Arthur stumbled down the stairs, searching for water. He forgot to pack enough in his bags, didn’t refill the bottles he had upstairs and the water coming out of the taps was rather funky tasting. Not that he was going to complain, what with the fact that they had actual running water in the building, but perhaps some strainers or something to get the taste out would help. If he had to guess, it was likely just rainwater filled up from the barrels on the top of the rooftop and gathered, with some assistance from a few barrels carried up and dumped into the water tower to keep it filled. He doubted they had an actual motor or enchantment pulling water from a citywide water system.
He had been a little surprised to find neither Jan nor Yao Jing outside his door, but then they were technically safe. Still, it would have been convenient to send someone to get him some water, though…
“You’re out,” Leia said, a tinge of surprise.
“Why are you so surprised?” He hesitated, then added. “I wasn’t in there for a week or something, right?”
“Just a day.” A hand gestured outside where the sun was still set and the room was only lit by the various enchanted beast stone lamps that kept the area active. It always gave off a weird color to Arthur’s eyes, just a little too yellow and dark. A mental note to see about getting – or trading – for solar panels if they could. Getting electronics here would be helpful, though it generally required Tower grade equipment. Which – amusingly – was simpler equipment, requiring less tiny microchips and connections and bigger wires because the varying temperatures and the Tower itself did less damage to such things. It wasn’t all like that, of course, but mobiles, computers, anything that seemed to carry around information – those got targeted.
Which kind of led itself to the theory that the Towers were alive. And jealous about their secrets.
"Oh, thank god. What time is it?" Arthur said, or croaked. Reminded himself of what he needed to do, so went to grab some water as he listened.
"Early morning. So, any luck."
"So-so lah." He even managed a little head bobble to add emphasis, grinned back at her as she snorted. Wandered over, took a seat and let out a long yawn as he lay his head on the table, glass of water still beside him. "What you doing up?"
"Couldn't sleep. Eric started snoring again."
"Ooooh..." He remembered that. The man snored a little, but mostly the small, soft cute snoring type. Occasionally though, when he drunk too much, was too tired or was getting a cold; he managed to locate his chainsaw and got to work cutting down the sandman's forest. "So. You and Eric."
"Jangan." He grinned, unrepentantly till she sighed and answered him. "It just, I couldn't let him die, right? And then we started spending more time together. And he's kind of sweet, if you look at him in the right way."
"Right way."
Then she grinned wickedly. "Also, you know most of you all are pretty damn hot, right? All that exercise, all those abs. And he's got great control of his hips. He does this thing where he rolls his hips when-"
"Lalalalala!" Sticking his fingers in his ears, Arthur couldn't hide the smile he returned as she stopped talking at last. It wasn't really as bad as hearing a sibling describe their sex life, but it was comparable. After all, they'd grown up together and even if hooking up in the class was not uncommon, it still wasn't something you discussed.
At least, between sexes and the men.
He made no promises of what happened between women, especially considering how blatant some of the Amah's could get at times. That brought a very real shudder, especially in the last few years when they started trying to set him up with their daughters. A man just wanted to go shopping for new shorts without being offered to be set-up on a date, sometimes.
"So, it work?"
"Yeah, yeah it did." He touched his chest, sensing again the churning mass of energy within him. "I got it working."
"What was it again? Something to do with your middle dantian?" Disapproval in her voice, for obvious reasons. He ignored it, since he did survive opening the damn thing.
"Holding technique for uhhh, techniques." He chuckled a little sheepishly. "Gives me something to keep contained."
"Like a healing?"
"No, no full-body things. Or not the start at least," he waved his hands, trying to describe it. "Full body techniques, they need to work all at the same time, right? You can't just contain them and then expect them to spread out. You're actively working those techniques into you. So healing, buffs, that kind of thing doesn't work. But something more contained? You could do that. Like your Energy Dart. Or Focused Strike. A bundle of energy."
"OK. So nothing continuous?"
