Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After passing through the darkness of the 70th Floor once again, Vahn, Ais, and Shizune found themselves at the 'heart' of the large formation. They spent a short amount of time exploring the temple-like structure located at the center before descending the large spiral staircase that led to the 71st Floor. Even with his ability to translate anything, none of the murals and inscriptions found within the 'temple' provided any important information other than stirring up a person's curiosity. If an Adventurer had no knowledge about the Dungeon's true nature, they would have undoubtedly been shocked after witnessing what appeared to be man-made structures this deep within the Dungeon. Vahn, however, already had a working theory about the Dungeon's true nature and, instead of feeling surprised, each new discovery only served to affirm his thoughts on the matter.Upon reaching the 71st Floor, Vahn kissed the top of Shizune's head before setting her down on the ground so she could walk on her own two feet. She gave him a playful pout as a result but didn't say a word of complaint as she began looking towards the large ornate archway that led to a long corridor with light coming from the far end. Vahn knew she was trying to put the previous matters behind her, at least for the time being, so he gently stroked her head and said, "We'll try and make a beeline for the 73rd Floor before returning to the surface. There shouldn't be any great dangers on these Floors so we can pick up the pace a bit..." With the information obtained from the mirror, Vahn had already compiled an accurate account of every monster in the Dungeon, giving each of the girls a 'study guide' of sorts so they could properly prepare themselves as well. Later on, he intended to sell the information at different grades through the HDF so that other Adventurers would be able to benefit while the power and authority of his Empire would steadily grow.Ais and Shizune gave understanding nods to Vahn before the latter pulled out a wand similar to Tiona's, allowing her to sprout two adorable little wings out from her lower back. Ais did much the same, but her's looked more mystical and angelic, especially with the pure white dress that comprised her [Pactio]'s raiment. Like this, they began to accelerate through the long corridor before finally entering the 71st Floor proper, avoiding many hazards along the way. Upon entering, the two girls were slightly startled by what they saw while Vahn simply had a small smile since he had already known what to expect after inquiring from the mirror previously...Unlike the Floors above, the 71st was rather unique in the fact that it had a sky-blue crystalline structure making up the walls and ceiling while the floor itself seemed to be full of nutrient-rich soil. In the 'sky' above, there was a blazing yellow crystal bed that emanated light that was extremely reminiscent of real sunlight, creating a natural illusion as if those entering the area had exited the Dungeon and arrived back on the surface. To complete the illusion, there were a plethora of emerald-green forests while pristine blue lakes dotted the landscape, creating a truly awe-inspiring sight for any who had managed to reach this far. If not for the existence of various dragon-like creatures flying towards them, many would have assumed this was a 'safe zone' due to how natural the environment was, especially after escaping the darkness of the 70th Floor.Though she was momentarily awed by the beauty of the Floor, Ais' focused quickly fell upon the Dragons making their way over at extreme speeds. Her eyes reflected a look of excitement as she tightened her grip upon [Gram] and prepared to accelerate forward. She knew exactly what kind of Dragons these were and, much like Shizune, had several questions on her mind. After all, without a single exception, each of the large flock of Dragons was undoubtedly a Green Dragon, just like Terra's base form. This meant that, at the very least, there were more than a hundred 'Treasure Trees' located within the vast forests dotting the landscape...Instead of stopping Ais, Vahn and Shizune slowed their flying speed to allow the former to cut loose as, even the largest in the 'flock' was only around the peak of Level 5. This ultimately didn't matter, however, as Ais' very existence seemed to be the bane of Dragons, even before she had obtained the S-Ranked [Gram]. As expected, Ais became shrouded in a tempestuous green aura that was nearly 20m in diameter before she turned into a green streak that passed through the largest Green Dragon in a singular instant. Its body seemed to ripple outward as its insides were torn apart by the Spirit Wind accompanying Ais' charge. By the time the 'ripple' had completed, nothing remained of the nearly Level 6 Green Dragon as the rest of the flock became chaotic as they attempted to attack an enemy they