READ WEBNOVEL Chapter 63 – Fire Seeds
A day later, the Misfits were back in their tower, having a meeting, and welcoming the rest of the smaller groups, led by their lieutenants. After a short speech, Lia introduced the new leaders of their respective elements; Novac for the Misfits of Metal, Xin for the Misfits of Nature, and Sadamo for the Misfits of Air. Now that the House of Misfits was finally complete, Lia held the first meeting for the leaders, outlining her plans for the future. Not even Koadriana and Aurora expected her words when they stood on the top floor of their tower.
“Good to see everyone!” Lia clapped, smiling while Keily and Shishi were flanking her, a step behind, following their leader like shadows, looking like proud soldiers. “You already know, but I am Lia Amarin, the leader of the House of Misfits!”
She chuckled, and no matter how prepared the newcomers were, hearing it from her mouth that she was an Amarin was still just as shocking as before. The moment they were chosen to be the leaders and Aurora explained everything to them, they were floored and beyond ecstatic, learning who led the Misfits. Besides the core group present, Opparu, Ceiline, and, surprisingly, Cici was also present. The latter showed up when they returned from their little adventure, offering to work with the Misfits, giving them a particular discount if they could bring her raw materials from the beasts inhabiting the Island.
When Stumpy laid his eyes on her, he went cowering, crying, his green scales turning almost white from fright. When asked why, Cici simply scoffed, saying beasts know when they stand before their true sovereigns. While Lia was introducing them, Stumpy was still hiding behind Ceiline, nervously looking at Cici, who barely reached up to his ankle. Yet, the lizard was quivering like jelly, freshly out of the fridge.
“Well, now, here are the plans for this year!” She waved her hand, and Shishi stepped forward, projecting an extensive list from her bracelet. Keily was standing ready and showing with a wand what Lia was talking about as the three gave a surprisingly good presentation.
“When did they practice this?” Koa asked Aurora, who was just as surprised, shaking her head.
“I combed through all the publicized competitions and made plans accordingly! Koadriana!”
“Yes?!” She jerked in place, answering by reflex, surprised by the strength behind Lia’s voice.
“You will be responsible for sending people in to dominate three competitions I have chosen for us! One is for water manipulation, like last year. One for large-scale spells of water, nature, and light! Please work together with the other Leaders in selecting the perfect candidates! The last one for unique spells! We need to find misfits who could snatch first place for us!”
“O-okay….?” she replied, a bit unsure, but Lia was already moving along.
“Aurora, your job will be gathering people and climbing the Dueling List! I want at least three of ours in the top 10 by the end of the year!”
“It will be done.” She answered, signing with her hands, eyes shining brightly.
“Novac, Xin, Sadamo!”
“Yes!” The trio answered, saluting even, looking fired up.
“As you are still freshly promoted, your tasks will be a bit easier! I want you all to choose one competition from your respective elements and win it! So choose wisely! If you enter it, I want a first place! No second, no third! FIRST!”
“Yes, ma’am!” They repeated their salute once again.
“Raufon!”
“Who needs a beating?” He asked, grinning.
“Nobody.” Lia chuckled, winking at him. “You are to help Ceiline and set up a system that makes it so we have a stable stream of materials from the Island, and we can trade it to Cici and to Alchemy Haven! That way, we are going to have ample CP to spend on artifacts, books, spells, and private lessons! I will reward everyone who contributes to our House with unique privileges!”
“Consider it done, Boss!” Raufon flashed a thumbs-up.
“Sion!”
“Finally~” He smiled, waiting for his task.
“Now that we have grown big enough, I want your experience in the Disciplinary Committee. Form a secret force inside the Misfits! Only you and I can know their members; they will be our ears. I want to know everything that happens here. I trust you as leaders, but people can have weird ideas as we continue growing. I won’t let the stability of my House be endangered by anyone!”
“It will be done.” He smiled, surprised by the power behind her words.
