Chapter 334: Settling In with some Rock n Roll
[Hey…how come we didn’t try to integrate ourselves into the Zhen Clan as mortals?,] Hurricroak asked, [like how Archanidame and Lacerage are doing now?]
[Well, for starters, we didn’t have human forms to go off of and by the time we did, we had cemented the puppet identity.]
[Fair point.]
[Also, you just spent the last four hours having Pathos “livestream” K-dramas. You’re willing to give up doing that to go work? I won’t stop you.]
[Fair point, again.]
[Lazy…,] Frosttusk added.
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Zhen Liu’s mildly absurd gambit of integrating his two newest kaijin as members of the clan as opposed to being his “aether puppets” worked surprisingly well.
Granted, it took a few days to get to that point.
Some of the higher ranked members(sons) of the clan had a few misgivings about suddenly elevating a pair of strangers, really powerful strangers sure, to being the patriarch’s(their father’s) personal assistants so suddenly, but those fears were out to rest via a combination of the Sacred Beast Essence bribery and the sheer amount of competence the Lucille and Aranea displayed.
“Miss Aranea, would you mind looking over these financial logs?”
“No need. I already have, and can account that all six hundred and seventy two pieces of silver had been delivered to clan’s treasury. It took a bit of time tracking down the people embezzling the funds, but I managed to track them down and delivered them to the clan prisons with a nice bow on top. Also, stand still, you have a tear on your lower right pant leg and the gash in your shoulder needs the bandages changed. Honestly, why does everyone default to moth silk?”
Aranea had proved herself a hell of a book keeper, medic and seamstress all in one, in essence, the perfect secretary. While no one could ever figure out where she kept getting all of this spider silk, they weren’t complaining.
That being said, Lucille had also proven herself a surprisingly helpful aide, albeit it in a more…physically violent capacity. Which was honestly made the more impressive since she was in a dress the whole time.
“Oi! Hua Ying, next time you throw that punch art, coil your aether tighter around your arm like a spring. It’ll add more force to it and send the opponent flying further. Gao Jin, if you’re going to swinging around a halberd, keep both your feet in the ground for more force and reinforce the back leg with aether. And you, Jacob was it? If you’re going to be throwing knives, infuse the aether only at the tip of the blade and your fingers. It’s more efficient and penetrates deeper.”
“Miss Lucille! A customer has brought in a Steel-Shelled Beast and all of the elders are busy with prep work!”
“Say no more, I’ll come at once…. actually, you and you. Come with me and watch what I’m about to do closely, I think it’ll be enlightening…or not. It’ll depend on your own capacity to stomach violence.”
Lucille had settled in as a trainer of sorts for all of the youngsters and even members of the old guard. Turns out having a perchance of violence makes one a hell of a fighting instructor.
On top of that, Lucille’s Aeroqi affinity made it easy for her to butcher the hardier beasts by flowing into the cracks and openings of the shell.
In essence, both Lucille and Aranea managed to blend into the clan with surprising ease, and it didn’t hurt that they were nice to look at as well.
Now, the mysterious Grandmaster ladies may have caught the attention of most of the clan, and those outside it, but the younger generation has their eyes focused on someone who came with them, a girl by the name of Rianna…well, they would if they could find her.
Despite having a rather noticable appearance, it’s one thing being pale in a desert of all places, it’s another for having shocking red hair to go with it, the woman had a knack for hiding and disappearing in the blink of an eye.
One minute they’d see her eating a bun while sitting the next, gone.
The only times people had seen her for certain was when she made use of the training areas, and she usually so engrossed in her practicing her archery or saber forms that it felt wrong to bother her with idle chit-chat. Especially since she radiated a weird mix of savagery and beauty when she did practice, that they couldn’t help but watch.
Many had attempted to find out where she goes in her free time, but they had all failed.
The only ones who knew for certain where she went was about four people, well, two people and two kaijin.