couldn't even see...Though it took nearly twenty minutes, Ais managed to defeat every last Green Dragon, seemingly without breaking a sweat. She flew back over to Vahn's side with a relatively expressionless face until he flew forward a bit and gave her a gentle embrace, sending waves of energy into her body to replenish her mana and remove some of the fatigue she had built up. This brought a small smile to Ais' face, diminishing some of the envy she had felt as a result of Vahn carrying Shizune for such a long period of time earlier. Now it was the mature Kitsunes turn to show a small pout, causing Vahn to internally produce a wry smile since it felt like he was trapped in an endless cycle in situations like this.After topping off Ais' reserves, they continued forward in hopes of finding the entrance to the 72nd Floor as expediently as possible. This Floor had been dominated by various plant-like monsters on the ground while the air had been the domain of the Green Dragons. With their ability to fly, Vahn, Ais, and Shizune were able to outright avoid the more annoying enemies while the large flock of Green Dragons had been the entirety of their forces on this Floor. Since they were relatively rare, even this far down, it would likely be a few months before another Green Dragon was produced by the Dungeon, especially since this meant the birth of another Treasure Tree.During their search, Vahn managed to catch sight of a shimmering green in the corner of his eye, immediately alerting him to the presence of a veritable grove of Treasure Trees. Since even a singular Treasure Tree was a major discovery, seeing a small forest of them was a truly awe-inspiring sight. Even Ais and Shizune were at a loss for words and, if not for the fact they had spent so much time around Yggy, they would have thought the small forest before them was the most beautiful in the entire world. After all, each Treasure Tree had a gem-like trunk while the 'fruits' dotting the large canopy of trees were literally gemstones of the highest quality, each having a value around 10MV. With more than 10,000 Magic Treasure Stones present, this small grove of trees had a value greater than one-hundred billion Valis.While the Valis-value of the Magic Treasure Stones was monstrous, Vahn felt a little giddy at the prospect of how 'useful' they would be in the creation of Magic Items while simultaneously feeling tempted to sell them to the system shop. At the very least, he would be able to earn nearly one-hundred million OP, a substantial boost to his reserves. Though he could already earn several million in a day, large boons like this were very meaningful since there were actually a number of things Vahn had wanted to purchase but had been holding back from. Since it would ultimately be more prudent to convert them into equipment and items, however, Vahn held back as he began to uproot the inordinately beautiful forest. He didn't bother plucking any of the Magic Treasure Stones, as this would only hurt the Treasure Trees themselves, and was intending to give them to Terra and Yggy so that he could harvest more Treasure Stones in the future. Terra could already produce an extra stone in her garden every three months so Vahn had high expectations for the 107 additional trees he had just acquired. At the very least, this would be the equivalent of having a passive income of 360MV, or 300-400k Origin Points, each month.After placing each tree into his Inventory, Vahn felt that the 'color' of the landscape had been diminished, causing him to feel a momentary regret before shaking his head and flying off with Ais and Shizune following after him. It wasn't as if he had destroyed the Treasure Trees and, without anyone here to bear witness to the beauty of the 'forest', Vahn felt it was almost wasteful to leave such treasures laying around. Since it would allow Terra and Yggy to become stronger, all while increasing his passive income and resources, there were seemingly infinite benefits to securing the Treasure Trees for himself...---While proceeding further in the Dungeon with Ais and Shizune, Vahn had also wrapped things up in the Far East and was currently in a rather cozy room connected to the student dormitory at the Sage Aldrnari School. Vahn always felt extremely comfortable when entering this particular place as it was the room where Anubis spent most of her time, at least when she wasn't at the Manor. It had a very homely feeling and, even though the temperature was actually rather cool, Vahn always felt as if it was much warmer due to the presence of the exceptionally motherly Anubis. Though she didn't have any of her own children just yet, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that many of the orphans in the School treated her as if she were their biological mother, something that seemed to make Anubis even more beautiful with every passing day...Currently, Vahn found himself with said 'motherly' goddess