Amari's Ascension A Cultivation Litrpg Apocalypse Adventure

The next day was much less eventful. Keshaun saw me off at sunrise. I promised that I would return within two days to let them know my decision. I didn't think I would need the time. I was already leaning toward allowing them to join but there was no harm in letting them sweat it out for a bit. The dash through the forest and into the empty city was much less interesting. As soon as I was far enough away I let my aura flow free. I smiled as I claimed a part of the world itself. If there were any monsters nearby they weren't showing themselves. The journey back to Amara took me less than five hours without using my movement spell. I passed through the checkpoints long before any of the guards had a chance to intercept. I was pleased to see that they tried. I leaped up onto a gas station when I saw Christopher and a group of seven guards rush to meet me. I nearly shed a tear when I saw them all holding proper weapons.

"Hey there." I grinned down at them as they began to make their battle plans. When they heard me Christopher turned and was just about to launch a dagger at me.

"Oh, it's you," Christopher stated blandly.

I blinked in confusion and then cocked my head. "Wow, that wasn't the greeting I expected. Not even a little bit worried."

He shrugged. "Well, Aaliyah said you went to fight some monster and complete a quest. I just assumed you would come back whenever."

"I don't know if I should be pleased by your confidence or upset at the lack of worry." I leaped off the gas station and made my way over to the group. "Oh? You all have a bit of an aura now. What levels?"

Christopher smiled and patted the man next to him on the shoulder. "Our lowest level is 5 while our highest not counting you and Aaliyah is eleven."

I raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Not bad. Not bad at all. Where is she anyway?"

He flinched as if struck by an invisible hand. "She had gone back to look for you but wasn't able to get back into the cave. She has been with the kid since then."

"Is she alright?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I think she is just upset. You should speak with her yourself."

"Right well, I have a few things I want to go over as well. I have a nice sum of credits so if there is anything that you all need purchased make a list. Or run it by Azariah for a final total."

Christopher's eyes beamed. "There was something. Most of our people are relying on mismatched gear they scavenged. Or stuff they earned from quests. If possible we would like to get some crafting gear. We need to start making armor at least."

"Yeah, that makes sense though I am not sure about the details like design and whatnot. Alright, let me get back and get cleaned up. Can you organize Aaliyah, Desbera, Azariah, yourself, and Saanite to meet in the boardroom? I imagine Saanite will already be there but just in case he isn't." He nodded and we went over a few more things. Most people were starting to turn the corner. People hadn't quite adjusted to the almost dying part. The fighting though had changed. More people were switching to melee weapons as their primary though most kept at least a handgun for just-in-case scenarios. Which was fair. Most people still used apocalypse survivor gear which wasn't exactly reliable. When we arrived at the city's gates I left them to get things dealt with and a few minutes later I was in my bathroom. The warm water felt like ambrosia on my skin.

I hated that I didn't have the time to enjoy it but I scheduled the meeting. I got dried off, dressed, and was in the boardroom just as everyone started to arrive. Aaliyah stared daggers at me but didn't say anything. Once everyone was seated I started. "Hello so let's get to my news and then we can switch over to the other issues. I met with some people after I dealt with the slime monster. They are or rather were prisoners at a government black site. Most of them are mortals and they asked me to let them join Amara."

The table was silent for a minute after that before Desbera spoke up. "Forgive me but I am not sure what these 'Black sites' are but it sounds like something from before your world was assimilated?"

I nodded. "Black sites are unofficial prisons. Certain prisoners are sent there before trials or if a specific government wants to get rid of those people. It's usually very hidden and they don't typically exist on paper."

"I see, in that case, I suppose the question you should be asking is if sins of the old world carry over into the new?"

"Do we know what they did to get placed there? Or from which countries?" Christopher asked.

I nodded. "It looked like most if not all were American. I am not going to go into specifics about who they were. If we are going to make this choice it has to be all or nothing."

They all hesitated and then looked at me. "It sounds like it's your choice. You are the governor." Desbera spoke up again.

"I know but I wanted to hear your council. Specifically Aaliyah and Christopher. I don't want to risk splitting Amara in two just as it started to come together."

