Gleam [Karma Cultivator Isekai] - Chapter 115: Cash in

Neither Chance nor Bella spoke. Chance wasn’t sure how long they were silent, and he didn’t care to keep track of it either. But, eventually, their silence ended.

“Bella?”

Bella’s eyes opened and she looked up at Chance. Her expression was still relaxed and she looked like she’d been a step from falling asleep in his lap. “Yeah?”

“I know this is a very personal question, but have you ever interacted with the vision you had when you reached the Squire Rank?”

Bella blinked. That clearly hadn’t been the question that she’d been expecting. After a moment, she shook her head slightly. “Not beyond when I actually had the vision. I just observed, and that was about it. Why? Did you–”

“I did. Multiple times now, I think, although the latest one was the first time I’ve actually spoken to something in it.”

Bella’s eyes widened. She made as if to sit up, then thought better of it as Chance’s hand combed through her hair. She settled for sending him a shocked glance. “I’ve never heard of anything like that before. You probably shouldn’t have even told me.”

“I trust you.”

Bella’s cheeks reddened and she glanced to the side. “I trust you too. But something like that is really dangerous. You basically just confirmed that you’ve got some secret treasure or special cultivation technique.”

“But I don’t–”

Chance’s sentence died before it could pass through his lips. He did have a special treasure – or, at least, he had at one point. The stale Cheeto that Bob had given him had been the only unique thing given to him when he’d arrived on Centurion. It had purged all the impurities from Chance’s body, but maybe it hadn’t just stopped at that.

“You didn’t even realize, did you?” Bella asked, laughing softly.

“Had no idea,” Chance admitted. “I’m still not totally sure it’s related, but there’s a strong possibility.”

“Well, you’ve gone and spilled it now. What happened?” Bella asked.

Chance grinned down at her. “What happened to keeping it secret?”

“Don’t be a tease. You already spilled the beans, so let me eat them.”

“Fine, fine. I spoke with a… being. I don’t really know what it was, but it gave me advice. Both for myself and about what we should do about the Brackern sect.”

“Really?” Bella swallowed. “You actually spoke with something? Visions are supposed to be of something really powerful that’s much farther along our Path than we are. Are you implying…”

“He was really powerful. Stronger than anyone I think we’ve met,” Chance said with a nod. “Stronger than Yamish, I think. But it’s not like he’ll help me directly. I think it’s more that he was so powerful that even the vision of him was able to bring some personality and wisdom in.”

“That’s terrifying.”

“It wouldn’t be if you met him. He was kind,” Chance said.

“So I take it his suggestion wasn’t to rip the Brackern sect apart one by one, slaughtering the slavers until none of them remain?”

“No,” Chance agreed. “That wasn’t it. He kind of just told me to trust myself.”

Bella stared up at him. She raised an eyebrow. “Wow. That’s inspirational.”

Chance laughed and shook his head. Now that he put it into words, the golden man’s words weren’t exactly awe inspiring – they certainly had been at the time, though. “Well, he also gave me a ball of yarn and told me to untangle it.”

Bella blinked in confusion. Chance coiled a strand of her hair around one of his fingers and matched her raised eyebrow. “Turns out, this was the yarn.”

“You know what? I take it back,” Bella decided. “I like him. But… is that really it? Such a powerful being took time to speak to you just to tell you to play with my hair?”

Chance grinned. “I think your hair just happened to be conveniently placed. I think what he meant was that I’m not using Karma to its full extent. I’m still trying to force and rely on external factors too much, and that everything I need is at the palm of my hand.”

Bella’s eyes flicked to the side as she tried to get a look at Chance’s hands. “My hair?”

“Probably not quite that literal,” Chance admitted. He untangled a hand from Bella’s hair and patted his travel bag. “He meant that we’ve already got everything we need to deal with this, even though it might not be exactly the method I think any of us were planning on.”

“Wait. You mean you’ve got an idea on how to deal with this?”

Chance nodded. “No clue if it’ll work, but that’s how life works, I guess. It’s the only way I can imagine handling this in a manner that doesn’t result in at least some of us dead.”

“How?” Bella asked.

“Not yet,” Chance said with a shake of his head. “The plan doesn’t actually hinge on me, and I don’t want to say anything else in case the key party isn’t comfortable doing it. That’ll make them feel pressured to say yes.”

“That’s thoughtful of you, but I’m sure all of us will do what we have to if it means there’s a possibility that–”

“Can’t assume like that,” Chance said, tapping Bella lightly on the forehead. “I know you’re willing to, and I know I am, but that doesn’t mean everyone is.”

“I guess that’s true,” Bella admitted. Chance shifted and she pushed herself upright into a seated position, tucking her tussled hair behind her ears. “So… what’s next? Who do we need to ask?”

“Not we,” Chance said. “Just me. I don’t want to put extra pressure on them.”

Bella tilted her head to the side, then shrugged. “Okay, if you’re sure. Should I wait up here?”

“No. I’m asking Ocie.”

Understanding washed across Bella’s features and she nodded, rising to her feet. Bella held a hand out to Chance and pulled him to his feet. For a moment, the two of them stood there in silence.

