Chapter 242
"Is that something cultivators can even do? It looks like she’s a magician." One of the girls says with a giggle, making Karl laugh.
"At higher levels it is. Mystic cultivators from Condensation onwards and Physical Cultivators starting at core formation should have enough external energy control to do something close to that. At least one dish at a time. An actual mage her level could use a spell to create a helper to do it." He explains.
"You say that like Mages are a thing? Aren’t they just a local myth about wandering cultivators? That’s what our teacher told us about the stories." A boy asks.
Karl summons a Bunny Golem, which heads to the kitchen and starts collecting dishes to set the table. The action startles everyone, including the Red Dragon, who hasn’t seen a mage type cultivator in quite a while, especially among the humans.
"Mage type cultivators are rare, but they do exist. It’s the lack of available spells that keeps more Mystic cultivators from following that path. Once you get started, it’s hard to change over, even if you do start learning spells in the future, because of the difference in internal energy types."
The Golems have set the table and are bringing the finished dishes to be served while I pull the baking from the ovens and rapidly chill them to lukewarm. After scaring everyone with the Domain I don’t need them burning their mouths on the dinner rolls and getting an even worse impression of me.
An Orphanage is a lively place, at least this one is, with two dozen kids all chattering away about how their days went. There aren’t many really young kids here, mostly age ten and above, which could be either a good sign that the younger ones are being looked after by their parents or foster homes now that things have been relatively stable a while, or a really bad sign that they’re not surviving at all. I’m thinking it’s the former, the city seems pretty decent so far.
As we eat I learn the stories of the children here, many lost their families to the portal openings, some to the aftermath of the political upheaval. But surprisingly, a few came through the portals themselves, hoping that this side would be better, and were taken in by the Demons and dropped off at the Orphanage.
"I told them I could cook and clean, just like at home, but they said they didn’t hire untrained workers and dropped me here." A boy about twelve years old laughs as he finishes his story about fleeing from his life as a slave.
"Of all people, a Succubus turned down a human worker. This city really is a strange one, but it’s a big improvement on the Demon Realm." One of the others agrees.
It looks like we won’t be having any serious problems with the Succubus Queen and her formerly beleaguered empire, the nature of the city is enough to keep them satisfied and thriving. You have to measure everything an adult says, but kids tend to have no filter. Get them together in a group and you’ll learn all sorts of things.
After the meal, Karl changes into his casual wear, jeans and a Harley shirt with a black leather jacket and boots, then we both set off again to explore the city a bit more. We’ve seen the good side of the city, now let’s see what the underside looks like. Maybe a quick visit to one of the smaller bars or gambling halls might turn up a different story, hidden from the public. Hopefully not, but we would be neglectful to not even check.