The Fourth Secret: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Divine Apostasy Book 4) by A. Kay (best short books to read .TXT) 📕

up his hands. “Sift and I are here on important business. All these questions will need to wait for another time.”

“We know,” Blapy said. “Fractal and I already talked about it. It doesn’t bode well that it took you this long to come here for help.”

Ruwen wanted to complain that he’d only just gotten back to New Eiru and this was his first opportunity after reviving the Elders. But Blapy already knew all that, which meant she probably intended something else. And as he thought about it, she likely meant he needed to focus more on Fractal.

Ruwen nodded at Blapy. “I understand.”

Madda grabbed Sift by the shoulders. “When you’re done here, you come find us, understand.” She looked at Ruwen. “Both of you.”

Ruwen and Sift both nodded and the Addas left.

“Don’t think that gets you out of trouble,” Sift whispered.

Blapy looked up at Ruwen. “Who are you representing right now? New Eiru or Fractal?”

Ruwen knew it couldn’t be both. Both entities needed a strong advocate to create a fair deal. “Will you help Fractal in the negotiations?”

Blapy nodded.

“Then I guess New Eiru.”

“Good, I just want that clear from the beginning.” Blapy said as she walked over to the pedestal. Fractal stopped looking at his gems and focused on Ruwen. Blapy continued. “What do you request of the Shattered Sun?”

Ruwen gave a small bow toward the pair. “New Eiru can’t revive enough people to both fight and protect the city effectively. I’m here to ask the Shattered Sun to help defend the city.”

“What do you offer?” Blapy asked.

Rami’s comment, terium is good for more than reviving, fresh in Ruwen’s mind, he spoke. “We will pay for it.”

“How much money do you have?” Blapy asked.

Ruwen smiled. Blapy currently stored everything in Ruwen’s Void Band back at the Black Pyramid. She knew exactly how much he had: one gold, ten silver, and fifty copper. The rest of his money he’d just spent powering the city’s revivals until his parents returned. But he had expected this and had an idea.

“Can you create some privacy for us?” Ruwen asked. “Very private.”

Blapy didn’t move, but a twenty-foot shimmering sphere appeared around them.

Over the past months, Ruwen had accumulated a staggering amount of Spirit. Starting with light and heat at the Black Pyramid, continuing with all the creatures in Fractal, and finally the Plague Siren’s Core in the Spirit Realm, his Spirit had become his most plentiful resource. He checked his Profile.

Spirit: 30,193,513,865

And that was after giving Sift over a billion in Spirit to get him Fortified to half Silver. It also didn’t count the vast amount of pure essence he’d collected from the chaos storm over Stone Harbor in the Spirit Realm.

Ruwen let out a deep breath. Ever since the visit to the mine during Big D’s camping trip, when Ruwen had discovered that terium might be solidified Spirit, he’d wondered if he could replicate the mine’s process. He’d taken five levels of Harden to help condense his Core, but had never exerted Harden’s full pressure on his Core for long because he feared the consequences.

Now he would finally learn if Spirit pulled from his body could be converted into terium.

Rami, can you slowly transfer Spirit from my Core to my hands?

What is slowly?

Let’s start with one hundred a second. If we see nothing happening after a few seconds, increase it by a factor of ten. We’ll repeat that pattern until something occurs.

Okay.

Ruwen cupped his hands together just as the familiar burlap of the Scarecrow Aspect appeared.

“I hate that thing,” Sift mumbled as he stepped away.

The empty space Ruwen’s hands formed grew brighter as Spirit emerged. Ruwen channeled the max amount of Energy, one hundred, into Harden, and focused it on the glowing mass. Rami increased her transfer rate to one thousand Spirit a second, and something solid appeared.

After nine seconds, Ruwen spoke to Rami again. Stop. Great job, Rami.

Ruwen grinned as the burlap of his Scarecrow Aspect disappeared. In his hand he held the ugliest coin he’d ever seen. He stopped channeling Energy to Harden and studied his coin. It looked like a lava flow with layers on layers and no symmetry.

Pride and satisfaction filled him. He had suspected from the beginning that this relationship might be duplicated, and now he’d just proved it. He had enough Spirit inside his Core to buy the entire world. It felt like that anyway.

“Impressive,” Blapy said as she took the coin. “Your presentation could use some work.”

Blapy closed her fingers over the coin for just a moment and then reopened her hand. The deformed coin now appeared as a perfect hexagon, and the Shattered Sun mark stood out in the coin’s middle. It looked beautiful.

“How many more of these can you make?” Blapy asked.

Ruwen felt reluctant to give away how much Spirit he had. With over thirty billion Spirit, he could create three million coins, but he dropped some zeros when he responded. “A few thousand.”

Blapy nodded. “Okay, pay won’t be an issue, but that won’t be enough. Very few creatures will risk death without revival for just pay.”

Ruwen already knew where this conversation was headed. “You want more land.”

The Elders were already upset that Ruwen had given land to both the Cultivators and the dungeon. He couldn’t just lightly give more land away.

Blapy handed the coin back to Ruwen, and his grin returned. He really needed to figure out how Blapy had created such a perfect shape.

“It doesn’t need to be on the surface,” Blapy said.

Ruwen tilted his head in thought. “I’m listening.”

Sift held out his hand and Ruwen passed Sift the coin. Sift held it next to his mark and studied them both. Ruwen returned his attention to Blapy.

“If Fractal expands underground, it still increases his area of control and ability to revive those who work and live here, even if they’re on the surface. All without affecting your city dwellers.”

Ruwen hadn’t considered that, and he immediately liked the idea. In fact, it might end the coming fight before it started. “How far can you expand?”

Blapy