He drank a bottle of wine and cultivated chaos even though it was the middle of the night. Though he'd intended the case of wine to power his domain improvements, he much preferred using it to speed through the cold forged method of body enhancement. He decided not to sleep that night even though his soul very much became exhausted from the demands placed upon it. His mind and body were sufficiently empowered that he could miss a single night of sleep without issue.

The third bottle of wine from the case went down in the morning and then Hector had to ease off the sauce. Normal alcohol from Union Central didn't do anything to him, but the stuff from Tian was a different story. He could only imagine the situation if he got his hands on uncut spirits again.

That evening was a normal session with Riley where she cultivated with her aura while he enriched the atmosphere like her own personal cosmic chamber attendant. She finally expressed interest in a future career prospect that might actually be realistic. Food preparation. One of the girls told Riley that cooking was a physically demanding job and she'd instantly been smitten with the idea of being around food all day.

After sleeping that night, Hector resumed his cultivation. He estimated that he should have enough to start the next round of body enhancement by the next day. So he did that, drinking the lime water diluted in canteen water. He finished his left femur and both of his upper arm bones. Then he made a good start on his pelvis before his energy levels dropped too low to continue.

Survey Results

Type: Xian

Level: 5

Body: 4.1

Mind: 3.9

Aura: 3

Domain: 2.9

Energy Reserves: 06%

The body statistic had finally increased. Hector spent entirely too much time looking at that number. He knew it would be a long time before it increased again. This was the culmination of not just enhancing the largest bones in his body, but also all the blood boiling elixirs and honey pills and body packs he'd consumed since arriving on Union Central. Those other resources went to his body more generally and not just bone tissue. They didn't make their presence obviously known but subtly raised his overall enhancement level.

Hector drank half a bottle of wine a day and cultivated every free moment he wasn't working with Riley, which he began to slightly resent as a waste of his energy reserves. That proved the perfect method for him to cultivate humility and charity. Every time he started down that selfish line of thought, Hector would force himself to contemplate what sort of man he wanted to be and how that man would treat someone depending on him.

He didn't reduce his ego in any significant way, but he did develop a reflex to counter selfish narratives in his mind. Perhaps that was how virtues felt from the inside? Maybe he could never be a selfless saint, just someone who had developed strong self-control over what his thoughts were allowed to fixate upon. Was that good enough? Could he do something more?

Those questions vanished from his mind after a week when he was ready to further improve himself. Hector took the psychedelic honey pill and locked himself in his capsule. The trippy visuals happened once more, but his mind was strong enough that he could filter out most of them. He used the mental strengthening technique until his reserves were almost empty and then studied the outcome.

His mind was now at four point one, the same as his body. Very respectable numbers.

Hector continued with his new routine until he had enough spare energy to continue. Then he resumed work on his bones. He did the radius and ulna bones of his forearms, then the tibia and fibula bones of his lower legs. The ribs came next. He probably should have prioritized his spine, but the vertebrate were smaller bones and he lacked Volithur's keen senses. He didn't want to waste energy by being sloppy, so big bones were his priority.

Even so, he ran out of lime water before the ribs were done. He also ran out of wine and had to return to Master Sirius for another case. That dropped his credit balance critically low, so he saved up his energy and did another week of daily dungeon runs before looking to his resources.

The 'powder pill' proved a trial to consume. It was the size of an individual sushi roll, which was entirely too large to comfortably swallow. The instructions indicated that was by far the preferable way to consume it, though. So he soaked the pill in a glass of water like he was a competitive eater, then pushed it down his throat with a cable of force.

It moved slower down his esophagus than anything he'd ever swallowed. Past a certain point, Hector had to stop pushing with his domain and tried to make it move through the hydraulic force of consumed water. That caused a backup that almost drowned him when it overfilled to his air pipe.

The lump in his throat had not entirely stopped though. It moved forward like a snail painfully crawling to his guts at its leisure. Hector's eyes watered at the keen discomfort. When the load finally entered his stomach, he collapsed in relief and swore he'd never buy another of those damn powder pills. Why had he been convinced to take the thing? Just because Sirius had trouble moving an item of inventory didn't mean Hector had to help him out. He paid the man plenty for his goods! His charity did not extend to wealthy shopkeepers.

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Then the rice paper wrapping the pill dissolved. The contents spread throughout his digestive system, a slurry that he could feel didn't belong inside a human body. What was it made from? Powdered crickets and ashes, he recalled. Why would someone ever eat ashes? That had to be packed with carcinogens. Did Xian have to worry about that? He really did not feel well with that toxic sludge leeching through his system.

At some point, hours later, Hector's energy reserves disappeared, dragged into his body. He had no idea where it went, other than through his body aperture. It was just gone. Presumably that was a good thing. Hector rushed to get another bottle of wine and drank it fast.

