Chapter 119: Main Event of the Day

Up in the air, a Tubian and an Ensifer stood stationary. They were about 270 kilometres above mean sea level, and a beautiful lotus supported the Tubian in the air. Standing apart by almost 13 metres, Gauthama stared at the triangular eye of the Ensifer. An amused expression was visible on his face. Wind blew and his long sleeve robe fluttered in the air. The black hair elegantly swayed in harmony. The silence in the air was too unbearable for any living being.

"@#|&%$+!~:[email protected]&"

The Ensifer spoke non-stop in its dialect. Even Gauthama had a tough time deciphering it, as his head slightly tilted to right. His hands went behind his back, in revelation to the meaning. As the being took a pause, with arms crossed, Gauthama replied-

"I do not know you and I will not support your intentions. So I will have to ask you to leave this place."

Buddha stretched his hand and pointed at a distance. The Ensifer took a few seconds to comprehend what Gauthama meant. It gave out a sharp shrieking noise in response and disappeared into thin air. A gust of air burst at Gauthama ferociously, but it simply brushed past him giving a gentle touch.

"I wonder why these strange and unseen creatures are popping up now!"

The next instant, the figure of Gauthama vanished and he appeared on the surface of the earth, outside the inn's backdoor. Tera, who thought that her brother had gone for a walk, stood up as he entered.

"Brother, I have conveyed the message as you asked."

Gauthama nodded with a pleasant smile, and patted her head. It was Buddha's behaviour to appreciate each and every act of goodness, be it small or big. He promptly conveyed her that the time is late and that she should not stay awake at such moments. Tera promptly nodded and walked to her bed and fell asleep within two minutes.

'Lee Shen, I hope for your victory in the future.'

Gauthama walked to the bed, and took off his robe. After placing it on the small table next to his bed, he sat cross-legged on the bed and meditated. A few minutes later, he woke up from his deep state and stretched his body and laid down on the bed, hoping for a good future.

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5 A.M.

28384 Essence harvested.

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Fero and the Perrafin were wide awake by 4.40 in the dawn. But as they sensed darkness outside, they suppressed their urge to make some noise. Silently they laid down and the unusual warmth of the wooden floor caught their attention. They jumped up on their four legs and inspected the coziness the floor gave off. Walking for a while, they rested their bodies on the floor. Hushedly, Fero began to speak with the Perrafin, and the beast would give response in a verbal or non-verbal manner. They enjoyed the conversation, but the antelope was annoyed by their hushed murmuring-like voice. It stood up and walked to both of them with angry strides, and stared into both of their eyes. Though small in stature, the disturbance in it's beauty sleep made it super-annoyed, and it was reflected in the stare. Instantly, both Fero and the Perrafin went silent, and stared into each other's eyes helplessly.

Lee soon got out of his bed, a few minutes after waking up. His uncommon amount of Vitality helped him to restore the energy and to completely remove any presence of fatigue. His olfactory senses picked up the scent of sweat and he became aware of his state. As he was wondering what to do, a knock came from the door. Lee jolted up as he was not expecting a knock at this time of the day. An, who was almost awake, got out of her bed at once as she heard the knock. Glancing at Lee, she walked towards the door and opened it.

"Good morning!"

Outside the door, Tera stood as she smiled at An. She wore a reddish black coloured attire that resembled the medieval renaissance, decorated with white dots. An caught the sight of this beautiful dress and was absorbed in it. As Tera appeared, Lee woke up Mia and Ruella, and gestured that it was time. They jumped out of their beds and caught the sight of Tera standing at the door, with a few white cotton towels in her hand.

"Brother asked me to take you all to freshen up. Let me guide you."

An nodded in response to Tera's words and turned to look at the faces of her companions. Mia and Ruella came near her and gave a nod. Lee followed behind them and Tera led them downstairs.

Gauthama was standing behind the reception desk with his eyes closed. His palms were firmly placed on the desk and his figure did not move an inch. The Perrafin and Fero sat in front of the desk and stared at his serene face with a peaceful smile. A single glance at it was able to calm a troubled beast's heart. As they beheld the tranquil face, footsteps can be heard from the side. The beasts, including the herbivore, felt reluctant to pluck their sight from the face of Buddha.

The trio and Lee witnessed the sight and were amazed to see the beasts showing such attention, that they did not move their tail, or twitch their ears. Tera brought them towards the desk and the beast sensed their approach, and gave way. As they stood in front of the desk, Gauthama opened his eyelid and exposed his beautiful pair of eyes. Ruella felt a strange attraction from his eyes, so she immediately distracted her eyes towards the antelope.