snuggling up against him as he affectionately stroked her hair. Across from them, looking exceptionally nervous as they fidgetted about, were the seven Kitsune girls he had rescued from the Far East. They had all awoken soon after he had teleported them back to the City as the supplements he had given them already removed most of the detrimental effects of their malnourishment. Though it would take several weeks for them to make a full recovery, none of the girls were in danger any longer while Shizune's young cousin, as if her former state had been an illusion, looked like a demure and immaculately carved doll instead of a weary and scarred young girl. She was the only one among them who could actually speak the native language of Orario and had been serving as a translator for the other six confused Kitsune girls, even though Vahn was capable of speaking to them directly.Having decided to leave most of the talking to Anubis, Vahn had remained relatively silent as he listened to the olive-skinned goddess praise him a little too heavily. He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed as, from an outsiders perspective, it was almost as if he were the god while she was nothing more than a faithful devotee. Fortunately, she managed to convey to the girls that he was an 'Emperor' while also managing to explain their current situation in a way even the youngest amongst them could easily understand. Vahn noticed that the two oldest girls had a distinct change in their auras upon the revelation of his status but he ignored it, even as their somewhat fervent gazes bored into the side of his head...As girls from the countryside, even though they were still relatively young, they already had hopes and ambitions that grew far beyond the small homes they were born into. For many in such circumstances, it was considered a great 'success' in life if you were able to become the servant or concubine of a local lord. Since Vahn was an 'Emperor', it was almost like winning the lottery if you managed to catch his fancy, even momentarily. Given the fact he had saved their lives, this already put the girls at an advantage compared to others, something they seemed to be keenly aware of since most of their fear subsided after Anubis' explanation. The oldest of the girls even whispered a few questions to Shizune's cousin, Kiyone, that would have caused her to seiza if she knew Vahn was able to understand what she was saying...Deciding the 'spare' the girl, Vahn allowed her antics since it would benefit her recovery and allow her to overcome the trauma they had faced much faster. He had no intentions of allowing any of them to even become his servants, at least in the near future, so it wasn't a problem letting them have 'hope'. Since they were all relatively cute, especially with their fluffy tails and ears, Vahn didn't mind the matter too much and simply accepted the fact he would be the target of their affection for a few years. Eventually, unless they made it their penultimate goal to become servants in his 'palace', they would move on and find someone they could truly love. If they kept at it for a decade or so, managing to reach a high enough Level to legitimately join the growing Maid Battalion, Vahn wouldn't have much to say on the matter...After the discussion had come to an end, Anubis range a small crystalline bell, causing a small knock to sound at the door a few moments later. She quickly gave her permission to enter, allowing a green-haired Pallum girl to enter into the room. Since he had personally evaluated everyone that came to work at the School, Vahn knew the girl was named Suna, one of the first wave of Pallum that had migrated to the City in the past. She was slightly startled upon seeing him in the room but, remembering her duties, quickly bowed to Anubis as she said, "Anubis-sama, I have come at your behest..."Anubis gave a soft smile in response, saying, "Suna, please show these younglings to the reserve rooms for special envoys. They will become students in the School after receiving a cursory education in Koine. Please inform Miyuki that she will be their personal caretaker for the next six months..." Since the girls would be unable to attend proper classes without learning the languages used in official lessons, Anubis had decided to give them a crash course to prepare them for what was to come. With Miyuki as their tutor, one of the mothers that had migrated to Orario from the Far East, it wouldn't take that long for them to acclimate to living within the City.Suna gave another polite bow, saying, "Understood, Anubis-sama. I will see to it personally that they are well taken care of...!" Even without knowing all of the details, the fact that Vahn was present was noted by Suna, giving her much greater motivation in the task she had been assigned. Anubis hadn't said anything about her looking after the children but, correctly assuming that Vahn would be checking in on them periodically, Suna wanted to build rapport with the young Kitsune so she could leave even a small impression on the legendary hero of the Pallum. Though she may never earn his favor, Suna knew that Vahn was extremely benevolent and would heavily reward anyone that had, even momentarily, earned his appreciation...Understanding her young protege's intentions, Anubis giggled lightly before allowing Suna to depart with six of the Kitsune in tow. Vahn also had a small smile on his face, understanding the situation since he knew his status amongst the Pallum and could easily read the aura and intentions of the calculating Suna. Just as he didn't mind having the older Kitsune fawning over him, Vahn didn't mind having a few Pallum holding small aspirations as it was their own prerogative to do so. If it meant they were trying harder, Vahn actually encouraged them to aim high and, even if might not directly 'favor' them, he could certainly reward them plentily if the situation afforded him the opportunity.With Suna leaving with the other girls, it was just Vahn, Anubis, and the young Kiyone left within the rather warm room. She became exceptionally nervous after being asked to stay behind but was doing her best to sit as neatly as possible, showing she had received lessons in etiquette at a very young age. Vahn couldn't help wonder why she had been thrown into the prison after already receiving a basic education but, remembering the one-eyed man mention that the 'old master' had died, he assumed her father had doted on her until his death. This would have caused her an even greater trauma, making Vahn feel genuine pity towards the young Kitsune as he sent a wave of calming energy through the air while explaining, "Do not worry, little one...after what you've gone through, I promise I will not allow any harm to befall you if it is within my power to prevent..."Kiyone was surprised by Vahn's words, causing her eyes to widen into circles as she felt the warm energy spread across her body. Almost immediately thereafter, all of the tears she had been fighting back broke through her defenses, as if a dam had broken. Though she tried her best to sit still and behave, she couldn't help by cry increasingly louder after experiencing 'warmth' for the first time in nearly half a year. It was at this time that Kiyone found herself embraced by an even greater warmth as Anubis wrapped her arms firmly around the young Kitsune's body while Vahn gently stroked her hair and attempted to console her. Even though this caused Kiyone to cry even harder, it was these very tears that showed there was hope for her recovery in the future...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Ais is a bully...!','Everyone is scheming to get closer to the Emperor xD...','Stay strong tiny fox girl (T ^ T)~!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Waiting just long enough for the man to voraciously devour the apple, Vahn proceeded to ask in a stern and questioning tone, "What exactly happened here? Why are you all imprisoned in this place?" In response to this, the man used the grimy stained sleeve of his ashen-grey yukata to wipe his mouth before answering, "That vile woman was the epitome of vanity. Ever since she the Old Master passed away, she has grown out of control and has been slowly bleeding this village dry. She forced many of the other Kitsune women away and imprisoned the children of those who refused before charging them with unsubstantiated crimes to set an example for the rest of the villagers. I don't know who you are, young man, but please take these children away from this hell hole before it is too late...!"Vahn listened intently to the man's words but, even though there was certainly some truth to what was said, he could tell there was something 'off' about how the man phrased things. Ultimately, it didn't really matter what the truth of the matter was, however, so Vahn just shook his head before turning away and saying, "I would not have come here if that was not my intent. Don't worry, these girls will be safe under my care..." It wouldn't take many resources to take care of an additional seven children, especially since he could just install them into the School, so Vahn wasn't particularly worried about anything. He would have the girls monitored for any abnormalities but, from what he could 'see', they were just normal Kitsune girls with the only unique quality being that one of them had a similar affinity to Shizune, being Darkness(pure), Fire, and Lightning(lesser). Since this was likely her cousin, Vahn didn't find this odd as even the woman above had almost the exact same affinity, likely the result of some heritage their family possessed.After turning away from the middle-aged man, Vahn went to where Lili and Fenrir had collected the children while the man himself raised his body, surprised by how much his energy had recovered. He then proceeded to head