Nothing much had changed in the months that Gaius had spent in the Eastern Territories. Heritage was still covered by a blanket of snow, the firmament was as dull as ever, and of course, snowpyres continued to roam the area with impunity. Of the many mysteries of Heritage, these monsters, whose skin could only be pierced by true silver or blasted to death by copious amounts of qi, were one of them.

They were also treasure troves of some kind — by dissecting their bodies, one could find something Gaius called ether cores, which were nice troves of pure energy that could power artefacts. Fortunately for them, the boy wasn’t intending to fight right now — he was heading to a passageway that connected Heritage to the Intersection.

The journey there was swift. Ten kilometres away from the Library of Ancients was a cave, one that held an entry point to the Intersection. Gaius had left some seeds here, and it was time he went to check it out. Producing the Auspices of Concealment, a mask capable of hiding his identity, Gaius stepped into the dark cave.

Shadows danced around his feet, but none of them dared to approach him. Without much ado, Gaius walked towards the azure rift sitting the depths of the cave, and entered it. There was a sharp jab in his chest, but the pain he’d felt the previous times had been weakened to the point of being negligible.

The little settlement that he’d seen around a year ago had been transformed into a veritable city filled with houses and buildings. Rhythmic sounds of metal smashing on metal echoed out at a steady pace, while bands of armed, masked people left the stronghold every so often.

“What do you think?” Gaius asked.

“Regarding?”

“Whether these are the bandits you told me about,” said Gaius.

“It’s possible,” said the artificial intelligence. “Judging from their build, they seem to be under twenty, and the only reason why you need so many people who are armed and masked…”

“Is to overwhelm them through sheer numbers.” The boy nodded his head contemplatively. “But surviving in Heritage doesn’t just need numbers. They must be somewhat skilled too. In that case, these teenagers are most likely the talented ones in Desin.”

Gaius rubbed his nose. “Well, no point thinking about this now. I’m curious — would Tetsu still remember me? Or will he turn against me, given that I haven’t returned for an entire year?”

“That’s a very interesting question.” Nexus, still on Gaius’ shoulder, leaned forward. “Ready to find out?”

The boy placed Nexus in to his clothes and grinned. “Anytime.”

Gaius stepped off the mountaintop he was on, and began to float downwards. Such a sight had caught the attention of the settlement’s inhabitants immediately, and there was a slight commotion as a few panicked people began to reach for their weapons. But before any shots were fired, a man that Gaius recognised had slapped the Straight Shots out of their hands.

Tetsu. By the looks of it, he had graduated from being the leader of a small group of malcontents into a real bandit lord, after some funding and egging on by Gaius himself.

“Your Excellency.” Tetsu bowed as Gaius touched down. “It’s being quite some time.”

“Indeed,” Gaius replied, a smile on his face. “I was beginning to wonder if the people here had forgotten all about me. How have you been?”

“We’ve been prospering ever since the Southern Assembly ceded all lost territories to the Republic,” said Tetsu. “Desin was part of the territory ceded — it now borders the Assembly and Elinaris. Therefore, a great deal of investment has flowed into the city.”

“And…the recent spate of banditry?” Gaius asked.

“Ah.” The man rubbed his nose. “That didn’t slip past you, did it?”

Gaius inclined his head. “I was quite surprised to hear about it, but it seems that you guys aren’t just the average, run-of-the-mill bandits. How’s the Republic’s aid coming along?”

“Quite fine, actually.” Tetsu dipped his own head in an admission of Gaius’ words. “We’re now a training camp of sorts. Teenagers with an affinity for violence are sent here on a regular basis, to get them used to living a harsh life and killing others. We churn out veterans in fieldcraft on quite the regular basis.”

“A bandit and a boot camp.” Gaius covered his mouth. “Never knew these two things could gel together, but I suppose there’s always something new to learn. I suppose this is why this little place remains unmolested by the Lords or even the Paragons of the Assembly. Do you have a proper name for this place now?”

“Umbral. Officially, on the books, we’re called Camp Umbral,” said Tetsu.

“Where all the darker activities take place, eh?” Gaius smiled. “Good name.”

“Yes, it is. By the by, Your Excellency, are you here to use the passageway?” Tetsu asked.

“Correct. Will there be an issue?” Gaius asked.

“No, never.” Tetsu glanced at the crowd, who were watching them converse, and the few who had reached for their weapons suddenly found the ground to be quite interesting.

“Thank you.”

Tetsu began to walk, and Gaius followed him as he navigated through the complex network of buildings. This place, Camp Umbral, had changed greatly, from the small, half-baked fort to a legitimate military base. It was beginning to remind him of Heritage Basestation, what with the training vibe and all.

The man led him into a heavily-guarded building. Guards peppered the area, each of them armed with a short sword and a Straight Shot, and Gaius narrowed his eyes slightly at the security around the entrance into Orb’s surface.

“Seems like someone tried their hand at breaking in, eh?” Gaius asked.

“Yes.” Tetsu flashed a bitter smile and turned to the guards. “Men, this person here is an elite, a VIP. He will have my token, and so long as he flashes it, none are to restrict him.”

He passed a silver plaque over to Gaius, who looked at it and nodded. “Thank you.”

“Least I could do, milord.” Tetsu nodded. “I’ll go with you, and inform the guards on the other side too.”

“Very well. In that case, let us proceed.” Gaius greeted the guards around him with a subtle nod, and then stepped through the passageway to Orb. It didn’t take long for Tetsu to inform the guards on the other side about him, and without much ado, the boy left the tower, stepping into the once-ruined city of Desin.

Maybe, thought the boy, there’s a branch of the Information Brokers here. It’s worth a shot…