All of that energy disappeared as well. Hector found himself flummoxed. How was this working? Why was it working? When he looked up the chemical components of ash, he found an interesting list of chemicals. There were significant amounts of calcium oxide, potassium oxide, magnesium oxide, phosphorus, and sodium. What about the crickets, then? He discovered cricket flour was extremely high in protein and some vitamins.

"Oh, this is absolutely terrible," he muttered to himself, "I'm going to have to suffer through another one of those horrid powder pills."

He finished off the rest of his wine over the next several days and then took the only resource he had remaining: a jar of chicken skin submerged under rendered thicken fat. He scooped the contents of the jar over top of scrambled eggs from the hotel restaurant and washed it down with copious amounts of tea. The energy of his soul slowly declined over the next twenty-four hours until it sat at only ten percent.

When he returned to Master Sirius, the man eyed him with a degree of pride. "You're making excellent use of the resources, Hector."

"Thanks. Another case of your overpriced wine, one lime water, and one powder pill."

They completed the transaction and Sirius placed a block of seaweed and the propolis tincture into the bag. "Those last two items are complimentary. You may not know this, Hector, but it's common among every Xian culture to reward those who prove themselves worthy with additional resources. There is something in human nature that makes us resent the wasteful and admire the frugal."

Unfortunately, before using his new items, Hector had to cultivate to increase his reserves and make several dungeon runs. Having to earn additional funds was especially frustrating for him because he was nearing the time when he needed to report to Master Sirius to go away to this tournament.

He started with the powder pill this time and saw his energy reserves evaporate. While training with Riley, he broached the topic of his upcoming disappearance. She looked at him like a dog who had been kicked.

"You're leaving Union Central? For how long? You're coming back, right?"

"Of course I'll be back," he assured her. "This world is my home now. But this is an opportunity for me to get my hand on better resources than I could ever find here."

"You didn't say how long."

"I don't know how long it will be. If I go far in the tournament, it might be a while."

Once Hector restored enough energy through wine and work, he used the lime water to finish his ribs and get started on his spinal vertebrate. As predicted, his efficiency with the smaller bones left a lot to be desired. It frustrated him to no small degree because he remembered being so good at this aspect. Those weren't his memories, though. And it would be ridiculous to feel jealous of a dead man – one who Hector had so many advantages over when it came to cultivation.

He said goodbye to Riley his last full day on Union Central and transferred her ten thousand credits just in case she was foolish with her money. That left him with a balance of thirty thousand credits that would be waiting for him on his return – enough to get himself settled in again. Riley hugged him tight, not letting go even when the door unlocked at the end of the session. Hector kissed the top of her head and removed her arms. "I'll be back, Riley. I promise."

"Hurry home, Hector."

"Of course. I will have to show off my gains to my favorite student."

"Your best friend."

"That's right. My best friend."

He reported to the shop a few hours later, much to the delight of Sirius. "Hector! I'm happy to see that you are a man of your word. Lord Andrew sent you a box of resources that was only to be opened once you reported for duty." Master Sirius locked the door to the street and led Hector deeper into the building.

To his disappointment, the rooms further inside looked normal for Promise City rather than the staunchly bourgeois aesthetic of the sales floor. No mahogany and marble here. Just plastic and metal. However, the small bedroom with half bath given for his exclusive use had a package in it that greatly interested him.

Sirius opened the wooden box and withdrew three items. "The uncut spirits you always ask about. You don't even have to pay for them. A block of fat trimmings. And look at this, Hector. A true elixir."

Forgetting decorum, Hector seized the vial. The fluid inside glowed vibrantly in his senses. "I thought it was illegal to export true elixirs."

"That's not the wording of the prohibition. Technically it says 'elixirs made from the blood of animals are forbidden to be removed from Tian'. This kind of elixir is a new innovation made from fish blood. No one has tested the legal theory that fish are not animals yet, but since lords are the ones breaking the law enacted by the assembly, I doubt there will be a problem."

Hector popped the cork and downed the elixir. It was oily and salty and slightly rancid. He didn't care. Whatever physical sensations it elicited, Hector found it delicious. He remembered abruptly that he was supposed to be unfamiliar with elixirs.

"It tastes better than the green juice," he observed.

"Most things do, Hector."

Time to make himself look ignorant. "Do you think I will get another level from the elixir?"

Sirius laughed. "Oh, Hector. If only it was so easy as that. Only a high grade gold plasma elixir could produce the results you expect. And you will never see one of those in your life. That I guarantee."

Hector slumped his shoulders as if in disappointment. He kept the smirk from his face. Never see a gold plasma elixir in his life? He'd already consumed a platinum plasma elixir.

"Now, Hector, be sure to consume the uncut spirits and fat trimmings before morning. Pace yourself to make sure you don't vomit the precious resources, but do get everything down tonight. We want you to look impressive, yes?"

"Absolutely, Master Sirius. I want to get to Tian."

And he did. It would be a great opportunity to improve the level of his body. Even better, going there would let him familiarize himself with a new place he could travel to.

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