There were many things Kali could request and Bai Zemin was really going to give his all to grant it. At the end of the day, just as she had said, he was a stubborn and proud person.
Not only did Bai Zemin not like to feel in debt to other people but he also did not like to feel that he had somehow 'abused' the knowledge or power of others. Just as with Lilith in the beginning, he was going to help her so that he could be on equal footing although that had now changed and he was going to help her because she was the woman he loved.
As for Kali... The girl was a complete enigma to Bai Zemin.
When she opened her small mouth and her pale lips moved, her monotone voice but that seemed to contain a tinge of pleading or maybe that was Bai Zemin's imagination rang out as she made her request.
"I don't want anything material as perhaps you was thinking, neither do I need you to at least try to find a cure or solution for the situation with my body. I just hope you can take me with you on your travels."
For a few seconds, the entire room was silent. The runes on the door of the house and probably the ones hidden in the walls were definitely doing a good job in not allowing the noise from the street to reach the interior.
Seraphina's eyes slowly opened wider and wider as she looked at her friend with utter surprise. Although she had not known Kali for a long time, Seraphina knew enough of her personality to understand the type of person Kali was. However, in less than an hour, there had been so much out of the ordinary that the shock in her heart had finally taken away her words.
Indeed. Just as Kali said, what Bai Zemin had expected was for her to ask for a cure for her legs and eyes. Therefore, her sudden and unexpected request shook the ground he was standing on making it difficult for Bai Zemin to respond to her immediately.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Seraphina quickly stood in front of Kali and put both hands on her tiny shoulders as she said in a serious voice, "Kali, why don't you better ask for something else? He is really strong, you know? He could give you whatever you want!"
Seraphina knew that Bai Zemin was not someone from this world and that he would eventually leave, it was even highly probable that their paths would never cross again. Therefore, she was trying to help him out of a situation that was probably very uncomfortable for him. After all, Bai Zemin had told Kali that he would fulfill her request... but Seraphina knew that it was impossible for him to take someone from this world into his.
"I do know he is strong. Even I who rarely leave my house have heard Bai Zemin's name at least a dozen times." Kali said calmly. She extended her delicate little hand and slowly asked Seraphina to move a step out of the way so she could be in front of him once more, "However, there is nothing I want. If I want luxuries I can have them myself, I don't need anyone to give them to me."
"That's... true...But..."
Seraphina knew that if Kali exposed her talent for reading and encrypting runes, drawing powerful magic circles, then she would be able to have everything she want. All the royal families of the world would do their best to please her for the sake of winning her favor; that remarkable was her talent. However, Kali never sought luxury at all and that was precisely why she lived in such a simple house.
The youngest princess in the kingdom looked at Bai Zemin with a defeated expression on her face as if telling him that she had done her part to help him but that she had nothing more to say.
To Seraphina's surprise, however, Bai Zemin's expression was not one of helplessness as she expected but was serious and contemplative as he looked at Kali in silence.
A thought suddenly crossed Seraphina's mind and she immediately felt her heart begin to race at such a possibility.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})After several seconds, Bai Zemin continued to stare at Kali and said in a serious voice: "Are you sure about that? Before you answer let me tell you that I am not someone from this world, I came here after activating a skill to take a destructive attack away from my allies... but after completing my promise to His Majesty Philip I plan to return to my homeland where many are waiting for me in order to continue from where we stagnate."
For the first time since Bai Zemin met Kali, he saw her wooden expression break slightly, and although it only lasted an instant, Bai Zemin finally cleared any doubts as to whether he was talking to a living human being or not.
Her snow-white eyebrows fluttered slightly and her eyelashes trembled as if she was trying to open her eyes when she heard Bai Zemin's revelation.
"That's unexpected." She said, her voice completely devoid of emotion that betrayed her surprise. "Unexpected but not unwelcome."
"Mm?" Bai Zemin blinked in surprise.
Kali wasn't getting the reaction he was expecting at all. Except for her initial surprise that lasted a flicker of time she didn't even seem incredulous at what he had revealed to her.
"That's okay too," Kali muttered to herself. She lifted her head so that her eyes aligned as much as possible with his and said in a clear voice, "In that case, take me with you when you return to your world.... I guess that will be the real start of my journey as gunpowder, Bullet."
