AStoryForOne
patreon
Chapter 325
🕑 Added 2023-03-17 12:06:01 +0000 UTCI took a step onto the ground.
Whenever I visited a ‘new’ world, I always took a moment to take in the atmosphere. More than just getting my visual bearings, I let the world baptize me with its own special laws and unique circumstances.
I was prepared, but even so, I felt my footing almost stumble before catching myself. That isn’t to say something pressured me, but that It felt like I had been wearing weights on my legs for so long that I suddenly took them off and needed to reorientate myself.
Bringing my arm up to my face, I waved it a few times infront of myself, getting used to this new sensation.
There wasn’t any more ‘difficulty’ or ‘ease’ in my movements, but the difference was something I would need to get used to.
Because what I felt was certainly not the Mana I was used to.
“Reishi…?” I spoke the word I had recently learned.
Gramps barely had any information on this world, but there was some things I did learn.
Reishi, the main component of souls and all spiritual matter. Different than the equivalent that I’m used to back home. That being of course, Spiritrons, the spirit particles that make up the soul.
Both claim to be the make up of one’s soul, yet both are correct. Souls are souls, but they can differ slightly depending on the world that one is born to.
Just how a Human Soul can be different than say a Youkai Soul, yet both are Souls. The Souls here are just a tad more unique than what I’m used to.
While not a complete one to one ratio, Reishi can be another name for ‘Mana’ here.
Though, the odd thing was that I could still feel Mana in the air. So perhaps that wasn’t even accurate either. I was just trying to draw parallels with my own knowledge to better start researching this stuff but that may throw me off if I rely too much on it.
Well, still going on that symbolism. If Reishi is basically this ‘spiritual matter’ equivalent to Mana. Then obviously there is a term for the ‘Reishi’ that each person possesses. Gramps had it written down too, he called it ‘Reiryoku’. The basic term meaning ‘Spiritual Power’.
It is amusing that there are similar terms for similar corresponding energies even if they exist on a slightly different spectrum.
Fascinating.
This Energy, I couldn’t immediately absorb it like I could Mana.
I would have to experiment with it because I felt like I could take it in with some effort or some work around.
Though, to do that, I would need to set up a proper workshop. And unfortunately, I didn’t have an identity in this world, nor did I have the correct’ currency’. Yes, I had Yen, millions of it, enough that I would be set for life if I retired and lived like a normal human. However, I had a personal rule not to introduce the currency of one world to another, even if it matched.
That was just asking for trouble and it would be a headache ot deal with if I got discovered.
I tapped my finger against my arm as I looked out across this city.
It was a little smaller than Fuyuki and Kuoh that I was used to for a Japanese town. I was on a hill at the far end of the town, but I could make out buildings that did dwarf the standard houses that seemed to line the distance
How strange.
Why was this place of all locations in the world, the one with the highest concentration of Reishi.
I couldn’t pick out anything special about it at a glance. Not that I expected to be able to peer into any secrets, but it was just odd that something so plain and ordinary could hold that title.
Oh well, it’ll make things easier if I can just do some research in peace and get familiar with this Energy Source and proceed from there.
However, I do need to settle the matter of finding a place to stay.
I suppose I could take the same route I did in Remnant….without the whole incident to go along with it.
[**]
I swiveled on my chair.
It was pretty comfortable.
I liked this chair.
And I could look out the window to see pretty far down the street. Even with only the moon illuminating the sky, it was some pretty good scenery.
“What a nice office.” I admired, swinging around to look at my guests.
Well, guests was sort of a misnomer.
Technically, I was the guest.
But it was just semantics.
Two guys were sitting down on their knees, not even daring to look up at me. Their faces were a little swollen, but that was merely a side effect of them being a bit stupid.
It was pretty good luck to find these people so quickly. I honestly didn’t know if a small town like this had a ‘criminal’ underbelly.
“So….” I put my elbows up on my new desk. “Shall we get down to business?”
“W-what do you want?” The ‘boss’ trembled a little.
Hmm, I want a lot of things. Oddly enough, many of them involve Salem sitting on my face. But that’s neither here nor there. “I could use some Identification.” I started off with something easy. “Can you nice gentleman help me with that?”
“…..my subordinate has an uncle who can do that sort of thing.” The ‘boss’ that was the previous owner of this chair answered my question.