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In certain abandoned quarry, Zhen Liu and Hurricroak were preparing to perform aether transference as Nepherage, Frosttusk, Razor Maiden and Spring Brawler were watching nearby. Arachnidame and Lacerage would have joined them as well, but they had responsibilities to attend to as “Aranea” and “Lucille”.
“Aight Hurricroak, you ready to do this transference thing?”
“Anytime maestro,” Hurricroak answered with a thumbs-up, “but you should at least wait for the audience to take their seats.”
“Audience?”
“Oh thank gods a pit,” Rianna exclaimed before laying facedown in the dirt of the abandoned quarry Zhen Liu called his training ground, “it’s not as deep as the jungle pit, but it’s nice…”
“Huh? Nau-I mean, Rianna? I thought Jin Fang was helping you get along with the rest of the clan.”
“I was, but she asked me where you were at this time and proceeded to disappear,” Jin Fang answered as she scaled down into the pit, “she is rather anti-social.”
“I prefer the term ‘introverted’ rather than ‘anti-social’, Miss Jin Fang,” Rianna answered while keeping her face in the dirt, “the amount of people here is dizzying. And everyone keeps staring at me with this funny look in their eyes.”
Zhen Liu looked at Jin Fang, curious as to what Rianna was referring to. His girlfriend merely answered by forming a heart with her hands, causing him to nod in understanding.
‘Facts of the multiverse: shy amazons are considered adorable regardless of the culture,’ Zhen Liu thought to himself before focusing back to his original task.
“Well then, you guys are free to hang around if you like. Hurricroak and I are just going to do the transference thing, so…it might get a little loud in here. Fair warning.”
“Loud?,” Rianna asked while raising her head.
“Oh. Oh dear,” Jin Fang went as she moved to pick Rianna up from off the floor. It made for an interesting sight as the latter was a lot bigger than the former.
“What does he mean by loud?”
“It’s…hard to explain…”
Once Jin Fang and Rianna made their way to over where the kaijin were waiting, Zhen Liu and Hurricroak prepared themselves to do the transference.
Thankfully he had done this once before to try and get Hurricroak and Nepherage to Frosttusk’s level prior to this, so he knew what to expect this time in terms of what kind of aether he was going to be injected with.
‘Lighting and sound…is that rock, pop or electro?’
<=Yes.=>
=Although, you should know that since you’re now an Grandmaster, your transference might have a bigger effect.=
‘Say what?’
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Meanwhile, at the outer perimeter of the giant pit about to be subjected to a reality bending concert, a rather unusual band of family members of Zhen Liu was approaching. They all had different reasons for going, but they all had business with the occupants of this quarry.
“Alright, I understand why Zhen Yue and I are going to go see Zhen Liu…why are you two coming along?,” Zhen Hai asked his cousins, “Zhen Xing, don’t you have beef with him?”
“More accurate to say he bullied him.”
“Thank you, Zhen Guo,” Zhen Xing said sarcastically, “but if you must know, I figured now would be a good time to bury the hatchet. It’s been long enough and we’re family, we might as well start fresh.”
“Uh huh…it has nothing to do with the fact that he could ice you in a second and that he kicked your ass not too long ago? ,” Zhen Yue commented.
“…maybe.”
“And you Zhen Guo?,” Zhen Yue followed up, “I thought you hated getting dirty.”
“Oh I do,” Zhen Guo agreed, “but you know that new girl, Rianna?”
“The amazon? What about her?”
“Well, she has the most gorgeous hair I’ve seen so far, and I’m curious if she would be willing to share the secret on how she got it like that.”
“Huh, I figured you were gonna try and hit on her,” Zhen Hai said in surprise.
“Well…maybe, but she gives off wallflower vibes and I don’t wanna scar-”
*BWAAAAANGG!*
“What the fuck?!”
Before Zhen Guo could finish replying, an unexpectedly loud sound ripped through the area…followed by a weird surge of energy that caused everyone to blank out…
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=Uh-oh.=
=…memory wipe?=
=Aye.=
