and I had to sneak them in. I hadn’t tasted candies until I was fifteen and I was hooked from then on.” 

Yuriko nodded and leaned back on the chair. Fluffington was no longer in her backpack, of course, as she let him loose before she entered the building. He did follow her upstairs and was now curled up next to her chair. His ears wiggled about while his nose twitched. He stared at Johann a few times, but didn’t seem to care for the man.

“I personally love chocolate,” Yuriko admitted. 

“Ah, of course.” Johann wrinkled his nose. “Expensive outside of certain biomes though.”

“Yeah.”

“Ah, pardon me for asking, but what is an Ancient of your calibre doing underneath the mountain? I’m sure you could have wrapped up the kidnapping and the Dragon Blooded pests within a day, but here you are.” He frowned. “The antibodies try to rip Anima out of our bodies, but thankfully, having denser Anima works against them.”

“I noticed,” Yuriko said with a snort. “I was surprised the first time it happened. As for why…hmmm, I was honing a path.” 

“You’re going for a secondary Ennoia?” Johann asked curiously. “I’m working on advancing the Truth I already have. If I recall correctly, moving from Transformation to Manifestation requires a Reperta and a supporting Colligia, or two supporting Ennoias.” 

Yuriko blinked at the blunt question, and he caught on and chuckled awkwardly, mouthing an apology. 

“I guess it must be strange for you. But the Conclave, at least the branch I’m affiliated with, we share information easily. Besides, knowledge of advancement requirements are easy to find out. Actualisation only needs a pace of reach refined to one and a half times density, the touch of an Ennoia, and a strong enough Will to bear ten paces of reach.” 

Yuriko blinked and couldn’t help but show her surprise. Johann took it easily and probably assumed that she was surprised he told it so easily. According to Damien, back in his time, Actualisation was nearly impossible to reach without support and knowledge, and that was carefully hoarded by Ancient organisations. Only the lucky few, or the incredibly talented, stumbled into the conditions to advance. 

But another thing she realised was that the necessity for a thousand lumens of Animus…was not a necessity at all. Johann didn’t mention it, and he might not have a single lumen of Animus within him. She couldn’t check without invading his core, and she wouldn’t do that to someone she’d just met. 

So the requirements Damien told her…were specialised requirements for someone living in the Chaos Sea, someplace she was sure he didn’t grow up in. 

Her thoughts spun into a thousand different directions while she pondered Damien’s history, she knew he predated the Shattering and the existence of the Myriad Planes. But perhaps there were other places where Chaos welled up to this layer of reality, too. 

Perhaps different methods produced different results, but the differences were in the nuance more than anything else. Johann was clearly in Actualisation, but she had no way to gauge his strength and potential simply by looking. 

“Lady Davar?” Johann ventured and Yuriko abruptly realised that she used up all of her strands of consciousness to ponder. The other Ancient said a few words earlier, and probably a question, all of which she hadn’t paid attention to.

“My apologies. Your words caused me to reflect.”

“Ah, no worries,” Johann said with a bright smile. He had a nice smile, Yuriko decided, a sincere smile. “Ah, I asked if you’ve had good progress in your endeavor, and if you’re here in Dragon Fall for the climb. Or the delve.”

Yuriko shook her head. “I’m not really sure what the difference is.” She tilted her head as her perception caught the shape of a portal in the middle of the compound. “Does it have to do with that gate?”

“Yes, of course.” Johann laughed. “I’d hardly be here otherwise. The gates to the Tower’s trials do not open on a regular schedule. The connected realms do, however. Ah, the former is the climb, the latter, the delve.”

“I see.” 

“That’s why I’m here instead of the city proper,” Johann continued. “I don’t want to miss the trial opening.”

“What does that entail?”

Johann shook his head. “It changes depending on who enters. But it is always a journey to greater insight, gain enlightenment, and to help one walk farther on one’s path.”

“And the delve?”

“Resources, new places, different places.” He shrugged. “Each city on the Tower’s ground floor network goes to a different place. This one leads to an empty realm filled with floating rocks. Those things could be mined for precious metals and valuable reagents.” 

Their conversation paused when the waiter returned pushing a cart. On it was a large teapot as well as a three-tiered platter filled with pastries, sandwiches, and sweets. Yuriko’s gaze zeroed in on a familiar confection and her mouth immediately watered. 