“Alright, bring him here.” I clapped my hands happily.
“He’s already here.” The boss said, turning to look at the figure of a map half through the nearby wall, body limp as he hung there.
The walls here were pretty much cardboard if I were to be honest.
“Ah, the idiot who pulled a gun on me.” That’s unfortunate. “Can you contact his uncle if I offer a lot of money?”
He blinked and nodded.
“Good.” I smiled happily and pretended to reach into my jack and took out some gold, setting it on the table. “This should be enough to pay for it.”
Using actual ‘money’ may be a no-go, but Gold is easy to pass around without much fuss.
“You can keep the extra after settling everything for me.” Some incentive to get it done without issue. “Out of curiosity….what are your names?” I hadn’t even asked.
To be fair, I sort of just strolled right in and they got a little upset at that. I may have had to beat up everyone inside the building.
“Everyone calls me Scar, Boss!” The previous boss was already on his feet, bowing his head respectfully.
And credit where it was due, he had already pocketed the gold in one swift motion.
Though, being called ‘boss’ made me feel a little depressed knowing how many of my subordinates I had already failed. I knew he had no way of knowing that it annoyed me, so he wouldn’t get a beating.
“Is that because of that little scar next to your eye?” I asked.
“No it’s because of the scar on his ass –“ The guy sitting down next to him received a quick kick in the face by ‘Scar’.
“Don’t listen to him.” Scar coughed awkwardly.
“What….do you all actually do here?” I was morbidly curious. I know that Crime can’t be prevented, there’s always going to be those elements everywhere. But….this was such a small town, what the hell was worth forming a gang here for? “I didn’t expect a Yakuza group to exist in a small place like this.”
The guy who had been kicked a moment ago sat back up. You know, he had an oddly majestic looking pompadour.
“We’re not Yakuza…” He said.
“Wait, what?” I looked around.
‘Scar’ Scratched his head awkwardly. “His dad owns the nearby hospital.” Pointing to pompadour.
“And his owns a bunch of real estate.”
I looked at them both for a moment before slowly face palming. “You’re a bunch of second generations roleplaying as Yakuza?”
“…..I wouldn’t say ‘Roleplaying’….”
“What about the idiot who pulled a gun on me?”
“His Grandfather is the head of the police here. He swiped it out of his dad’s safe and he was showing it off….” Scar replied a little embarrassed. “…It doesn’t have any bullets….”
I opened my mouth and closed it again, opting to sigh instead. “Can you still get me an ID and stuff?”
“Yeah, that’s easy!” He nodded enthusiastically.
“Great.” I breathed out with a little bit of exasperation. Now I felt bad for beating them up. “…you said your dad works in real estate. I’m looking for a secluded properly, got any for sale?”
‘Scar’ perked up. “My dad owns some abandoned buildings at the edge of town. He was going to knock them down a few years ago, but something happened and he hasn’t touched them.”
While I’m happy that I got my immediate concerns settled….this is not how I was expecting this evening to go.
“Alright, I’ll go check it out. Give me the directions, and we’ll settle on payment later. I’ll also leave my information here so you can get started on my identification. Do a good job and I’ll give you a bonus.”
Whatever, I guess them ‘playing’ as Yakuza was better than them being Yakuza.
“I’ll get right on it, boss!” He saluted.
“Right….you do that.”
[***]
Well, I could see why this place was abandoned.
The air was cold, I could feel it in my soul. It didn’t affect me negatively, but it was more so that my soul could feel the cold air that permeated this area.
Something was definitely strange here. If a normal human felt this, I could imagine their fight of flight instincts kicking in and they’d want to stay away.
The only answer is why.
Dozens of people probably died here. It vaguely felt familiar to the time I was with Jeanne and we were investigating that conglomeration of resentment.
Less intense, but still noticeable.
Definitely not a human that caused this kind of phenomena.
Curious.
Should I try to make my presence known? It might make whatever caused this come after me too. But then again, I’m not proficient in this ‘power’ that exists here, it may not be interested if I start flexing my Magic.
What if I stimulate the surrounding Mana? Would that stimulate the Reishi in the air as well? Would that attract the cause of this mess?
It was an interesting thought because walking through what seemed like a construction sight was giving me nothing.
