Freedom Jumper-Chapter 123: Citizens of Gion

"Oh yeah? So what did you do, drink every night to escape your problems?"

"Hahaha. No Elijah, I didn't even have enough money to do anything of that sort. I just resorted to acting without hesitation. I became delusional to a fault, even if my goal was odd and unimaginable..."

"..." Niko didn't know how to respond to that, as he was brought back to memories of his own past. If anyone had forgotten more of who they used to be, it would be Niko...

A conversation of their past lives was interrupted by the opening of a door.

"Woah, you two already went hunting?" Richter asked the first question that came to his mind when looking at five glowing orange beast cores resting on the coffee table — on top of the kingdom map.

"Actually, we have already sold seven of our beast cores. These were obtained just 2 hours ago, but we got into a precarious situation that made us want to end the day of hunting." Elijah responded.

Richter was truly astonished, mainly from the fact of how these kids did all of this without even being a full fledged adventurer! The risks that come with illegally hunting are not known to Richter and the two stooges, but are obvious considering the need to present your emblem at the gate.

"What do you have in that bag of yours Richter?" Niko asked.

"Some extra potion vials I didn't sell, magitech gear, and... your emblems."

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

Elijah wasn't necessarily surprised by this result as he knew the Banum had developed a soft spot for him, but it did alleviate some stress levitating within his soul.

Slowly, his life was moving along. Soon, this state of meandering would be over...

The emblem was not very heavy as it was a thin piece of bronze that looked to be coated in some sort of anti-corrosion ointment. The emblem of the Gion Kingdom was plastered on the front. The Conficus Trident, one golden as can be with a slightly spiraled rod. Underneath this trident was a silver crown, gently resting on a blue and white background – patterned with the shapes of the basil. On the back, was where the interesting part was. An engraving in the shape of a multi-pointed star finely sat perfectly centered. In the middle was the name "Elijah Veran", with space for what he assumed to be titles and your address.

Richter noticed Elijah's curiosity in the back of the emblem. "If you are wondering, there is no way for the emblem to be damaged. The star engraving you see is a protection rune making any object it is on immune to damage or change. Of course, this depends on the size, and the emblem is small enough for the protection to be active 24/7 while pulling from the environment."

"Very interesting. I wonder how they found the protection rune." Elijah questioned.

Richter received a tidy some of 100 Genny and returned out the door, likely to go get some food. Unfortunately, Richter was not a man of culture that he would spend time cooking his own food. And currently, Elijah and Niko were temporarily the same — until they had found their own place to live and developed a consistent income they could budget from.

A simple restaurant twenty minutes away from Richters flat was used as their dining spot, and a place to rest. During this time, Elijah and Niko had walked into the hunting district and into magitech shops to get a look at prices.

Unsurprisingly, while talking to a few shop attendants, they had explained how prices for the bare minimum equipment start around 2,000 Genny, with the most expensive part being the mana batteries that range from 100-3000 Genny depending on the capacity and mana stage.

The famous "Wind Walkers", as the attendant described, were 3400 Genny. The reason was that the difficulty to make was high, as the rune had to be picture perfect when engraved on the soft leather. Any deviation would result in failure. Unfortunately, the attendant did not explain the specifics of the rune likely for poaching and solo magitech engineers.

At the end of the day, everyone is seeking to buy and sell for profit — to support oneself and their family.

These statistics got Elijah thinking. He would surely be able to kill a hell of a lot more beasts when he knew the specifics of an area — one he had favored. In a single day, he had made practically 900 Genny. Only when becoming a full fledged adventurer would Elijah find out the details of whatever resource split he would be required to uphold.

Honestly, the lucrative potential this has when compared to the cost of food is insanity! Too good to be true!

Finally, the trio had returned to their small flat in the midst of a civilized jungle, and began the "real talk".

Firstly, Elijah and Niko aided Richter in placing the different perishable items into the fridge and freezer, while leaving the fruits they were going to eat within the next three days in a wooden bowl that sat on the countertop.

Elijah knows far more than Niko, which is why he starts the conversation.

In the beginning, suspicion arose from Elijah around the thought processes of the people. Automatically, everyone he came into contact with said the same statement about the outside world. "There is no life out there", "That is what we call the beast lands, a place the kingdom will never yearn to explore." Obviously, this sentiment now caught up to Richter as he was no longer "under the spell". However, questions arose as to how Richter was even able to escape.

Richter rubbed his right shoulder and cracked his neck. "I didn't escape alone... There were twelve of us, and in the midst of danger, we only thought of one solution to give us a chance at living... Run, as fast as we could, and forever... until we found a suitable place to leave. There was a lot of resistance after I suggested this idea, but because of the beasts we saw from inside the gate building, most of us agreed it was the only choice."

"I don't know how long it was until I found Gion, but along the way, I had lost everyone. The only reason I kept going was because of the hope that I had in my heart... I just, I don't even know what that hope was. Honestly, at the time, I had no idea what I was thinking about. But instead... I just acted."

Elijah waited a few seconds just to make sure Richter was finished. "I think I know why you suggested it, and why you felt this 'hope' in your heart. But I need to explain a few more things first..."

Elijah continued on to recount the occurrences in the caverns that caused him to almost lose his life, but also for his friends to lose their lives... A tear that Elijah didn't seem to notice flowed down his cheek, and was only wiped away due to an annoying itch he felt. Then, Elijah finally got to the good part – the first meeting with Amaris, Landon, Leah, and Mikhail.

The conspiracy meeting was when the group had given the 'thing' underneath the whirlpool a name. The Void. Richter was in awe that the horrid beasts stalling the retake of the wall were being created directly from The Void, and being controlled by it – as well as someone within the kingdom.

Just as Elijah was going to continue, Richter and Niko both butted in. "Wait! You are saying those beasts were being controlled to intentionally stall us from retaking our kingdom!"

"Yes! Trust me, I will get to the juicy part soon!"

Elijah continued on about his findings during the tournament, and how Amaris – Elijah's mentor – was from Gion. However, Amaris was not the only person from Gion sent here. In fact, Abel, Rodrick, Leon, and probably more were also sent. Unfortunately, they were all somehow controlled by The Void, or enticed by the King.

This led Elijah to his next point. The King was not at the very center of this, but acted as a demon that likely moved his soul from body to body – giving him eternal life. Of course, this was confirmed by Elijah during his 'torture', as he had literally heard them speak of their plan. The King was someone who had been alive since the very beginning, pulling the strings in the background to create a utopia full of magic. One fatal flaw being that not a single person reached past the cyan core stage. Questions about The Void placing a limiter on the people were mentioned, but the idea of not a single person 'understanding' how to get to the next core stage was also there.

Finally, Elijah brought all of this together by the yin and yang, or as this world calls it...

Benevolence and Corruption.

Just like Leah, Landon, Mikhail, Novius, and truly anyone he was around for a large amount of time, Richter was also infected with his benevolence that he had 'mysteriously' obtained. Likely, the small amount given to him without even making contact was through something completely different. Maybe compatible affinities?

Either way, Richter still didn't fully understand his motives at the moment, which made Elijah think it could simply be the survival instinct of a human that supersedes anything magical in dire moments.

"What do you think the goal of The Void is?" Richter asked while trying to digest all of the information.

"No way for me to know." Elijah decided to keep his conversation with Esulith a secret for now. The idea was to let this knowledge simmer in both Richter and Niko's brain to have them come up with ideas as they interact with Gion. He hadn't even told him about the reincarnation!

However, the reason why Elijah wanted them to observe and peek around their surroundings as much as possible was because of one simple fact.

"You know what bugs me about this entire thing?" Richter said while staring at the wooden and stone lofted ceiling. "The Kingdom of Gion has been around for more than thirty-thousand years..."

There it was, the final nail in the coffin that sent a shiver up the spines of not just Richter and Niko, but also Elijah himself.

...

The starry night soon transitioned into a rainy morning.

On the other side of a slightly cracked window, Elijah listened to the sounds of the rain make their way down the steep cliff. There was a small covered balcony that Elijah had just come inside from — completing his normal full body stretching routine aimed at awakening every crevasse of the body.

"I would wish you good luck, but I already know how it's going to go." Richter said while peeling a juicy orange mango.

"Thanks for the food, don't worry we will pay you back and do our own shopping before coming home." Niko replied before following Elijah out the door and into the rain.

Once again, the magnificent sight of a grand and romantic pantheon of a dead god caught both Elijah and Niko's attention. Along the way to the adventure guild, they stopped at a few food stands to get dried beef and fresh fruit to stuff in their spatial storages.

By now Elijah had been using 2 rings that fit tightly around the middle and ring finger of his left hand, and the bracelet worn around his left wrist. Niko on the other hand had just a bracelet and ring being used. Thankfully, the gems were flush to the ring — which were of no utility besides looking cool on a fine noble hand. The true utility was the small rune on the underside of the ring and bracelet that allowed it to function.

Related to the intense discussion last night, no serious investigations would be carried out until they had some time on their hands. Thankfully, while passing through the market districts, they would begin to peruse the newspapers for free, and would eventually take themselves to the Library of Historia – located in the Noble District of Sefrah.