She was patient enough to wait for the service, and the waiter poured both of them a cup of aromatic tea. It had fruity undertones and Johann put cream and a dash of honey in his. Yuriko took a sip of the tea without adding anything at first, and she found that she liked it well enough without adding sweetness or cream. 

“Help yourself.” Johann gestured at the three-tiered platters and Yuriko nodded as she plucked out a couple of chocolate confections. She plopped one in her mouth and moaned in delight. 

They partook in silence for a few minutes. Johann ate the finger sandwiches first, but he quickly retrieved the sweet pastries, while Yuriko was considerate enough to leave a single chocolate eclair for him. He snorted ruefully, but nudged it in her direction. It went down easily. 

“I’m mostly here to consolidate my foundations,” Johann freely admitted. “I Actualised too young and I’m lacking in many things.” 

Yuriko hummed in surprise. “I’m surprised you’re willing to admit it,” she said frankly.

“It is what it is.” 

How old was he when he Actualised? She was a bit hesitant to ask, but since he opened up with the topic anyway, she did. 

“Twenty-three.”

“Oh.” 

Well, that was a bit awkward. She chuckled to herself and simply enjoyed the food. From the way he was looking at her, he probably figured out she did the same thing. He didn’t comment though. Still, there was something she wished to ask.

“What did you mean one and a half times density?”

Johann was about to answer, but then a strange expression crossed his face and he sighed. 

“Can’t tell?”

With a nod, the young man leaned back on his chair. Yuriko hummed in thought. It made sense, she supposed. Anima density wasn’t a foreign concept to her, but she felt that it wasn’t as simple as contracting her Anima to make it thicker and hardier. And since he belonged to an organisation, then knowledge like that must be restricted to members, otherwise, what’s stopping others from making their own conclave?

“I guess I’ll figure it out.”

“You could join the Conclaves,” Johann said. “We will need to go back to Sofrugious though.” 

“Sofrugious?”

“The Floating City. It is accessible through portal gates, but it’s a few jumps away from here.” 

“I understand,” Yuriko nodded, then asked, “does Sofrugious have knowledge on manipulating and adjusting Gates?”

“Yes,” Johann added, “but it is locked behind the Conclave of Wisdom’s university. A place of learning.” 

“Is it open to members only?” Yuriko asked. 

“For a hefty sum, outsiders can apply.”

“How much?” 

“It’s not paid in coin, I’m afraid. Or precious metals. The price also depends on who’s seeking knowledge.” Johann scoffed. “They’re also tightfisted with their tomes and they really should make it all available,” he grumbled. 

“Ah, I see.” At least she had another path to try if climbing the Tower didn’t pan out.

They finished the afternoon tea and settled for a bit of light conversation. Johann spoke a bit about his life, freely offering anecdotes of the mischief he and his siblings got into. His parents were Ancients, as she surmised, but they were also only at the Actualised level. They were further along their path than Johann, of course, but they advocated slow and steady progress, and were upset at their son’s early advancement. 

Yuriko didn’t quite get it though. Why wait when it was already there? Perhaps it was a cultural thing? She wasn’t sure and she didn’t pry but let him speak as he wished. 

She didn’t offer much, just a bit of her travels once she and her companions arrived in Bresia. She spoke a bit of the conflict there, especially with the strangeness she felt when she fought the Ishodirians. 

“You have two companions who are Ancients too?” Johann asked. “Both Actualised? That’s a bit unusual.”

“Oh, why?”

He shrugged. “Well, most of those who Actualise leave their Circles to pursue their goals. But I guess your circumstances were different.”

“They are,” Yuriko agreed. 

After a while, she asked, “Do you mind if I take a look at the portal for the climb?”

“Sure. It’s not as if anything will happen there. It’s at least two weeks before the earliest it could activate.” 

Yuriko just nodded. Johann paid for the meal despite Yuriko’s protest. “You are my guest.” He insisted enough that she didn’t force the issue. Fluffington, who had been served his own dishes to snack on, clambered back into her backpack.

The three of them made their way into the chamber’s center, and there, the portal Gate was revealed in all its glory. It wasn’t much to look at, though. A tall obsidian plinth at the center of a circle five paces wide. The circle was bordered with obsidian strips that were etched with runescript lines. The surface writing didn’t make much sense to Yuriko and she suspected that most of the vital points were hidden deeper. 

Yuriko walked into the circle, half expecting something to happen. Perhaps it would like up, or suddenly open a gate, but those were merely flights of fancy. She touched the plinth with her palm however. 

Authority detected.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep