The conversation ended there. Captain Goldmon stopped being in the mood to voice wise words, and Khan lost himself in the spectacular scenes that appeared in his view. As for the answer to the soldier's question, Khan didn't need to think about it. He had to find the Nak, which most likely involved exploring the depths of the universe.
Amber noticed something deeper in Khan's lost expression, but she wrongly addressed it to his marvel. Khan was utterly astonished by the majestic sight, but his real stupor came from his senses.
Everything from the smallest banner to the largest building used synthetic mana. The symphony that Reebfell played felt messier than any battlefield Khan had seen. Even the vehicles relied on that energy to move, which only increased the number of waves that Khan perceived.
Khan grew used to that chaos in a few minutes. He had initially compared Reebfell to a battlefield in his mind, but those thoughts soon disappeared. The mechanical nature of the buildings, lamplights, banners, and vehicles prevented the environment from getting an authentic messy atmosphere. Everything eventually became predictable and oddly lame.
Khan didn't claim to understand how the technology around him worked. He even knew that the current spectacle had required the efforts of multiple experts and various studies. Still, that use of the mana felt limiting.
The reason behind that sensation was hard to find. The fusion between technology and synthetic mana gave birth to an unnatural environment that didn't fully express the nature of that incredible energy. Of course, those ideas and sensations existed only in Khan's mind, and it seemed that no one else was noticing that strangeness.
'Maybe I feel like this because I have seen how mana behaves when it's free,' Khan wondered.
No one around Khan could solve his doubts. Liiza might have a few ideas, while Zalpa could probably give a grumpy explanation, but he had to remain in the dark for now.
The group walked for a while, with Captain Goldmon leading everyone through the crowded streets. Cars whooshed above them and on their left, but no one paid attention to them. Even Khan soon accepted them as the norm in that environment.
Khan had browsed the menus in the previous shop while he remained immersed in his drink, but he didn't understand what was worth pursuing. He didn't even care about most of that stuff. His life in the Slums had made him lose interest in every item that could improve his time inside the camp. He could only consider knives, training programs, and techniques, but none of the offers suited him.
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Truth be told, Khan's set of techniques was more than enough at his current level. He had two powerful martial arts, three spells, a defensive skill, a method that enhanced his training speed, and two more valuable abilities. Adding something else was pointless, especially since he still had to learn everything he owned.
Generally speaking, his training should focus on perfecting his martial arts by increasing his proficiency level. Khan also had to achieve mastery of his spells and techniques, and the same went for the skills obtained on Nitis.
Khan even had to deepen his understanding of the chaos element. His experience on Nitis had given him ideas on how to use his mana through the Niqols' arts, but he needed training for that.
His equipment and the techniques that didn't have any elemental requirements were the only aspects that could benefit from the trip to Reebfell. However, the offers didn't feature any knife or special abilities, but that turned out to be normal, according to Amber.
"Only specific shops can sell those goods since they need the authorization from the Global Army," Amber explained when Khan questioned her about the matter. "You must understand that no one here thinks about wars or battles."
Khan nodded, even if he struggled to think like a citizen of a big city. His time inside the Global Army had consisted of battles and tragedies. Instead, his life in the Slums had mostly been about keeping his stomach full. The sole idea that someone could be interested in different phone models, cleaning robots, cars, or clothes was impossible to understand for his current mindset.
"Don't worry," Amber giggled when she saw Khan's confusion. "It's still early. I'm sure we'll visit those shops."
"Does the Global Army need to authorize everything connected to wars and battles?" Khan asked as his group continued to march through the streets.
"Yes, well, there are exceptions," Amber revealed.
"The Global Army is Earth," Lieutenant Abaze jumped into the conversation. "Everything you see exists because the Global Army wants it to exist. Yet, some powers linger slightly outside its influence."
"The noble families," Khan responded.
"The families in general," Lieutenant Abaze corrected. "The Global Army is Earth, but the many families make the Global Army. It's only normal for them to have grey or completely black areas that normal citizens can't touch."
"What do you mean by normal citizens?" Khan asked.
"Everyone living in the Slums or weak soldiers without backing," Lieutenant Abaze explained. "My family is quite wealthy, so I can have access to goods and events that you'll never see on the menus around here. Professor Teldom is the same, while the Captain is a few steps above us."
