Starlight Life Of The Sage

The East Gate was quiet. Cara followed behind a small stream of people. Two Houtian Realm knights were watching the gate itself and they didn't stop or inspect anyone in particular. They just kept their eyes open. On the walls by the gate were several posters, hand-drawn pictures of criminals listed with bounties.

"The guards probably just look for known bounties among those entering the city," said Cara, wondering about the lax guard.

"That's rather inefficient. Why not just set up an Array to do it, save some manpower," Zara replied, her tone flat. She was still in a bad mood about what happened earlier.

Cara smiled at her sulking disciple. "Who knows if they even understand Arrays at all in this world. I'm sure they have something similar. We're probably just in a low tiered part of the world."

"I'm not sure," said Zara. "I've seen nothing but ants. The strongest we've even sensed so far are Soul Refining Cultivators. That's still pretty low in the grand scheme of things."

"I mean, when we traveled in my first life, there were plenty of countries run by Soul Refining cultivators. Hell, the Outer Cambria Islands were run by that obnoxious Golden Core cultivator. That didn't mean there were no Ascendants in the world."

"That's… True." Zara paused before continuing, "Listen, Teacher, that man who t-touched your hand before, his cultivation was *below* the Houtian realm. I really should have killed him. It's probably not too late to go back and..."

"Stop." Cara pulled on Zara's hand. "What is wrong with you? Is this a side effect from the mana? You were never like this before."

"What do you mean? I'm exactly as I've always been. I just… I've only ever been stronger than Gen. Back when we were all traveling together he was the only one I could protect and take care of."

"Wait, you acted like this with Gen? How did he feel about this?" Cara asked. A few choice memories came back to her, and she started to sweat a bit. She remembered Gen actually bringing up something about Zara in the past...

"My little Gen is all grown up, now. He used to be so cute before his Elemental Palace cultivation talent erupted... Now he doesn't let me take care of him anymore. He's such a rude child, always spreading lies about me," Zara sulked.

-

10 of the Disciples were in a meeting about trying to understand the laws of the Mana world in order to cross over. Only Arc and Zara were absent.

Gen, the youngest of the Disciples, sneezed. Everyone looked over, a bit confused. Cultivators didn't sneeze often, considering their bodies were overly enhanced.

"Gen are you sick?" Aria asked.

"N-no, big sis," said Gen, "I just had a feeling that… Zara is trash-talking me somewhere."

"Gen, Zara is a little angel. Why do you always spread lies about her," said Tuku in a gruff voice. He crossed his hairy arms. Tuku was a wide man, his shoulders broad enough that they would hit both sides of any normal doorway. He had a beard so thick he looked more bear than man.

"I've tried to tell you all so many times about sis Zara's real personality, but none of you ever believed me. Trust me, when we see teacher again, you'll all apologize to me!" Gen stood up and ran out of the room riding a gust of wind. The rest of the disciples just looked on with confused stares.

-

Cara waved to the gate guards as she walked into the city. The two men waved back with stupid smiles on their faces. Their smiles faded, though, when they noticed Zara's scowl and felt the pressure from her aura.

"Zara you need to stop intimidating everyone that looks at me," said Cara. Zara didn't reply.

The gate opened into a small tunnel. The far side seemed like it was one giant, solid, bright light due to the transition. When the two passed the film of light, the city opened up before them.

Old buildings made of rusting metal stood in rows. A narrow pedestrian street stretched straight ahead for a ways before it connected orthogonal to the main road. Cara could see carriages on the main street in the distance as they rolled through the town. Hundreds upon thousands of people were milling about, living their lives.

Vendors lined street after street selling their wares. Off in the distance a plinking sound echoed as blacksmiths beat metal to shape. Scaffolding was set up here and there as construction projects raged on, new building taking place over old, and it gave the city a weird patchwork quality.

"I see why it's called the Tin City," said Cara with a smile.

"Okay, so where are we going now?" Zara asked.

"In my last life, the one without any heavenly energy, there were a lot of stories (video games) about worlds with magic like this one. In all of them there was one constant in the cities, an Adventurer's Guild! I want to see if there's something like that here," said Cara.

"That sounds nonsensical. I think you're being blinded by some kind of nostalgia… Hey don't leave me behind!" Zara cried and noticed, for the first time, that Cara somehow slipped away. Hadn't they been holding hands?

Cara ran through the streets with a strange grace, never bumping into anyone or disrupting anything. Her movements were practiced and strange, like a fish in water. She could feel the aura of mana through her Spirit Forge ability, and she followed that aura, moving towards the densest locations she could find.

The streets grew wider and the buildings nicer as Cara moved. Fewer and fewer people walked there. Gilded carriages rolled on the streets pulled by expensive-looking horses.

These incongruities coupled with Cara's original expectations calmed her down. She knew, in her heart, that something like an Adventurer's Guild from a game probably couldn't exist in reality. Countries would never let some kind of organization like that exist. Capable fighters were, most likely, tied to the State or they were contracted to powerful private institutions that acted similar to the sects of her first world.

The idea of a public entity spanning countries and continents was absurd. In a world where money could make you physically more powerful, the poor would never have a chance to rise up against the iron grip of those in power.

-

Cara spoke with passersby from time to time. She learned more and more about the Tin City with every conversation. Most folks she met were pleasant people, though a few turned their noses up to her. She paid those arrogant ones little mind.

There were no 'Guilds' here. There was a City Lord who controlled the Guard. The knights of the Guard would patrol the city limits and the roads leading in all directions up to the borders of the country of Tin. There were several guard relay stations near the borders where soldiers could rest in between patrols while also standing guard for invasions.

There were also the 'Four Families', four clans that rose to power in the city. Their men and women served as a police force, essentially, within city limits. While the City Guard kept Tin safe from outside threats and monsters, the Four Families regulated everything else within the walls. Their powers were kept in check only by the personal strength of the City Lord himself. It was a terse but tenable relationship.

A third power existed, but none of the people Cara asked knew anything about them other than that they backed the Twin Birds Auction House, a place even the City Lord or the strongest of the Families wouldn't dare offend.

Judging from the name, though, Cara had a good idea just who backed the 'Twin Birds', though she'd have to go and personally see the insignia to be sure.

Cara finally found the first location with the strong mana signatures, but to her disappointment it was the barracks for the City Guard; it was a tall building with a massive courtyard wrapping around the back. Tall, opaque walls lined with sheet metal hid the majority of the training grounds, but one grassy knoll remained open to public viewing where several men on horseback were practicing their riding.

Something grabbed Cara's hand. She turned her head to see a rather angry Zara staring at her.

"How did you do that?" Zara asked between breaths, her c.h.e.s.t heaving. "I'm an Ascendant and I couldn't track you or keep up with you!"

Cara grinned."You may have been my student, but you never learned all my tricks. I wasn't called 'The First Paragon' for nothing."