towards the only door within the prison, obviously intent on leaving without further discussion. Since he was only Level 2 and didn't have any particularly dangerous qualities to him, even possessing a mellow blue aura, Vahn didn't see the need to stop him. This resulted in him missing the glance the man gave him just before he ascended the stairs leading towards the surface, his dark brown eyes turning into a frosty blue for a brief moment before he continued to ascend the steps.Vahn had noticed the abnormal pulse but, feeling nothing amiss, he allowed the man to continue acting mysterious as he performed a cursory examination of the sleeping girls' bodies to make sure they wouldn't have any lingering health problems. With the medicine he had provided earlier, the chances of this being an issue were relatively slim but, being a practiced physician, Vahn wasn't going to take chances since he felt compelled to protect these girls until they could take care of themselves. The oldest seemed to be around eleven years old, based on the structure of her bones, while the youngest was around six or seven years old. They each had bristly fox-like tails which, after being exposed to the grim in the prison for a long period of time, had become oily and abrasive. Vahn found this rather sad since some of the more malnourished girls even had areas on their tails where the fur had started to fall out in clumps...After finishing the physical examination of the girls, Vahn had Lili bring them to a seated position while he placed his palm against their backs and began probing the interior of their body in a far more meticulous manner. He didn't want to overlook anything so he sent gentle waves of Source Energy through their bodies while inspecting the structure of their mana circuits and the condition of their organs. This caused the still-sleeping girls to wriggle about but Lili managed to keep them still long enough for Vahn to complete his secondary inspection. One had even awoken for a brief moment, just long enough for Lili to give her a waterskin full of a diluted version of Terra's sap. She ended up falling asleep while desperately clinging to the waterskin, something that caused Lili, Fenrir, and Vahn to feel a deeply seeded resentment towards the woman above...Fenrir ended up rising to her feet but Vahn stopped her before she could proceed any further. Before he could say anything, however, Lili suddenly reminded him, "Did you already forget about what happened with Alosrin, Vahn...? The kind of punishment you bestowed upon that woman would only work if she truly intended to reflect. It is far more likely that, after realizing what you had done to her body, she would take it out on others since, as far as she knows, there are no practical means to cure her condition. Unless you plan to bring Shizune over to deal with the situation soon, you shouldn't just let her wander around freely..." Knowing Vahn could be 'forgetful' at times, Lili had made a point of documenting everything that happened during his exploits, all in the hopes of being a guiding voice whenever he made decisions that weren't well thought out.Vahn was slightly taken aback by Lili's words but, realizing there was a great deal of truth to what she said, he nodded in response while a conflicted frown adorned his face. Back in the Dungeon, where he, Ais, and Shizune were still seated, Vahn turned to the silent Kitsune watching the events play out through the mirror and asked, "Do you mind if we deal with that woman now, or would you rather deal with her yourself later? I can also bring her back to Orario if you want to-." Before Vahn could finish listing out her options, Shizune plainly stated, "If it were up to me, I would cut off that vile woman's arms and legs before turning her into a daruma..."Hearing Shizune's words, Vahn felt his mind blank and nearly took in a cold breath, knowing full well what a 'daruma' referred to in this context. Fortunately, he didn't have to convince Shizune that such an extreme act was, inarguably, wrong, as she followed up by saying, "But...I don't really care for her. Honestly, I don't want to know why she did what she did; I don't really want to know anything about her, especially how we are related...just kill her and be done with it, Vahn. There has been enough suffering today..." Towards the end of her words, Shizune leaned against his shoulder while gripping the fabric of his tunic with her delicate fingers. They were almost completely white as a result of how tightly she was clenching them but Vahn pretended he didn't notice as he gently stroked her back to comfort her vexed heart...With Shizune's consent, Vahn looked upwards before extending his finger in the direction of the still unconscious Kitsune woman. At the same time, Fenrir lifted her own hand, placing it above his as she said, "Master, let me...you cannot keep doing everything on your own. I intend to follow you forever