"I hear you but we can't be afraid to do what we have to as well. We need more bodies. If they were all or even a majority cultivators I would tell you we needed them. Since they aren't I think it's worth a serious look. Even if they get outpaced in levels soon they would help us survive till that point." Aaliyah added and leaned back in her chair.

"I more or less agree with her. I am a bit worried about an imbalance between cultivators and non-cultivators so the more the better. We will have to deal with the difference sooner or later. We can't have half our population superpowered while the other struggles to survive." Christopher said.

I nodded. "It sounds like we agree. I will have to go back in a day or two to bring the group here. I would appreciate it if we could get a guard contingent together same as when we brought the last group. I don't think I will need the help but it would look good." I looked at everyone again and then shifted topics. "Next I am told that our people are struggling with weapons and armor is there anything that can be done?" I looked toward Azariah.

She blushed and nodded. "Ah, absolutely the credits you infused have allowed me to start making more connections. If you are okay with 1st Realm gear I could buy some in sets of five hundred."

"For how much?" Christopher asked as he sat up in his seat.

"That would depend on the detail and quality. Peak quality gear would run us 20,000 credits per five hundred set while low quality would run us 5,000. We would also need to decide if we wanted to have any kind of symbols."

Christopher at me with so much hope that I was convinced he would drop to a knee if I asked him. I chuckled and pulled up my status screen. I transferred two hundred thousand credits to Azariah. "Buy as much of the high-quality stuff as you can." I paused and sent another two hundred thousand. "Do the same for a variety of weapons. We don't need anything better than Peak 1st realm right now. I don't expect everyone to start punching above their pay grade at this moment. If the System operates like a video game then the best stuff for us will come from quest rewards. If not then people should be able to buy their things at that point."

Azariah's tail wagged behind her in a way that made her look ten times cuter than before. Based on the look in her eyes she had received every credit. "I will buy them as soon as I can. I will need some people to help me with distribution."

"I'll get a few people there as soon as you need them." Christopher practically leaped up to offer his assistance. A fact that made the half-dragon woman blush slightly. I raised an accusatory eyebrow at the pair but decided not to question it.

"Alright, Desbera what can we do about getting everyone educated? I imagine the number of citizens is about to go through the roof. Especially if I can recruit people at the auction."

"Well, your grace. If you want to increase the limit I would suggest you complete the first realm trial. Though I would strongly suggest you wait until you are at the peak of the realm and ideally when you are ready to break through."

"Explain. I am not sure what the trial is."

"Well, you see the System didn't let us bring the proper academy with us to a baby world or rather we don't have access to the whole thing. As I mentioned before the System limits what we can tell you it also limits what resources you use."

"And completing this trial will let me expand the amount of people who can study at the academy?"

She nodded. "The limit is only there until you complete the challenge but you will only get one chance. If you fail it will be locked to you forever."

"Is there anything you can tell me about the challenge itself? A minimum amount of attributes needed? How much time is required?"

She shook her head. "The System runs the trial so I have no way of knowing. Outside of the recommendation that you be at the peak of the realm."

I rubbed my chin and took a moment to process that information. It sounded like knowing when to take the test was part of the test. If I did it now I would probably be at a large disadvantage and I didn't need it. Even with the new population, I wouldn't be at the limit. Assuming I didn't go crazy at the auction and slowed down recruitment afterwards I might be able to squeeze by. "Of the people currently taking classes are there any that either perform too lowly or aren't interested in being there?"

"No one like that stands out in my mind but I could look into it," Desbera replied.

"Alright, I am going to hold off on the trial for now. I haven't even reached level 30. My current strengths give me a leg up but if I can avoid it I would prefer to. Especially if I don't have to." I looked around the table but saw that everyone agreed there. "Next up, as you have no doubt noticed I have quite a bit of coin now. I am looking for ideas on what to buy. Naturally, I plan on saving for the auction but if we can find something that would improve the city I am open."

"I would suggest some high-quality arrays. Your thinning of the monsters in the region has allowed us to avoid a monster hoard for the time being but I assure you one will eventually come. I would recommend a 1st or 2nd realm settlement defense array if you can afford it."

"How much is it?"