"She forgot to say that I'm the reason behind my privileges," Captain Coldmon snorted. "I didn't always have a family ready to wipe my a-."
"Captain," Lieutenant Abaze interrupted.
"What? They have both heard far worse," Captain Goldmon complained.
"It's still rude," Lieutenant Abaze stated, and the Captain sneered before giving up on the matter.
'I guess I'm a normal citizen,' Khan thought, 'Which means that I can't gain access to the really good stuff until I build significant connections or accumulate many achievements.'
His thoughts went on Rick, Captain Clayman, Colonel Norrett, Luke, and George. Khan had met important figures in his life, and he had even established good connections with some of them. In theory, he also had favors to call in. Yet, they would have little to no value right now since his position inside the Global Army was relatively poor.
Some of his connections also had to mature, especially when it came to Rick. Potentially, he could be his greatest trump card, but everything depended on whether he could achieve something inside the Rassec family.
Casual lines flew among the group. Amber and Lieutenant Abaze had realized how poorly Khan understood the human culture, so they described a few peculiar shops or scenes that they found on their path.
The train had stopped in a commercial area that featured almost every type of shop. Khan could see an immense variety of items for sale. The goods could go from simple toys to eccentric tools. He smiled slightly at the sight of small flying puppets, but he frowned when he noticed glowing make-ups or dyes that changed color every few seconds.
A lot of those items expressed the incredible fields that human technology had reached, but others highlighted its excesses. Khan could probably accept everything with his broad mindset, but some ornaments, clothes, or even flashy accessories on the vehicles felt utterly useless and uncomfortable. He couldn't understand how someone would ever think to spend money over them.
The strangest aspect of those eccentric items came from their popularity. Almost half of the people that Khan saw made him frown in confusion. The situation had reached the point when he had to concentrate on wearing his perfect poker face to avoid claiming unwanted attention.
Lieutenant Abaze left the group during the march, and Amber followed her. The former had to purchase materials for her subject, but she still wanted to visit girly shops, and Amber couldn't refuse her request to accompany her.
Khan remained alone with Captain Goldmon, who spoke rarely. The soldier only explained that they didn't take a taxi to show him the area. Khan had no idea what that was, but he used the network to solve his doubts instead of asking other questions.
The shops with the Tainted animals usually stood at the edges of the commercial district due to the awful scents that those creatures could release. The technology in the city easily took care of those odors, but Captain Goldmon explained how that layout had become a tradition by then.
Khan didn't need the Captain's warning or a banner to understand when the destination was nearby. It wasn't hard for him to sense big lifeforms with a significant amount of mana among those predictable waves of energy. His eyes soon fell on a series of huge buildings that had vast entrances and banners that depicted dogs, bears, or other animals.
"All this side of the district is related to the Tainted animals," Captain Goldmon explained. "The first shops have the most famous brands, which are also more expensive."
"Amber has said something about a possible refund from the Global Army," Khan stated. "Captain, how much do you think it will cover?"
"A few thousand Credits, but only because it's you," Captain Goldmon exclaimed.
"Are they enough to purchase a Tainted animal?" Khan continued.
"Tainted animals are simple to create," Captain Goldmon revealed. "You take a normal beast and force it to mutate. It takes little to no mana to complete the procedure, so they can be very cheap. Still, I think you are here for creatures worth more than a thousand Credits."
"Which means that I'll have to spend some of my finances," Khan continued.
Khan had started to understand how expensive life in the city could be. He had read every price and offer during the walk. His thirty-two thousand Credits could vanish incredibly quickly.
Moreover, there was an issue that had started to bother Khan. Amber's responsible warnings had been on point, but Khan didn't care about houses for now. Still, he minded his ability to purchase superior techniques, training methods, and spells, which could obviously be expensive.
Saving was the best option. His double income as a professor and lieutenant would give him one thousand and five hundred Credits every month, so his finances could increase rapidly. However, he cared about his role.
"We can go directly to the cheap shops if you-," Captain Goldmon announced while wearing a curious smile.
"No, bring me to the shops that might have suitable creatures," Khan interrupted. "You know the area and the level of the recruits better than me, so I'll rely on your expertise."
Captain Goldmon inspected Khan for an instant before nodding in satisfaction. The more the soldier looked at Khan, the more he believed that he would be a good professor.
The Captain and Khan walked deeper into the areas with shops related to Tainted animals until the former stopped in front of a large building with "Beasts' King" written on its vast banner. That part of the city was less crowded, so Khan could inspect the whole structure from side to side before pushing open its tall doors.
The entrance felt too light for its size, but Khan didn't question the nature of its materials. His attention quickly went on the many huge cages that occupied both sides of the building. They were mostly made of a dark alloy, but their fronts had barriers similar to those in Ecoruta's underground structure.
Each cage had peculiar specimens. Khan saw multiple odd Tainted animals as he walked through the clean path among the cells with the Captain. Dogs with scarlet eyes and metallic claws, hyenas with hard spiked fur, strange bears that stood on two legs, snakes with barrels instead of fangs, and much more filled the building.
'They are too weak,' Khan thought as he walked past the cages.
It didn't take much for an animal to become "Tainted". As Captain Goldmon had said, the mana simply had to trigger mutations, but they didn't necessarily need to bring physical improvements. Most of the creatures in the cages had barely earned their infamous label. Even normal humans would have a high chance to defeat them.
The building was devoid of customers, so the duo's presence didn't go unnoticed. A middle-aged waiter with an unkempt beard and messy dark hair left a desk in the middle of the floor to approach Khan and Captain Goldmon.
"Sirs, sirs!" The waiter called while rubbing his hands. "Please, come this way. How can I help you?"
Khan couldn't help but notice how the waiter was wearing simple clothes. His yellow T-shirt and trousers featured a few dark spots and a couple of holes, and the same went for the brown apron above them. His figure contained mana, but Khan barely put him above the checkpoint for first-level warriors.
"We are looking for Tainted animals suitable for recruits in the second semester," Captain Goldmon exclaimed without glancing at the waiter a single time.
"You are in the right place!" The waiter almost shouted. "Here at the Beasts' King we have a great assortment of Tainted animals for that specific category. Most of our creatures have developed physical enhancement, and we have also decided to add bionic improvements to others to add some deadliness."
"The beasts here are too weak," Khan said while glancing at the bottom of the hall. "Even those there won't do."
"How would you know without looking at them?" The waiter asked as a tinge of displeasure appeared on his face.
"Because he said so," Captain Goldmon snorted while finally laying his eyes on the waiter. "Well, do you have something worthy of our time?"
The waiter didn't like Khan's apparent lack of respect due to his young age, but his expression returned extremely polite in front of the Captain. The man nodded a few times and rubbed his hands with more intensity before answering. "Of course. Do you mind following me to the second floor? The beasts there will surely meet your requirements."
Khan had the instinct to frown, but his face didn't reveal his confusion. He couldn't sense anything coming from above, but he followed the waiter with the Captain anyway.
One of the cages turned out to hold an elevator that the three didn't hesitate to take. Khan's eyes widened in surprise as soon as the metal doors slid open and the second floor unfolded in his vision. A series of new presences had appeared in his senses even if they had been impossible to perceive before.
"Does the floor isolate the mana?" Khan asked while tapping his foot on the dark surface.
"Yes, the presence of stronger Tainted animals usually makes the weaker ones restless," The waiter explained before voicing a doubt. "How did you know?"
"He knows because he knows," Captain Goldmon scoffed as his cane tapped the floor.
Khan showed a fake smile to the waiter before resuming his inspection. The second floor was basically identical to the first, but the animals inside the cages were clearly stronger. Still, they also felt too weak for his subject.
"Don't you have something close to first-level warriors?" Khan asked after going through most cages.
"We do have Tainted animals at that level," The waiter revealed. "However, many have developed abilities due to the mutations, and a few have even gone through bionic enhancements. I don't think they are safe for recruits."
"Do you have anything in-between?" Khan questioned while pointing at the cages. "These beasts are too weak. They'd die in a few lessons."
The waiter stopped rubbing his hands to scratch his chin. He appeared conflicted about the matter, but he eventually came up with an option. "We have a few failed experiments like that, but they have no safe words or training. Their aggression is even off the charts. I don't want our shop to create problems for the training camp."
