292 Chapter Ninety Two - We visit the Points Pavilion (1/2)
But that's not to say the General left unhappily; he had stored in his luggage some more of Leon's pills as well as a herbal blend that Leon had made himself, which could revitalise the liver and improve its natural functions when taken over a long term. As a return gift, he'd given Leon a weapon.
It was a short sword, though it's blade was slender like a knife rather than the flat, silvery blade he'd seen others use. The handle was ornate, but not ostentatiously so; the golden metal of the guard was shaped as a coiling fish tail, while two rams horns curled from the cast head of the same beast sheltered by the guard. The handle was then topped by a pummel decorated by a stylised sun and crescent moon. It came in a sheath decorated by the same symbols.
Leon accepted it gratefully, though held it gingerly. This was very unlike the small knife he usually carried, which was only really good enough to cut through herbs nor like the sharp cooking knifes he kept indoors. The General might have thought he could use it in self-defence, but a weapon was a weapon no matter how one looked at it. In certain hands it was a tool for killing. No matter how Leon felt about it, Jin Li approved, though he muttered something about replacing it later as its appearance offended him for some reason.
Pike divided the points their team had earned and thought about giving a little more to Caelus, had it not been for the bright alchemist who'd commissioned Caelus a useful pill to make up for the fact he hadn't gained any souvenirs from their adventure. Caelus was dumbfounded at first, he was unable to form words to express his joy and appreciation. ”If you ever require my help for something,” he finally managed to say after some teasing from these students, his former teammates, ”just send word.”
It could be stated that the cooperation and rapport formed between the six had really fulfilled the purpose of this competition and the tentative connections they had made had the potential to form the strongest of bonds in the future. But for now, they all went their separate ways.
Jin Li glanced at the second tablet within Leon's hands, a decent total of points etched upon its surface. ”What will you do with them?”
”N-n-not sure,” Leon admitted. Points weren't really used that much within the Alchemists schools, so he hadn't considered this far ahead.
The Points Pavilion was simply like a large supermarket of cultivation supplies aimed at the students. Like the library, it was a building of many levels, but unlike the library, it was shaped like a cone without a point; each floor slightly smaller that the one beneath. The stairs coiled around the outside of the building, columns protruded from the protective outer wall and were topped with large stone lanterns. The floor entrances all faced in the same direction and were decorated by pairs of stone beast statues each differed with each floor. The higher the floor, the more ferocious the guardians.
The lowest and largest floors were open to all. Everyday things could be found on this floor. Library passes were sold here, though the access was restricted to certain familiar floors. Common pills such as clear spiritual pills and one heart pills were available to exchange for points as well as common herbs. Leon had no need for any of these things, he was well provided for as both an alchemist student and as a core student. Common materials for weapons and armours could also be found here such as iron ore, leathers and cloth. Weapons that had little more value than a practice weapon were stacked in one corner and unimpressive armour was shelved beside them.
Basic techniques for martial artists, beast tamers and healers (to name a few) and cultivation methods (though all of these could also be found in the library), alchemy kegs, jade bottles and boxes, weak paper talismans... the floor was like a giant bizarre, but despite these things having small value, it was not uninteresting. Leon picked up a selection of seeds with the ten points that he'd won from Jude before Jin Li hinted that they should check out a higher floor.
The second floor was not unlike the first floor, but the value of these products were a little higher. For example, instead of clear spiritual pills, cloudy spiritual pills could be purchased here. However, before a person could purchase anything, five points were swiped from their pocket without compromise. Jin Li clicked his tongue as his balance reduced before his eyes as they stepped through the Dire Tigers sitting fiercely either side of the entranceway. Leon perhaps did not notice, but he did not lose a thing from the jade slate in hand. He also did not notice that the bracelet that the Headmaster had given him as a token for being a core student warmed slightly instead.
Jin Li followed Leon as the other wandered around with no goal in mind, though his eyes were drawn towards the weapons and armour. These were made from better materials and with cleverer hands than those that could be found in the ground floor. These were at least worthy of a soldier or hunter rather than a practicing student. But Jin Li's small arsenal of weapons were still better, he decided. Once more, Leon purchased some seeds and this time, he picked up a bundle of dried herbs. These were not useful to him as an alchemist, but they were used in medicinal cuisine, including tea making. As they were imported from across the ocean, they were not so readily available in small towns such as Julip nor were they in high demand, but he felt quite pleased to be able to grab them here.