“She is just like mother….” Aurora thought, remembering when she was following Reyra and witnessing some of her speeches given before the 4th branch of the Amarins.
“As I was tasked with being a judge in a competition, I won’t sign up my people to any of the Tower of Fire events. I don’t want to give any reasons to Master Zorgan to do something... funny. I don’t like him. Instead, my men are going to participate in group battles!”
“Group battles?” Came the question from Koa.
“There are many groups, associations, and whatnot in school. Shishi!”
“Yes!” She stepped forward, bowing slightly, “While you were away, hunting salamanders, we gathered a lot of information and worked together with Yanura’s newly formed group.”
“With her?” Koa exclaimed, surprised. “What the hell!”
“She knows how to play cards.” Shishi chuckled, continuing, “We gathered all the groups who look at us with wariness or with straight hostility! Some were related to Olivia’s old group or simply think we are a wild, upstarting group that needs to be put into its place!”
“Hmph…” Raufon scoffed but gulped back his rude words.
“Exactly.” Shishi grinned. “So we are here going to challenge them one by one and beat them on the dueling fields! At first, we gather information about them, devise a plan, make up a team from the misfits and crush them! We will show them; don't even think of provoking us! We are not bullies, but we will bully those who poke at our sides!”
“So we ARE bullies.” Koa laughed.
“When they provoke us.” Keily nodded. “Boss is right! If we want to be taken seriously and respected, we must show our fangs! Or another one like Olivia may think we are easy pickings.”
“That is why I am going to rely on Sion’s judgment. He will oversee us so we won’t become true bullies. Anybody forcing others to do something with our name will be kicked out! No matter his or her rank!” Lia said, looking into their eyes and smiling when she noticed Opparu’s approving nod. “That is it for this year. Mainly! Of course, if something does come up, I will tell you first! We are going to have a meeting like this every month. But if any of you have something to report or discuss, you can all call up a gathering! Questions?”
Nobody stepped forward. Not at first. Only when Lia was to speak again did Opparu raise his voice.
“One thing. I noticed it when coming up here in the past few days, but now that you all are here, I have become sure of it!”
“Oh?” Lia tilted her head, looking at the old artificer curiously.
“This is not a regular observatory.” He continued, watching the design on the floor. “This is connected to the basement.”
“To the… basement…” Lia murmured, her eyes flashing expectantly.
“This is a very precise instrument. A very expensive one!” Opparu continued, smacking his lips, watching the unmoveable telescope in the middle of the room. “See the spots for all the elements? They require mages of their kind to provide energy for it!”
“Energy?” Sion asked. He knew about artifacts and devices requiring ample mana to work. But one that could utilize all the elements? That was extremely rare.
“It needs a sample to know what to look for!” Opparu nodded, walking forward, placing his hand on the telescope, gently caressing it. “This one is not here to look at the stars but to find lost items in No-Space! This whole room is designed to scan and fish out items from No-Space! It is a marvelous invention! The original design was made by none other than Somia Marduk! I only realized it because of the book you gave me!” He smiled at Lia.
“Wait!” Koa raised her hand, almost salivating, “We can use this room to look for lost stuff? Bring it out? How?”
“I don’t know yet,” Opparu replied. “First, I would need to open the basement and look into this more thoroughly! But I am sure that the two are linked! It should be that from here, you can find what you are looking for and fish it out! It should appear in the basement if you are successful!”
“Damn!” Sion held back a happy laugh, saying, “We could find some expensive stuff with it! Things that are worthy of being placed into a museum!”
“It is not that easy.” Cici said, her voice calm and not surprised, “No-Space is like an endless ocean! Just gazing into it won’t do anything! Finding something in it will be like if you want to spot a particular grain of sand on a beach. Good luck!”
“Ugh… well… still!” Sion flinched.