It was obvious that Khan and Captain Goldmon were working. They were some of the few people wearing military uniforms, so the waiter had immediately connected them to Reebfell's training camp.
"Safe words?" Khan asked.
"We teach each Tainted animal to faint through a combination of words," The waiter explained before turning toward a cage that contained a giant pig with a metallic skull outside its head. "Fly through the sky!"
The pig's azure eyes widened at those words, and its legs immediately went limp. The creature fell on its sides, and Khan could quickly confirm that it had fainted. Of course, the scene surprised him to no end.
"How did you even teach that to Tainted animals?" Khan couldn't hold back from asking.
"Our shop has one of the best taming progr-," The waiter proudly announced, but the Captain interrupted him by clearing his throat.
"Right," Khan said while suppressing his enthusiasm. "Show me these failed experiments."
The waiter didn't appear convinced about the matter, but he still led Khan and the Captain back to the elevator. The machine reached the fifth floor, which turned out to be slightly darker than the others. There were even fewer cages, and the area was generally a bit dirtier.
Khan didn't care about the illumination of the cleanliness. His attention immediately went on the cages, and his eyes also lit up when he sensed the power of the creatures inside them. One of them even claimed the entirety of his attention and made him move without waiting for the man.
The front of a vast cage eventually unfolded in Khan's view, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face when he saw the massive ape inside it. The creature had no fur, and four bionic red eyes shone on its head. The beast was almost three meters tall, and its arms seemed bulging columns.
The ape was sleeping, but it woke up when it heard Khan stopping in front of its cage. The beast didn't like that event, and it immediately jumped on its feet to leap forward.
The Tainted animal slammed on the barrier that locked the cage, but the event didn't put an end to its offensive. It attacked a few more times before chattering in anger.
"This one is definitely a waste," The waiter explained after reaching Khan with Captain Goldmon. "Its skin is incredibly tough, and the muscles under it are even scarier. It can endure the attacks of a first-level warrior for a few minutes, and its physical strength is far above average. However, the scientists up there have messed up during its growth. It's too violent, which makes it impossible to tame."
"How much for it?" Khan asked.
"I can't sell this one," The waiter immediately refused. "With all due respect, I don't want the Global Army to close the shop because one of our animals has killed a recruit."
"He asked for a price," Captain Goldmon snorted.
"I'm sorry, sir," The waiter continued. "I really don't want to disrespect you, but this creature can hold its ground against first-level warriors. Normal recruits will get badly injured or worse if they aren't careful."
"We still want to purchase it," Captain Goldmon declared. "Name a price."
The waiter could only give up on making the two change their minds. He placed a hand under his chin again before naming a number. "Eight thousand Credits."
Khan expected the price to be high, but not so high. Still, his face didn't reveal anything. He even managed to bargain. "You said that this one isn't for sale. Lower the price since you have no uses for it."
"We can still feed it to other Tainted animals," The waiter calmly explained. "It's a normal practice to save mana."
The Captain glanced at Khan. He waited a bit to see whether Khan could come up with other ideas to lower the price, but it was clear that he had nothing else.
Khan felt the need to refuse that price. Eight thousand Credits was simply too much, but Captain Goldmon spoke when he was about to say something. "Do you like having a training camp here?"
"Of course, sir," The waiter replied as a confident smile appeared on his face. "Business and Reebfell as a whole thrive with so many recruits around."
"Do you know why the camp managed to reopen so soon?" Captain Goldmon continued. "Do you know anything about Istrone?"
"Istrone was a tragedy," The waiter responded as his smile disappeared. "Still, I don't see how that's connected to this negotiation."
"He is the connection," Captain Goldmon declared while pointing his cane toward Khan. "He is the reason Reebfell even had survivors in the first place."
The waiter inspected Khan in confusion for a few seconds, but his eyes soon widened. His mouth opened, and he stuttered a couple of times before managing to voice a complete question. "Wait, are you Khan?"
Khan had vaguely understood what the Captain was doing, so he didn't hesitate to play along. His face turned cold as he corrected the waiter.. "Lieutenant Khan."
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