"My sister will take you to freshen yourself. Please follow her."

Tera walked towards the main door and opened it. The darkness outside was not too threatening, but gave off an ominous feeling when stared into it. The trio and Lee followed Tera as she walked outside and turned to her right to walk. After taking a few steps, she paused her steps near the alleyway, and took another right turn and entered the alleyway.

An and Lee glanced at each other's face, as they did not know where they were going. Mia and Ruella obediently followed Tera, so they too followed the trail. The wooden fence at the end of the alleyway halted their progression. Tera extended her hand and pushed one of the wooden pieces, and a door swing opened from the fence.

A small open area welcomed them with very little brightness, provided by a burning lantern at the behind of the inn. A small wooden cabin-like structure came to their visual senses, as they took a few steps forward. It three people can barely stand inside it together. Tera opened the door and exposed the insides to them. There was an opening from which water would flow in and fill a bucket beneath it. A small seating arrangement and clean insides felt comfortable to them.

"This cabin is the bath that we use. Only one person can use the bath at a time. Take these towels. They can help you dry up faster."

Tera handed over the towels into Mia's hand and went to the fence and closed the door, so as to make them secure. The trio and Lee glanced at each other with reluctance to enter. Finally, An decided to enter first, Mia after her and Ruella as the third. Lee entered the last and took a bath within minutes

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After the bath, Tera led them back to the inn. Gauthama was standing at the same position and the beasts beheld his face with mesmerisation. 

"Shall we have our breakfast before training?"

A nod, and Tera was signalled to guide them towards the door behind the desk. Gauthama waved his hand and the beasts got up and joined them. The door was slightly larger than the inn's main door. Still, the Perrafin had trouble squirming through it, and was slightly discomforted.

Another room was unveiled, and they saw the residing place of the siblings. The darkness outside was slowly receding and the window to their left showed the fairly brightening outside. Two beds were placed nearby, with barely a metre apart, on the far right corner. Three tables can be seen dragged and placed next to each other, and six chairs arranged around it. A kitchen setup visible in another corner of the room had a steamy pot set on top of the burning stove. There were a few almirahs and shelves on the wall with various objects, but Lee temporarily dismissed attention to them.

"Have a seat."

Tera spoke and the trio acted accordingly. Lee too followed the women and sat on a chair. As they saw, Gauthama was bringing two plates in his hands. The steam rising from the plate indicated the presence of food. When he placed them in front of Mia and An, Tera brought another two plates which she placed in front Ruella and Lee.

Pale red colour filled the central portion of the plate where it is relatively deeper. The presence of broccoli, cabbage, carrot and other vaguely recognisable vegetables was not a delightful sight, but delivered a wonderful aroma worth drooling to. The thick soup was accompanied with a wide and shallow spoon in the plate. The smell of freshness arose from the plates and filled the air.

"May this food make our day better."

Gauthama spoke as he too sat at the table, with his portion. Tera sat next to her brother and nodded in agreement. A few glances around and the trio picked up the spoon to taste the soup. Though not as delicious as meat items, it still gave an unforgettable punch to their taste buds. Even the ferocious carnivores like Fero and the Perrafin ate with such vigour, that they continuously spilled it on the floor. Gauthama saw this and poured the soup to a much larger bowl and placed it in front of them. It was a meal worth remembering eating!

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6 A.M.

28384 Essence harvested

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[Just letting you know that you have 397125 Essence, and it only needs 149376 Essence to upgrade Ice Affinity to Greater grade.]

'Do it.'

[And it only takes 155424 Essence to upgrade Sand affinity.]

'Okay, do that too. And anything else?'

[Not at the moment. I will notify you when the amount needed to completely upgrade an affinity is amassed.]

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The delicious breakfast gave their tummy a workload to digest, while successfully making them burp out loud. Lee found it interesting that even a Tubian can happily enjoy a meal with lower sentient beings.

Gauthama collected the plates and took them to wash, ignoring the collective reluctance to let someone else wash their plates. The ladies and gentleman took a minute to chat, and this time was more than enough for someone with incredible agility and control over himself. Gauthama came back to the table and happily joined their conversation.

When enquired, he let them know how he and Tera became siblings. He did not hide the fact that he is a Tubian, but none asked about it. Lee did not feel like mentioning it, so he too let Gauthama guard his identity. After an extensive conversation that ranged from likes and dislikes, to their political and social views, Gauthama pushed the chair back and stood up from his seat.

"Since we are all full and happy, shall we move to the main event of the day?"