"Can't store the energy you need to keep it running, but you could store something the starting amount and then start feeding it, I'd guess."
"You guess?"
Arthur shrugged. "I just figured it out like... thirty minutes ago. Been testing and re-testing it, and now I'm going to try carrying around my technique for a few days, see if it works." Rubbed his temples. "It's also good training for splitting my flows, you know."
Leia nodded. Almost every cultivator eventually got to the point of needing to split their energy flows. In fact, it was the only way to progress after a point, since you needed protective techniques, attacking techniques and sensing ones active if you wanted to survive advanced towers.
For all that, you'd think there would be more information about such techniques on the internet; but so far no one had leaked a technique that was worth shit. Most of the techniques available publicly were like half star techniques at the best and most serious climbers read them over, but made to buy proper training manuals in the Tower. Or, like Arthur, just figured it out yourself.
One of the difficulties was that it was rather individual, what with multiple traits and physiologies getting involved. Some methodologies were just easier for others, and while Arthur had considered buying one himself... well, he had enough things to learn and was progressing well enough.
If nothing else, he didn't need to split into three parts. Not yet.
"So, what's happened while I was gone?" He asked, shifting a little to find a more comfortable part of his arm to lie on.
"Not much. Jan talked to Mel when she got back, they interviewed some of the merchants. Made an offer for them to sell our stuff, they're looking into enchanters and getting bulk deals for us." She ticked her fingers off. "Mel says we've got lousy timing. The big boss of the Lotuses aren't around, they're training or something outside. But she made an open invitation for the other girls to use the living room, just so they can train a bit if they want and talk to us."
Arthur grunted, looking around the empty space in the lobby. They'd need to fix it up a little from its spartan appearance if people were going to actively be cultivating down here. Some privacy screens or something. Almost made him think of those massage centers run by the blind masseuse who'd work on you in a wide open area, clambering all over you while others lay just beside you.
"Rick’s on it. Jan asked the merchants to get us some screens and some seats for people to cultivate. Or rest." She grunted. "We're going to need shifts, to watch over things down here." She raised her eyebrow and she shrugged. "They can't hurt us, but doesn't mean they can't steal."
True enough. Once they were let in, the Tower Guard probably wouldn't care. Or it might. He wasn't entirely sure the Guards cared, within a building. Then again, if he didn't know, maybe everyone else didn't either.
"Rick?" he asked instead.
"He has a book started. Names, dates, all that jazz. Also, he took inventory of the building and the rooms, damage, all that kind of thing." She grinned. "Casey helped, had her manager hand over his now that they didn't need it anymore." Rubbed her chin. "Rick was talking of hiring him, if we can."
"Because he's good?"
"He knows the building. Seemed competent enough."
"Spy."
She waved up to the ceiling. "We literally have a Chin living here and is one of your closest confidantes."
"Not that close..." At the smirk, he sighed. "Okay, but she knows a lot. And is smart."
"And cute."
Arthur smiled. It didn't hurt. "I'll think about it. How about you?"
“Not much to report. The Ghee Hin are posturing. They want you to come, we’re saying you’re busy, we have a meeting in two days; just me and Eric. We’ll see what we come to in an agreement about meetings and feel out what they want.”
Arthur sighed, but was at least grateful that he didn’t have to get involved yet. Leia watched as his eyes drooped, head nuzzling into his own arm. She reached out, shook him and gestured upstairs when he stared at her.
"What?"
"Sleep. In your room."
"Urgh." He sighed and pushed himself upwards, grabbed his cup and downed it, frowned as Leia took it from him and gestured for him to head back upstairs again. Letting a long suffering sigh, he stumbled over to the stairs, realising how exhausted he was. It was one thing cultivating, another putting yourself to the wringer with constant cultivation backlashes studying a technique. It hurt, and was tiring, and he just...
Well, maybe it was time to rest. After all, it seemed everyone else had it well in hand.
For now.