There were a few buildings that looked to be ready for demolishing, but it was clear they’ve been sitting here for a long ass time.
Some others that were barely standing.
And a couple that looked half destroyed but not by any industrial means. Like something plowed into them and they collapsed.
I walked up to a walk and drew a Rune on it. I went to the other side of this little area and drew on another wall. I continued a few more times until I created a small area that was surrounded by these few runes.
Not really a spell in name, but…..it should has a visible reaction to the ambient Magical Energy which in turn should also have an effect on the Reishi that exists here.
I snapped my fingers, actualizing them.
The Runes lit up and I intentionally made the Mana in the air a bit chaotic.
I’m basically doing the equivalent of shaking a bottle of soda, trying to get a reaction out of anything nearby.
This would probably take a little while, so I sat down and waited. In the meantime, I used this opportunity to try and take in some of this Reishi that existed.
My Magical Circuits were flared up fully, trying to capture this ambient power. However, it’s like there was a hole in my ‘net’ when I tried to grab hold. I could get just the tiniest bit, but it wasn’t really responsive like the Mana in the air.
“This is going to take some experimentation and effort.” I grumbled in realization. My existent wasn’t tailored to absorbing it like the people here naturally were.
However…..My Demonic Energy, meagre as it is, has been very beneficial for merging together different branches of Magecraft and powers. Things that would have had difficulty coming together coherently had been combined because my Demonic Energy had been acting as a sort of metaphysical lubricant so they didn’t grind to a halt.
Perhaps –
‘ROOOOAAARRRR’
My eyes snapped open from my idle muse.
It wasn’t a normal roar that woke me from my thoughts. It reverberated across the Spiritual Power that hung in the air, and my soul felt it from a distance away.
A little ways down, a building collapsed as a large figure burst out of the dark corridors. It looked like a strange mix between a lizard and a horse. But the most notable feature was the white mask on its face as it stared right at me.
“A Grimm?” I whispered in confusion before realization dawned on me.
No, it was different. The information on this world that gramps told me. There were Spiritual beings known as ‘Shinigami’ that supposedly protected the balance of souls or something inane like that. But on the opposite side there were evil spirits called ‘Hollows’ that sought to devour souls and get stronger.
The two sides were enemies for obvious reasons.
So, this was a Hollow.
Just its presence felt…..filthy.
I had to resist the urge to grab Dawnbreaker and purge it from the world.
It stomped across the ground, leaving huge foot prints in the ground as it continued to usher that earth shaking roar and charged at me. Its massive jaw opened up revealing lines of sharp teeth, clearly wanting to devour me.
“You’ll do nicely.” I nodded, flicking my hand, producing a few Talismans between my fingers. “Let’s start experiment number one.” I threw them out as it approached. They shot off in four directions. “Four Elements Sealing Formation.” I activated the spell. They interlinked and locked down the large creature.
Ethereal chains shot out of each Talisman, wraparound around its body. Its large maw was snapped shut. And chains flew around, binding up its large reptilian-like legs. Its momentum was carried forward even after its stride was obstructed. It fell to the ground, sliding forward until it was only a few feet infront of me.
It struggled, trying to break through my spell, but my Magecraft held onto it tightly.
“First experiment is a success.” I muttered, happy that my Magecraft still had the desirable effect on the thing.
Now, I just need to take it to –
I stopped, my head snapped to the side, noticing some quick movements.
Two yellow eyes greeting me, shining under the cover of shadows.
Slowly, it stepped out into the moonlight, and I could get a better look at it.
“Well, hello there little kitty.” I stared into eyes that held much more intelligence than a cat should.
[***]
A little shorter since it's all I had time for. I had plans for another scene, but I can just start the next chapter with that.
An innocent little cat appeared, i'm sure it's nothing :V.
But just a slow chapter to get this arc started and for Wilhelm to get himself situated in this new place. And also getting some initial thoughts about the world's peculiarities as he tries to analyze them and learn how to use them for his own benefit.
Comments
Cerber
Lets see how Aizens kyouka suigetsu will affect him. On another note, Yoruichi making an appearance during the first bleach chapter seems like a solid start. Hopefully they will hit it up good and maybe he could try to sway Harribel along as well? Tho given how dutiful she feels regarding her subordinates, it might be hard to join him. Last, will Will ever meet up with Athena again? He did after all lose the gorgoneion haha
CkLance
I am biased, but Yoruichi is good too.
