Wayne stared at the diagram Hector had traced out on paper. Hector couldn't tell if the chemist was impressed or confused. "Where the hell did you get these numbers from?"

Hector kept his answer vague. "I've read all sorts of secrets lately."

"Iron sulfate from Tian heated to release sulfur dioxide. I get that. It's basic chemistry. But this next part where the gas bubbles through water. You're claiming that when the new bonds form that fifty percent of the ambient cosmic energy density will be fixed in them. And while producing hydrogen peroxide through electrolysis is simple enough, running wires through hollowed cores in this setup is not something you found in an Amaratti library, Hector."

There wasn't really anything he could say. The System wasn't willing to go public yet and Hector couldn't think of any plausible lies. "Can you do this? I will pay you quite well."

"Of course I'll do it," Wayne said. "But I want to know where you got this information."

"It's classified."

Wayne angrily scrubbed his face with both hands before snatching away the paper. "I hope there won't be Jinn commandos breaking down my door for being involved in this. You understand that sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide are going to be explosive, right? This stuff is going to be 'burn your face off' nasty. If these cosmic energy conversion numbers actually hold true, we're going to make a level eight acid."

"It should be better than eight. I'm going to pay an Arahant ritualist and a Jinn energy donor to assist you. Hopefully that works like we want." The System was handling the correspondence with those experts. It believed the resulting sulfuric acid would be strong enough to harm a level nine beast. Adding the hydrogen peroxide would put the acid into overdrive. Hopefully heightened cosmic energy levels combined with legal and illusory energy would live up to the System's expectations.

I am confident it will work on anything below level ten, providing you can deliver the acid.

Wayne folded the paper and tucked it into his pocket. "Your Xian Lord is going to use this on marine life? The odds are pretty high that it will dilute too fast to kill anything powerful."

"The plan is for the target to eat an ampule and be dissolved from the inside." That also ensured that the legs of the kraken would remain unharmed and therefore safe for human consumption. All of it was brilliant. None of it was Hector's idea. He didn't even understand the details for the equipment setup outlined in the directions he provided to Wayne.

His next stop was to find Zara in her suite. The System allowed him to trespass upon the other floor to find her without consequence. That was on top of providing him with her current location. Hector knocked and waited for the door to open.

Zara had wet hair and wore a robe cinched tight. She'd obviously just cleaned up.

"You know the shower can dry you off, right? It has warm air and infrared light."

She shook her head. "The knobs and buttons are confusing. I don't need those features. Why are you here? Have you contacted prospective allies already?"

"Yes, though the aid we are being offered is not the kind we expected. I received instructions on how to create a powerful acid. You'll need to source a few items from Tian to make it." Hector held out a list. When Zara made no move to take it, he began to read. "Silver plasma elixir of the highest level you can get. Iron sulfate – it may be known as green vitriol on Tian. Glass vials – size doesn't matter because they are going to be melted down. There are rough quantities included here. The cost of this assistance is very high. Fortunately, I was able to find a way for us to earn more than enough if we sign up for a tour with the Aes Reconquest."

Zara clicked her tongue. "I wondered what your ulterior motive in bringing us to Union Central was. Your skill in deception is lacking, Hector. I suspected you were trying to pamper me into relinquishing my ambitions. That would have been disappointing. I appreciate that you value my strength enough to attempt recruitment, but I will not be sidetracked. Aes is not my concern. If the costs of the promised assistance are high – and you swear that the potion of acid is worthwhile – then I will sell resources to the innkeeper. She seems quite certain my connections are worth a fortune."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

For a tense few moments, neither of them spoke. Then, Hector let his shoulders slump in defeat. "The acid should be able to take out the level nine kraken. It will be expensive, but your plan to earn credits will work. I have to return to Aes, so I won't be able to help in Oceania."

"After such a lackluster confession, I'm not surprised."

Hector winced. "It's not like that, Zara. I can't stand on the sidelines while humanity is fighting a war for its very existence. Actions matter."

"My father thinks so highly of you because he sees much of himself in you. Ironic. I can't help but notice how different the two of you are in the ways that matter most. You feel you have a moral imperative to help your fellow human, Hector. As annoying as I might find your abrupt departure, I respect that your actions are a product of deeply held values. To show there is no ill will between us, I'll even share some of the meat if your potion proves key in the hunt for the kraken."

After he left Zara, Hector sought out Esther to smooth over any problems he'd caused. The owner of the cafe rolled her eyes at him. "You have been all over the place lately. I can't predict what you're going to do next. Get yourself promoted to lieutenant. Recruit a team of incompetent Xian. Bring an army to close a rift. Invite a Lord to move into the building. What's next, Hector? I really can't tell what your goals are anymore. You are an erratic creature doing random things."

"It's not random," he said.

"No one else can see a common thread. Other than impulsiveness."

Hector narrowed his eyes at the angry woman. "It most certainly is not impulsiveness."

"Then what is it? How does any of this make sense?"

"There are things I can't ignore, Esther. That's made me reactive to events, I admit. But I can't choose not to hold true to my virtues."

Esther held up her hand. "Go annoy someone else for a while. The two of us are still friends. I just can't deal with you and your virtue talk right now."

Turning around put him face-to-face with Matthias. The owner of the building did not look any more pleased than Esther. "Zara and Dorian Shaocheth are in my building."

"Sorry."

"Do not invite any more people from Tian to live here. Maybe such a rule doesn't go far enough. You may never invite anyone ever again. I don't need Lords and horrid bullies in my home."

"It's been half a century. Dorian isn't the same man he once was."

Matthias, always so calm, snapped. "I don't care if his temperament improved. The worst parts of Volithur's life have no business being here. I'm tempted to evict you on the spot."

Deciding not to risk another word, Hector backed away and returned to his room. There were plenty of people he'd disappointed lately. Officers on Aes. Lords. Building owners. Looking back on his actions, Hector saw mistakes. That didn't mean he would chose to do things differently given the information available to him at the time.

He'd decided to become a better man. It wasn't the smoothest process, but he was convinced his efforts were right. The multiverse was melting down around him and failing to act was not an option for him. So many situations demanded his attention.

"System? Have I been erratic lately?"

It is not a new character trait, Hector. You are stubborn and driven.

"I'm aware. Am I getting worse?"

People aren't as consistent in behavior as they believe. It is more useful to view individual behavior as a range of typical outcomes that can be influenced by external factors. You are within the bounds of what I would expect from you even if you have deviated from your average. I don't think it unreasonable to ascribe the change to stress.

"So usually I'm less… reactive?"

That may be oversimplifying. As far back as my records go, I have always witnessed you to be extremely reactive to matters you care about and willfully ignorant in other areas. What has changed over time is that your concerns have grown broader. Your efforts at self-improvement expanded the scope and more recently our collaboration exposed you to a great deal of stress. If you wish, I can reduce the amount of information I share.

In other words, he could put his head in the sand to avoid getting upset. Hector shook his head. He had never sought out the easy path in life. That wasn't who he was even before the aftermath of experiencing Volithur's memories caused him to seek deliberate change. It seemed that what he needed was a better method to triage the many issues he faced. He couldn't let himself be pulled off course by every wrong he encountered. He needed to focus on a single priority at a time, even if that meant ignoring important matters. The thought irked him even knowing it was right.

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