Chapter 187: Gathering Of Companions

Lee remembered the situation of the shop across the street. He nodded as his unconscious mind approved the latter option.

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Gauthama excused himself and went out to convey the news to Niqom. His daughter was hesitant to accept, but she eventually yielded to the kindness of Buddha.

Lee and others were waiting for Tubian to return from his task in the backyard. When he appeared through the backdoor, his smile indicated that his mission was a success. Before walking away, he took a glance at the reinforced backdoor.

Tera was told by Gauthama to take nothing with her. After placing the ownership document of the inn in the hands of Niqom, he bid them farewell. When enquired whether he is leaving the city, Gauthama replied that he had found a new space to stay. Assuring that he will cherish the memories of them, Tubian exited the inn.

The excitement to see the developments in the System Space made Lee to quickly open a portal. Jumping in, he saw a beautiful two storeyed mansion. It had maroon border lines and turquoise blue geometric patterns on the corners of the walls.

To the left side of the home was a small cafeteria. Just as the women had described, it did not have exterior walls. It looked more like a stall with a semi-circle reception desk, and a large open-air dining area with tables and chairs.

It was then Lee noticed a hammock not too far for the cafeteria. It was supported by two tall coconut trees. The dense vegetation had casted its shadow on the hammock, and he sensed someone being comfy in it. Walking near to it, Lee found D sleeping all cozy.

A dark brown shade resting on his nose had the brand name 'Ray Ban' on it. The hawaii-themed trousers were in harmony with the vibe of the sleeveless sky blue upperwear. Dangling one leg down from the hammock, the old man with a top bun exhibited luxury with a burning cigar on his lips.

"Sup kiddo?" (D)

"I can see that you are being progressive." (Lee)

"Thanks to you, the Essence reserve is vast and deep." (D)

A frown appeared on Lee's face as he heard what D said. To quench his curiosity, D gave a detailed explanation how all these objects came to existence. He did not forget to add that it is his Essence that is being used to all the activities here.

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2 P.M.

32655 Essence harvested.

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Lee was sitting on the ground with his legs crossed. His torso was leaning forward, and his elbows were supported on his knees. On his crossed fingers was his chin, and his face reflected a train of thoughts.

Lee was not mad. Soon after D's explanation, he understood that what D had done was a necessity. The Essence is the purest form of energy, and it is from this form that Qi and Mana evolves. Thus, the Essence can be literally used to even build solid objects. It is just that the cost of Essence can vary according to the density, strength, hardness and other properties, as well as any enchantments.

When comprehending facts and figures, Lee was almost as fast as a supercomputer. Although the Intelligence value of 350 does not seem too high, addition of each point makes a great difference in the extent of reasoning and logic. The fact that Amortals have plotted a plan so extensive, but slow is the indicator that those beings have chartered about almost all possible contingencies beforehand.

When thinking about Amortals, Lee feels an immense respect for them. As entities unbounded by time, their patience to silently wait for all things to turn their way in due course of the dimensions was simply too sinister. The elaborate plan to eliminate any suspicion about their existence also contained a concealed bait which lured the dimension sovereigns toward the Origin Dimension.

"Makes sense. But try to conserve Essence as much as possible. It takes some time for it to generate from the EsGen."

Lee gave his suggestion as he stood up from the ground. The expanse of grass under their feet was refreshing and safe to even roll on.

Lee walked to the cafeteria, where Gauthama and the women were having their lunch. Perrafin and Fero were also filling their tummy with some delicious Sandal Musk's grilled meat. Hudson was the one taking the orders and preparing food.

For preparing food, D had created an interface similar to the Workshop, and named it as 'Vaza'. He said that it is the name of a delicious and long-lost dish. D had taught Hudson how to handle the Vaza. Due to that fact that Vaza uses Essence to create food, the access to operate it was restricted to Dnekewy alone. Hudson was given the permission to operate if D allows access.

"A bottle of Horned-Mow milk."

Lee gave his order, and the Vaza brought forth a bottle of familiar shape. Inside it was milk so aromatic that the smell rushed into his nose. The entire bottle of milk immediately disappeared into his mouth, and Lee let out a burp after a second.

After the meal, Lee sat with everyone and shared his experiences since the day his companions were taken into the EsGen. His words conveyed the facts and experiences, but the faces of An, Mia and Ruella were reflecting it's emotions. Their faces expressed almost all the emotions. From happy to surprise, and to sadness and finally agony, and after returning back to relaxed emotion of revenge, the narration ended.

"The duel is set to two days from now. What do you all think about joining the academy? I have no reason to accept or reject the offer."

The reply was silence. The faces showcased a carnival of emotions. D was silent, as he skimmed his eyes over the silent faces. After about a dozen of seconds, Mia raised a question.

"How long will it take for the port to get back to a stable situation?"