“This is why the energy source is needed. It is more for finding things you lost in No-Space.” Cici continued, looking at them, stretching like an actual cat would, “With your mana, being the source which you use to put things into No-Space, it is much easier to find and retrieve said items. Of course, if you are lucky, you can also find others’ lost stuff. If they respond to your probings. And that is the biggest IF in the history of magic.”
“What if we steal someone’s goodies?” Raufon asked, thinking about the possibilities.
“You wouldn’t be able to.” Opparu answered instead of Cici, “When a holding bag or any similar items are created, they carve out a space for themselves! You can’t penetrate that. Only if you go there personally, but… good luck with that!”
“Oh…” Many of them nodded, thinking of the many possibilities and realizing what a rare treasure they had in their possession.
“Well… for now, it is best if only we know about this!” Lia said, watching them, “Master Opparu will work on it. When it is ready, we will test it out! Still… don’t leak this information! What if they raise the price of renting it out? Or do they start confiscating what we find in there? Keep it under wraps, guys!” She laughed, making everyone quickly agree and get excited about what they may find one day.
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A few days later, Ceiline was on her own floor, standing alongside Lia and Stumpy in her workshop. The latter was sitting on the floor, breathing out green fire, like blowing a bubble, holding in the air perfectly with a proud look in his eyes. Ceiline was putting seeds into it, and instead of being burnt away, they were being cleansed of all impurities and any kind of mana, turning them exceptionally pure.
“Interesting…” Lia said, studying Stumpy’s fire.
“Jade Salamanders are not great hunters and specialize in eating the dead,” Ceiline explained while waiting for the process to complete. “Their fire is the best cleansing-type fire found in nature.”
“And they sound useful.” Lia nodded, “No bodies, no zombies.”
Hearing her say that, stumpy let out chirping-like noises, proudly stomping in place, and if he had a tail, it would be surely wagging.
“That will be good, Stumpy!” Ceiline said, and in perfect sync with her salamander, she placed the seeds into a vacuum right under a see-through bottle when his fire receded. “Now, I just need to prepare a good soil and bathe them in pure, nature-based mana!”
“What are you trying to do?” Lia asked, starting to pat Stumpy’s proud but exhausted head.
“An upgraded version of my babies. A new kind that could move. Being stationary in a battle is a bad idea.” She answered swiftly.
“I see… How smart will they be?”
“I don’t know. I am not omnipotent.” Ceiline joked, “I can’t create life, and I can’t give them intelligence. I am just… hoping something will work. In all honesty, Lia, I am fumbling in the dark and trying things out randomly, seeing what will stick!”
“I got you….” Lia nodded, “I am studying the different flames, and I still barely understand it… tsk! Seeing and feeling Stumpy’s green fire… is the same as any other flames I have ever seen! I can’t tell the difference!”
“Try eating a fire seed!” Ceiline commented, and seeing Lia’s confused expression, she realized she had no idea what that was. “Oh… You were not told about it?”
“About what?” Lia asked, sounding a bit impatient and frustrated.
“There are things called fire seeds. They are pills containing the essence of different fires. Most of them a high-tier, expensive pill, but they let fire mages transform the properties of their flames. Depending on the pills’ quality, it can last for minutes or days!”
“We have things like those?!” Lia gawked, her mouth wide open.
“I thought…” Ceiline mumbled, feeling panicky for a moment.
“That someone from a House would know, yeah, yeah!” Lia grumbled, waving her hand, “I get that a lot nowadays! Haahh… Thanks! Now at least, I have a clue about how to solve my problem!”
“They are useful pills, and many fire mages use them. They help diversify a mage’s abilities!”
“Hmmm… It is still not late!” Lia clapped, walking towards the door and watching the slowly setting sun through Ceiline’s window. “I will go and visit Alchemy Haven. Tell the others not to wait for me at dinner!”
Expect more in the future and also, I am open for commissions on our discord! https://discord.gg/JChQw2APBY
Also, Lil' Karkof is now named Wizard of Memes:
