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The Path Unending (A Cultivation Quest)

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Vesvius said:
The smile on Sister Xiong's face doesn't waver in the least. "Nothing intrusive or unwanted by my new friend, Kong Zhi," she states, reaching out and patting Songlu on the head. The pig preens and presses up against her palm, searching for more affection. "Songlu was a touch coarse and unrefined before, certainly. But it was nothing my anam could not fix."

...well. The implications of that statement are terrifying.
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Okay, so Siani just had his disciple inflict identity death on it. Cool. Definitely better than letting it die as itself.


Vesvius said:
Sister Xiong nods along with your words. "Neither can I," she muses. "In truth, none of us know who created the Wandering Estate. Whoever it was must have been a savant with spatial charms. Use it well, lest I try to claim it for myself."
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I assume that Siani took it off of someone who had to die for either knowing too much or being a potential obstacle to the Empire's ambitions.

Since... yeah, the last few chapters have progressively moved away from "hijinks in a spooky mega-cave complex" to "hey, remember how they were talking about an Empire, and all that shit with Nokai?", which makes it a lot harder to dissociate from the fact that we're a xianxia CIA agent in training and the Delving Heart is an eager accomplice to an imperialist project.

EDIT: Yes, I'm aware this is very much a personal issue, and that I'm being extremely uncharitable in my reading of things right now.
 
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Actually, thinking on it...

[X] The stone door inscribed with musical notes.

This might lead to a Sound wonder. It's been speculated that the Warren contains wonders, and if any of these doors contains one, it'll be this one.
 
fictionfan said:
s soon as we do that we should work to set up our own security. We don't want to force Zhi to buy charms for his security again.
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the charm we just recidive will work wonderfully as security, all out prized possessions will always be on our finger and since we need sleep only once or twice a week we could also use it as a true house, when we rank up to the seventh circle we will definitely be authorized to move out charmcrafting room in the Warren. Especially if Warren-san likes us
 
0disseus said:
the charm we just recidive will work wonderfully as security, all out prized possessions will always be on our finger and since we need sleep only once or twice a week we could also use it as a true house, when we rank up to the seventh circle we will definitely be authorized to move out charmcrafting room in the Warren. Especially if Warren-san likes us
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Interesting that Zhi doesn't seem to feel any disgust at using this charm. I guess it is because it is most definitely not mass produced rubbish.
 
Vesvius said:
Sister Xiong stops and fixes you with a firm look. "Kong Zhi, when Elder Siani believes you are prepared, you will be raised to the Seventh Circle."
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Ah, the rewards of work... Is more work.



Though it is undoubtedly a galaxy brain move by the Master himself!
Vesvius said:
Air races from your lungs as you let out an enormous sigh of relief. It's a classroom. Whatever Sister Xiong is going to be teaching you, it is academic. Lectures are not your favored method of learning, but compared to whatever else the Caretakers could inflict on you, you will accept it in a heartbeat.
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Aw hell no! An opportunity to worship cycle from such an esteemed senior, blocked by our success!
Vesvius said:
"Songlu!" she calls. "Did you take my chalk?"

Behind you, the door swings open. You turn your head just in time to see a miniscule shape trotting across the floor, moving so quickly that your naked eye cannot recognize it. It stops at the front of the room, dropping down on it's hindquarters at Sister Xiong's feet.

Once it stops moving, you are able to get a clear glimpse of it- though you are not certain you can believe what you are seeing.

Is… is that the pig?
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PROMOSHUN PIGGEH LIVES!

-not gonna lie, I thought it was rendered into parts to harness whatever it was that made it so special or eaten to maintain its silence.

Vesvius said:
"Songlu was a touch coarse and unrefined before, certainly. But it was nothing my anam could not fix."

...well. The implications of that statement are terrifying.
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Goodbye sweet Hogrider aesthetic! Your rugged looks have been traded in for snuggles and sweet time with the impeccable yet profound Sister Xiong. (Hail!)

But wait! Since Songlu has become such a close confidant of her worshipness, should we get closer to the pig (bribes and all), it may just be our ticket for more Sister Xiong (Hail!) route interactions!