Bella glanced away, a slight blush on her cheeks. “I’ll head down, then. Let me know how it goes.”

“It won’t take long,” Chance said. “And, even if this plan doesn’t work out, we’ll figure out a new one. We just have to trust that Karma is working against the Brackern sect. The universe is going to help us, even if it doesn’t plan to.”

“The advice you got really was just go with the flow, wasn’t it?” Bella asked with a laugh.

“And to believe that that the flow will lead me where I want it to. As long as I do, it will.” Chance flashed Bella a grin. Bella shook her head, smiling, and turned to head down the stairs back to the floor below.

“Oh, one more thing,” Chance said.

Bella glanced back toward him mid step, tilting her head slightly to the side. “What is it?”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

Bella started in surprise, nearly tripping over her own feet. She and Chance stared at each other for a moment.

“Is that a yes?” Chance asked.

“No! No, it wasn’t,” Bella said, shaking her head quickly as her face started to redden again. She’d been doing so much of that in the last few minutes that Chance was slightly worried that the rest of her body wouldn’t get enough blood. “Is there a reason you’re asking?”

“Just going with the flow,” Chance replied with a grin, trying not to show quite how much he liked hearing that particular piece of information. “I’ll be downstairs in a little.”

“You can’t just–” Bella gave up, throwing her hands into the air and scrunching her nose in annoyance. “You better finish that line of questioning later.”

“Will do,” Chance promised. Bella headed down the stairs, leaving Chance alone on the second story of the building. He took a moment to gather himself, shaking out his jittery limbs. It was one thing to say he’d just do whatever he felt was right, but it was an entirely different one to actually execute on it.

That was basically a yes though, right? Ah, I really should have waited to ask that a bit later. Now I’m not going to be able to properly concentrate.

Before Chance could finish his miniature internal argument, the rubble at his feet trembled. Rocks rolled together, forming into a stubby golem. It wasn’t anywhere near as complex as Ocie’s forms usually were, but there was probably less material to work with that wouldn’t involve tearing the building down on accident.

“I’ve seen a lot of human courting rituals, and I’m not sure if that was impressive or depressing,” Ocie said, stretching her stumpy stone arms above her head. “Was your plan to ask me for love advice? I’m afraid that, as an artifact, I have yet to experience any emotions like–”

“I can handle that myself, thank you very much,” Chance said, shaking his head as the tips of his ears heated. Ocie wasn’t exactly very quiet, and he wasn’t sure if they could hear him downstairs. “There’s an actual plan that I wanted to talk to you about.”

Ocie’s golem tilted its head to the side in question. Chance leaned in, whispering under his breath to her. He doubted anyone was going to overhear them speaking, but the last thing he wanted to do was let the plan get blown for some stupid reason.

It already had enough risk in it. More than he normally would have liked to take, but it was the best idea he had for the time being. Chance straightened when he was done. Ocie was silent for several moments.

“You don’t have to agree,” Chance said. “This isn’t a trick question.”

“You were mad when I didn’t act and put Bella at risk.”

“Of course I was. Just like I’d be mad if she didn’t act to try to protect you. I don’t value your life less than hers. I don’t want either of you to be hurt. I’m serious when I say that you don’t have to do this. We can find a different way that isn’t quite so risky.”

Ocie studied Chance’s face. The beady stone features of her golem were completely unreadable. Then, slowly, she nodded. “It is not a bad plan. Not one that I ever would have thought to do on my own, but I can see the merits.”

“You’ll do it?” Chance asked, surprised. He’d fully expected Ocie to refuse him.

Ocie nodded. “I think that you are a bad influence on me, Chance. Give the belt to me.”

Chance dug the belt out of his travel bag and spilled it onto the ground before Ocie. The golem extended a hand and rock rose up, enveloping the belt and pulling it inside Ocie’s body.

“You’re absolutely sure?” Chance pressed. “I’m confident in your abilities, but I don’t want you to do this out of some obligation. We’re equals in this partnership. I don’t tell you what to do.”

“I know that,” Ocie said irritably. “Even as I know that, as an artifact, I am being a fool.”

“Then–”

“But,” Ocie continued, cutting Chance off before he could finish his sentence. “I am no mere artifact. I am the Old City of Gleam, manifest of the greatest Scholar City in Centurion. I am more than any mortal could ever comprehend. This minor task is nothing to me.”

“Thank you.”

“Shut up,” Ocie said with a sigh. “Don’t get sappy. I don’t like it. It’ll take me a little time, but you’ll have to do your part as well.”

“We will,” Chance promised. “How long?”

“An hour. Is that enough for you to move?”

“More than. We’ll be there.”

Ocie nodded, then sank into the ground. Chance turned, his heart starting to thump in his chest. It wasn’t just his own life he was putting on the line with this plan – it was all of theirs. He drew a deep breath, letting the Essence swirl within his chest and permeate throughout his body.

The stress left Chance’s body as he exhaled, replaced by determination. Golden mist curled away from Chance’s back like a cloak as he strode downstairs.

It was time to cash in the Karma that the Brackern sect had accumulated against themselves.