and, even if just a little, I want to take away some of your burdens." In response to this, Lili nodded her head, expressing that she was in full agreement with Fenrir. This made Vahn's own tensed heart relax a bit but, instead of smiling to show how grateful he was, he simply nodded his head and said, "Very well..." in a soft tone of voice.Without delaying for even a moment, Fenrir gave a small nod of her own before her scarlet eyes began to shimmer like gemstones. In the next moment, she had already disappeared from the prison and Vahn could sense her quickly passing through the manor's corridors before arriving at where the Kitsune woman was located. After that, the temperature in the surroundings seemed to drop a few degrees as Fenrir released a massive amount of Ice Elemental energy, freezing the central area of the manor after manifesting a giant pillar of ice that was nearly 30m tall. It had crashed through the ornate roof, causing several areas of the manor to collapse but ultimately leaving the underground prison unaffected.Lili showed a strangely 'envious' expression on her face but remained silent as Vahn continued to observe Fenrir before starting on a long-distance teleportation ward. It was too dangerous to move the girls in his Qinglong form and, knowing there was a chance he would come across Alexa on the return trip, Vahn decided to play it safe and use a more stable means of transferring the girls back to the City. It would take a massive amount of energy to complete the transfer but he had an excess of materials that had been stockpiling as a result of the time he spent traveling to Telskyura. Though he could only perform such a distant teleportation a few times, making a single trip wouldn't put much of a dent in his perpetually growing material reserves...With things wrapping up rather quickly back in the Far East, Vahn spent a bit of time consoling Shizune before inevitably asking, "Do you still want to search for the One-Eyed Black Dragon, or shall we return to the surface and take it easy for a little while...?" Though Shizune's magic was actually more powerful when she felt negative emotions, Vahn didn't want her to push herself since there was simply no need to do so. They had plenty of time to prepare for the battle against the One-Eyed Black Dragon and, even though he may be busy in the next few days, Vahn could still make time to accompany them with one of his bodies.Not wanting to have wasted Vahn's time, Shizune spent a few more seconds in silence before finally separating from him as she replied, "At the very least, we should map between the 71st and 73rd Floors before returning. Even if we don't find the One-Eyed Black Dragon, just knowing one path forward will save a lot of time in the future...besides, we can just find a 'safe' area before sending my shadows out to search for us. As long as you can provide me with enough mana, I can easily create a few thousand shadows without having to take any risks..." Shizune almost added that she could even use her shadows to harvest magic cores to create new shadows, even stronger than her current ones, but Vahn was already aware of this simple fact. This was how she had increased her 'army' to such an extreme size in a short period of time, to the point she had long exceeded the critical amount necessary to be a literal one-woman army...Understanding Shizune's intent, Vahn gave a small nod before picking up her rather light body into his arms. This caused Shizune's eyes to briefly widen before she smiled happily moments later and nuzzled her face against his chest. Ais gave a very small pout in response to this but, after sending her a short telepathic message, she also had a small smile on her face as the trio made their way towards the entrance to the 71st Floor. It didn't take long for them to leave the area containing the statue and its mirror artifact, causing Vahn and company to miss the small smile that had appeared on the statue's face as it seemed to follow their exit with its eyes. The surface of the mirror emanated a vibrant white light before showing a crystal clear image of Vahn back in the Far East, closely following his every action as he drew out the structure of the teleportation ward...---(A/N: Today's chapter is very short due to time constraints. I almost didn't have time to write one but decided to pump one out quickly (53 mins) since I know that I 'missed' a day only recently. If there are typos and errors, I will try to fix them when I can get back to my computer. Once again, thank you for your patience and I hope you can bear with me until the Summer season has come to an end. By the time August comes around, EPIC will be my primary focus until it is COMPLETELY finished.)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vile Vixen...!','Shizune can be a bit 'extreme' at times...','Sneaky Statue OwO...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 976: Treasure : Warmth