Conflux System: I Can Merge Anything

It is better to pay tribute of gold to the enemy than tribute of blood in war.

Zane had left the slums.

He had left the slums smiling as smiling faces waved their hands in his farewell.

He had gifts, quests and hopes of all the residents in his black plastic bag and it was near the point of ripping and letting go of the contents.

But it held on.

Just like Zane held on to his smile while waving at the residents for one last time.

He had the brightest smile on his face but the moment he turned his back on them, that smile vanished.

An unwavering gaze took the place of the smile as he knew, what awaited him couldn’t be faced with a smile.

It would be faced with blood.

Milo stayed on his back, her hot breath brushed his neck and by the speed and movement of her breath, he was able to access her condition.

She was fine for now.

He stood at the entrance of the Veyndral city, carriages and people walked with their friends and wives.

Some men were running off to their work, merchants and vendors were opening their shops.

Zane stood on his toes to look at the Flame Tower and it would be on VI pretty soon.

I need to reach the Citadel fast.

It would take him a long time to reach the Citadel by foot and the bell of the church would ring as soon as the hand came on VI on the tower.

Time was of the essence and to reach there fast, he had a way. But...

Shall I take it?

Zane wondered as it would be his first time to do something like that.

But then he remembered the Veil heretic and Milo’s condition and his mind stopped negotiating.

I have enough money for this. I took everything I had.

Zane had been brick hauling for many years and he had managed to save some of the Lumens.

And he believed it was time to use them.

He walked forward and stopped in front of a carriage.

A carriage meant for public transport.

The carriage driver was outside his carriage and he was constantly shouting the name of his next stop. Which happened to be...

"Come. Come. To the citadel. Citadel. Citadel!"

Zane could only afford this public one as private ones were expensive and he might get infected sitting on a polished seat. Or worse, the carriage driver might shoo him off as he was a Gutterborn.

Shaking his head, he looked at the shouting carriage driver.

The carriage driver did the same.

"Get away, boy. I have no pennies to lend."

Zane’s jaw clenched. "I am not a beggar. I want to go to the Citadel."

The carriage driver’s expressions changed.

"Oh. For what? Cleaning toilets?"

He laughed and he felt Milo’s breathing getting faster.

I need to calm down.

Zane smiled. "No, sir. I got admission in it. I need to reach it. I will pay the fare as well."

The carriage driver raised his brows.

"Are you serious?"

Zane nodded. "Yes. I awakened three Gleam Tier skills."

The carriage driver’s expression changed again.

His eyes were a little wide as his voice turned softer.

"I am sorry, little man. But if I let you sit inside, then the other passengers won’t take my carriage. I can’t suffer such a loss."

I knew it.

Zane’s identity won’t leave him alone.

Even with money he couldn’t use the things normal people could use without a second thought.

He could let go of this idea and walk but he didn’t want to visit the church to pray.

It was likely that nothing would happen as heretics don’t come often but he couldn’t take a risk. If he was alone, he would have walked with no worries.

He couldn’t risk exposing Milo to the monsters of the world.

"Fine. How about this?" Zane said and raised his left leg.

The carriage driver watched the young man with a frown as he removed his torn shoe from his left foot.

Zane wasn’t wearing any shocks and the carriage driver wrinkled his nose seeing the ripped skin of his foot.

"Were you walking all your life, kid?" The driver asked.

Zane scoffed. "Crawling."

The driver went silent and Zane shoved his hand inside the shoe. Inside the sole of the shoe.

The driver didn’t know what he was doing but soon he saw it.

Zane took out his hand and it wasn’t empty anymore.

He brought a fistful of bronze Lumens from his shoe.

The driver’s brows twitched.

"Why would you do such a thing?"

Zane didn’t go into details and answered with one line.

"I live in Ashen."

The driver sighed. He didn’t ask further.

"Take me to the citadel and I will compensate you for the loss of your passengers. In one carriage, only four people could sit. So along with my fare, I will give you the fare of three more people."

"What about the girl? You won’t pay her fare?"

"She will sit on my lap. She won’t use your seat. You will only charge me."

The driver laughed. "Lack of money makes us creative, doesn’t it?"

Zane said nothing and the driver opened the door.

"One fare costs five Bronze Lumens. Since you are paying for three more, your total would be twenty Bronze Lumens. Is that okay?"

"Yes." Zane replied and sat inside the carriage.

The driver closed the gate and went to the front of the carriage.

He had two bulls pulling the vehicle and in no time, the carriage started moving.

Milo also came down from Zane’s back and sat on his lap.

Zane looked around and the seat was cushioned and comfortable. Comfortable than his wooden bed.

They had red plastic cover over them and Zane’s heart winced seeing Milo on his lap and not on the comfortable seat.

I will make it easier, Milo. I will.

He promised himself and counted all the money he had.

The money he took out from his shoe, was the only savings he had and when he counted them, for the zenith time, a dry laugh escaped his lips.

It was exactly twenty bronze Lumens.

All those years of work and I could only afford one seat of a carriage.

He shook his head and let the shaking carriage move.

There was a window on his left as he and Milo enjoyed the scenery.

As they covered more distance, Zane frowned.

Black smoke was coming from somewhere.

The carriage moved a few more steps forward and Zane saw a crowd gathered around a place.

He squinted his eyes and as the carriage moved one more step, he saw a house on fire.

And the next second, he saw the building beside the burning house.

It was the Lumen Reservoir.

As soon as he registered the building, his eyes went wide.

That burning house beside the Lumen Reservoir.

That house... that house...

Zane’s heart threatened to beat itself to death as that house...

It’s Xavier’s home!