Vesvius said:
A sudden emotion flashes across Sister Xiong's face. Whatever it is, you do not get the chance to identify it. By the time you realize that she even had a reaction to your words, her normal mask of regal neutrality has taken its place on her face once more.
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Oooo, even after all this time, the event that crashed her family's fortunes still haunt her.

Vesvius said:
Nightwatch Grove, for its part, is none too fond of the Heart either, but their disdain is nothing compared to the feelings the Resolute March has towards your sect. There was some kind of incident four hundred years ago that Sister Xiong does not expound upon, simply explaining that a disciple of the Delving Heart should be wary of friendly fire in the March's territory. The Delving Heart, however, is not the sole focus of the March's hatred. It seems they also have a certain level of animus towards the Rose and the Jackal, though they would never dare act on the latter as long as His Imperial Glory sits in the Dawnstone Seat.
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Hmmm so these are the sects which had supported in the defense of the Xiong Dynasty. Probably when the current Emperor-in-Steel arose to power. Nice to know who's who/likely to plot against you (for your affiliated sect) when traveling the world.

Vesvius said:
"First," Sister Xiong states. "You can use it as an ordinary spatial ring. When you have it on, you may store anything you can carry inside of it by touching it to the ring and activating it. Items can be reclaimed just as easily by picturing what you wish to retrieve and exercising your anam. The Estate can hold no more than one thousand pounds of materials in this fashion, so choose what you wish to store wisely."
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Vesvius said:
"Finally," Sister Xiong explains. "By activating the third facet, you bring the Estate fully into this realm. Here, you have a safe space in which you can relax and recover from your labors. Anything you store within the ring will be transported to the house and will return there should you bring it out and store it again once more."
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Will go through the votes later. 🧐
 
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I was thinking about our charms skill capping out. We need more Wit, but we are not currently learning any art based on Wit and we are already behind on the arts we are learning.
Vesvius said:
Mechanics: Only a single form available at the start. New forms require collection of materials and treasures
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Vesvius said:
The Ravenous Kraken
Kong Zhi grows in stature, standing a head taller than he normally does and a quarter more as broad. His feet even out but still sit wider than usual, giving him greater balance. His arms lose their tone and definition, becoming long, rubbery limbs that Kong Zhi can control perfectly despite their seeming lack of bones. His skin becomes thick and grey, capable of standing up to great punishment without any issues, and his eye begins to trail a cloying dark smoke that follows after Zhi as he moves.

Cost: 10% of Kong Zhi's maximum threshold on activation and 10% to maintain (if Kong Zhi's anam ever drops below 10% of his maximum threshold, Fractal View ceases to function until activated again.)

Stat Bonuses: +1 Cha, +1 Con, +1 Wit
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Could we just get a bunch of water based treasure and unlock Ravenous Kraken form?
 
fictionfan said:
I was thinking about our charms skill capping out. We need more Wit, but we are not currently learning any art based on Wit and we are already behind on the arts we are learning.




Could we just get a bunch of water based treasure and unlock Ravenous Kraken form?
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Unfortunately:
Vesvius said:
To discover a new form for the Fractal View, Zhi must be inspired. He can reach a state of such inspiration by undergoing new life experiences. Moments of great emotion can trigger the inspiration, granting him new configurations for the Fractal View.
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So we need to go somewhere and do something really crazy- succeed under pressure/awestruck etc. in order to unlock more forms. Plus what you've said...

Not to mention cycling the charm again.
 
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Vesvius said:
A familiar sensation flows through you. Chui Dao's energy… it reminds you of cycling to learn a technique from your sect token. But this time, you are not the one learning. You are the token.
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I'd just like to point out this bit from the previous update. We now know how Chui Dao can learn things. If we want it to help in fights we'll have to let it use KZ as a sect token again.

It's of Steel and War, but I don't see why we shouldn't try with all the techs we have.
 
Edkose said:
I'd just like to point out this bit from the previous update. We now know how Chui Dao can learn things. If we want it to help in fights we'll have to let it use KZ as a sect token again.

It's of Steel and War, but I don't see why we shouldn't try with all the techs we have.
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It would be super interesting to actively channel BSA through Chui Dao, we got our first insipiration when we crafted with our favorite Kukuni, using it offensively with Chui Dao may trigger a second inspiration
 
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