Sheldon
Gotta make an Aizen chair meme reference in this arc
Mr Ritcher
I'm not sure I really understand your point, just that he ought to use a less impactful way to convert currency? I think it really depends on what ethical system he is using. The argument just sounds like a deontological one. If he were to go by pretty much any consequentialist or utilitarian system, whatever saves him the most time will likely have the greatest positive impact considering one of the things he is currently juggling is the extinction of the human race on the FGO timeline.
John Kilborn
Except you are forgetting something, he only needs an initial sale of some gold to generate enough money to reinvest. It’s not like he’s solely reliant on gold-to-local currency after all.
Caliburn0
Outside their jurisdiction? No he isn't. He is involving himself in society, therefore he is within the jurisdictions of the local government. The fact that he on his lonesome has more military power than most nations doesn't change the fact that he participates in society and therefore is morally obliged to follow the social contract. You can wave things away if you want. It's not like Wilhelm doesn't have bigger problems to deal with and working to save humanity in another world more than balances any karma he might lose, but still... This just seems sloppy. The fact is that gold prices will be affected. Not by any measurable metric, not by itself, but every transaction that happens affects everything else. This is (almost) counterfeit money. Any one counterfeit operation will never impact the economy on its lonesome, but that doesn't make them any less illegal or any less morally wrong. There's no getting around that. He can choose not to care about it. He will obviously never be caught. But there's just no reason to do it this way when better alternatives exist. And digging for gold isn't any better, that has the same problem, as previously stated gold doesn't have that much inherent value.
Strange Loop Sleuth
This is only a concern if he does it on a much much larger level. Trading a few kilos of unregulated gold will have exactly no effect on the local (global) price. Sure, if he were running some kind of multi dimensional corporation and transferring gold by the ton then it would be a problem but as you pointed out the value of gold is based on the belief it holds value (like pretty much any other form of currency) so to have any effect it would essentially have to become public that he is a dimension hopper and importing mass amounts of the precious metal. Avoiding using fiat currency makes sense as it would be counterfeit within the new system. It would likely have a duplicate serial number, or slight changes to the anti-conterfit protections between worlds. Gold is gold though. In theory he could rather easily use his various powers to find and exploit a local gold vein without issue instead of importing it, but there's no real point. Government beancounters may be upset, but frankly he is outside of their jurisdiction anyway.
Naga
Bleach
Caliburn0
You know, introducing new gold to the economy isn't that much better than introducing new fiat currency. The vast majority of gold's value is because of its lustre and historical value. It does have a few practical uses, but nothing truly significant compared with its monetary value. Wilhelm is essentially just adding unregulated gold to the economy, which will deflate the value of all the other gold around. It means he's less likely to be caught, but it's still just a step above forging currency. And if he bought that gold from another civilization and removed it from them then he's inflated their gold prices, which basically means he's burning their money. Wilhelm is essentially committing serious financial crimes in two worlds by doing this. Which... sure, he can do that, but it doesn't really seem in character for him? A better idea might be for him to switch over to other metals which value is mostly in their use. Copper, tin, or iron, for example. Or he can use material like nice clothes or other finished products. Basically act as an inter-dimensional merchant. He'll still have committed tax fraud, but given his world hopping tendencies that's almost inevitable, at least when he's establishing himself in a new world.
Jacob Barna
What world is this
ColcytusRising
I'd say poor bastard, but nah fuck him and his manipulating tendencies.
ColcytusRising
Lmao poor kisuke, he's about to have to deal with the prankster he knows and the prankster from another world, lmfao
ranger2PO
YES!!!
Desphyx
These chapters never feel long enough. Thanks for the chapter
Nazarickk
Thanks for the chapter
ranger2PO
Yoruichi!!! Thanks for the chapter.
Dav
Ngl hoping at least Yoruichi and Unohana be next one for Will to get together
Tristan R Mitchell
"It was an interesting thought because walking through what seemed like a construction sight was giving me nothing." This should be "Construction Site" instead of "Sight". Sight is the ability to see, Site is a location. I am unsure how useful Construction Sight would be, since most construction is easily visible to the mark one eyeball.
GetRektNuub
Harribel >>>Yoruichi >>Unohana