Azariah visibly shrunk at the question which made me narrow my eyes at her. "The 2nd-realm version would be between 15 and 25 million depending on what features you purchase."

I stared at her blankly for a moment before sighing. The "mountain" of wealth I had gathered suddenly seemed much less impressive. I transferred the funds to her and my heart broke as the number decreased. It wasn't as big a deal since what I still had left was more than good. That didn't make it feel any less than the moment after your check was deposited and your bills auto-paid. "Now that is done. I need things for my benefit. Just in case the auction is lacking I would like you to look around for attribute fruits, soul-related items, body tempering or refinement items, really anything that could help me get stronger."

She nodded. "I can send some requests though the most useful things for you will likely be found on the planet. Baby worlds are unique in that respect. The fresh surge of energy often creates treasures that are quite rare. They would likely be worth quite a bit if you sold them. As for the body tempering, that wouldn't be too hard. It would be best for you to have an understanding of what you want it to do though."

"I don't understand."

Desbera coughed and inserted herself into the conversation at that point. "Body tempering involves breaking the body down and improving it in some way. The difficult part is finding a proper manual that works with your affinities and path. As you and this planet are still very new I wouldn't rush into it. The process can be difficult if not impossible to undo."

I slowly nodded as understanding formed in the back of my mind. "To make sure I understand what you mean. If I were to do some kind of fire-based refinement but then decide I want to be a water-based cultivator?"

"You would have a hard time and might even kill yourself on accident. Even if you survived the process the mismatch would make your spells, skills, or other abilities harder to activate."

I grimaced and nodded. "Alright, just look for items. Would it be easier if you knew what I used?"

"Yes and no. If you are confident that you won't add any more to your path then I would be able to find your treasures for them but if you were to add new ones."

"So I have to focus on the comprehensive path thing early? I still don't know what I want. Are you able to get information on common paths? Especially for Psychics or Mentalist style classes?"

She nodded. "Of course, basic information is relatively easy to get though if you want more specialized stuff I would suggest the academy trials."

I chuckled at the sort of catch-22 I was in. The information I needed would be found in the academy, but it would be best not to attempt it until I was at the peak. Either way, it was a problem for tomorrow. I still needed to get to level 50. For now, we will proceed as we have been. The auction is our primary concern. I assume that I am going to recruit warriors if possible. I imagine that the cultivators who weren't strong enough to form their factions will be looking for safety. Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

"I am sure that the Commonwealth will be in attendance. Do you have a plan on how you want to deal with that? Rumors of you killing a bunch of innocent people likely won't go down well." Azariah added as I shot a glare at her. She held up her hands in a mock surrender before continuing. "I am just telling you the likely spin. They aren't going to care about why you did it. Especially when you did kill them. It wouldn't even be propaganda to demand justice. You are going to be the villain in that scenario."

I wanted to be angry with her analysis but he was right. I turned to the others who didn't meet my gaze. "I am not sure. I didn't want to kill or hurt anyone. Just scaring the shit out of a few idiots but I don't think they will care. Which leaves me with two options. I could stand on business and tell them to get over it or I could be contrite. If I am contrite they will likely demand something from me. There is no way I will let myself be locked up."

"If you 'Stand on Business' as you say they will likely take it as an act of aggression but there is nothing they could do about it," Azariah added. "You are still stronger than them. If you weren't or if they didn't think you were they would have just sent someone to deal with you."

I nodded and steepled my hands in front of me. I was turning into a tyrant at this rate but that was kind of what the System wanted. It hasn't incentivized peace in any way, of course, it didn't make me kill those people nor is it making me kill them now. I mulled it over for a few moments before I shook my head. "I will attempt to make things right but if they won't accept it or be reasonable then I will do what must be done. I don't want to make a river of blood but I wouldn't surrender either. I have worked too hard for something like that. Do we know who will accompany me?"

We spent another hour hashing out the final details. The group I would bring would be a proper delegation comprised of five warriors, myself, Azariah, and Christopher. It was a bit much so we decided to break it down further on the off chance the eight of them weren't allowed in the actual event. When I called the meeting our loose plans had transformed into something serious. It was still a bit surreal to think about.