Bai Zemin forced a smile and scratched his head as he said under his breath, "I seem to be getting nicknames pretty fast lately."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Bai Zemin had noticed Seraphina's eyes locked on him and could practically feel her heart racing from afar. However, he focused on Kali for now and noted calmly, "Kali, I have no problem with taking you to my world and keeping you by my side.... In fact, that would be a lot better for me as you will surely be of great help to my growth thanks to your wonderful skill of seeing souls.... However, what about you? Are you really okay with leaving behind your friends, your family, your home... abandoning everything for an unknown future millions of times more dangerous than the one you are living in now?"
Kali didn't even have to pause to consider her answers in the face of Bai Zemin's series of questions. Her sweet but at the same time indifferent voice was as unwavering as ever as she expressed her thoughts and feelings.
"My only friend is Seraphina, as for family... I don't know if I have one or if I was born from a rock, I only have memories from this point about three or four months back, beyond that everything is blank to me."
"What?" Bai Zemin looked at her in shock before looking at Seraphina, "Is that right?"
Seraphina hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Mhm.... A few months ago the guards of the north wall found Kali passed out on the outskirts of the city... no one knows to this day how or why she appeared there. It was not long after and while I was taking care of her that Kali asked me if she could borrow my battle equipment. She improved every piece of my equipment to the point where it looked completely different from the previous one. We have been friends all this time."
Bai Zemin looked at the young girl in the wheelchair with a startled expression on her face.
Kali was indeed riddled with mysteries, from her skill of seeing souls to her intelligence clearly WAY above normal and from her strange physical disability to her unknown past; her whole being seemed to be shrouded by a veil that covered her reality.
"That's why you have nothing to worry about," She said in the same tone of voice as before. "I have no great ties holding me here so I won't feel any sadness when you take me to your world. Of course, if you refuse my request then that's fine with me too, I'll understand. A bullet only needs the gunpowder to work just one time to go off after all."
After seeing the records of the equipment that the soul evolvers of Bearcrest City used, Kali realized that her ability to understand and draw runes was undoubtedly a priceless treasure; even the equipment that such an important figure as Seraphina, one of the two princesses of the entire kingdom, had runes that to Kali were nothing more than waste.
However, except for her ability to draw runes, there was nothing else Kali had to offer. Besides, it would only be a one-sided business deal, she knew that other people would only approach her to make her draw runes.
For the first time, however, Kali met a person who valued her higher than anyone else not for the fact that she could bestow great power with just a pair of magic circles but for a capacity that even if she revealed it to the whole world would be considered useless except to blind people.
Since Bai Zemin called himself bullet and at her gunpowder, Kali felt that maybe she could make a good team with him. After all, she was the only living being who could see souls and he was the only existence with a soul that contained all types of souls.
However, she might have been overestimating herself. Bai Zemin had already learned about the electromagnetic spectrum and souls while with his strength he would not need her ability to draw runes.
Why on earth would someone so strong want to drag around a 15-year-old girl who couldn't even move under her own power? It would just be a tedious drawback.
"Very well, since you're so sure then so be it."
"Uh?" Kali lifted her small head abruptly as Bai Zemin's voice snapped her out of her pessimistic inner thoughts. For the first time since she could remember, her voice wavered for a split second, "W- What did you just say?"
"... Why are you so surprised?" Bai Zemin looked at her dumbfounded and remarked, "Didn't I tell you...To me, you are someone that the closer I can keep from me the better. I am sure that with your intelligence and ability to analyze souls I will be able to grow much faster."
Before she could say anything, Bai Zemin extended his right hand forward and said with a faint smile, "Welcome to the Transcendent faction, Kali."
Subconsciously, Kali reached out her small hand and took his hand which was practically twice the size. She still seemed unable to believe that he had actually agreed to take her with him.
Kali's hand felt very soft and fragile, therefore, Bai Zemin subconsciously treated it with special care.
"With you being my gunpowder I am sure that soon the whole universe will hear our names. You'll see how fun but dangerous life is behind these walls. Well, as long as I'm alive you won't have to worry about your safety anyway, and it's not like anyone or anything could kill me just for wanting to kill me." He said.
"I'm sure we'll be a great team, Powder." Bai Zemin chuckled.
Just as Bai Zemin spoke those words while still holding Kali's small hand, a green-lettered message flashed across his retina.
In just one day, he had already received so many surprises... and it wasn't even 12 noon.
* * * * * * *
