Drewells976
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Chapter 249 - Matthew
🕑 Added 2024-06-14 01:52:49 +0000 UTCA/N: Hi, 2.7k words chappy :)
There is a little jump between the first and second scene of this chapter, so I was considering adding the first one to the previous chapter. Lemme know what you think.
https://www.patreon.com/file?h=106166490&i=19339905
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“I just liked it.” Kai evaded the question. A stroll across the streets of Higharbor wasn’t the time to tackle that conversation.
It’s the name I had in my previous life. You know, the one before I reincarnated on Elydes. Yes, the one I never told you about…
Flynn peered at him, clearly suspicious. “No other reason?”
Did he learn a truth-telling skill? Or am I just that bad at lying?
“It sounded better than Calvin Smalls,” Kai shot back.
“You’re always so hurtful.” He mimed a stab through the heart. “You made up your mind pretty quickly. I thought you’d agonize over the choice for weeks. I had even prepared a list of names to help you.”
So that’s why you looked disappointed.
Flynn rummaged through his pockets for a wrinkled piece of paper and cleared his throat. “Basil Marley, Parsley Greene, Taddeus Thick…”
Please spare me.
“Valela said she needed a name to proceed, so I made up my mind. Uhm… do you know why she was acting so strange?” Kai clumsily attempted to change the topic. “Has she changed in the last few years?”
Flynn watched him with a strange grin. “You mean why she smiled at you and glared at me?”
“I assumed she was just happy to see I’m alive and tired of your antics.”
“Yeah, that must be it.” His smile widened. “It’s nice to see you’re not good at everything.”
* * *
Kai stared at the house where his alleged father had lived. A row of cypresses circled the white rock walls of the villa, from the dirt path to the cliff falling into the sea. His senses spread over the property, easily seeping through its wards.
Aside from rare exceptions such as those in the Vastaire ruins, most arrays needed regular maintenance to work correctly. No one must have touched the crumbling runes for years. It was a miracle they hadn’t collapsed already.
It must have cost a fortune to call an enchanter out here…
There was no human signature inside the ground. His hand rested on the rusty gate of wrought iron. A cloak of ivy had taken over most of the fence. From the untamed garden inside, the other parts of the mansion hadn’t seen much maintenance in recent times.
C’mon, I can’t waste her efforts.
Kai had been leisurely cleaning his cauldron when Valela informed them she had found the perfect cover story. In less than half an hour he found himself on a zeppelin for Mistcreak, and then on a skiff for Katol. The crew left him on a nameless isle a few miles from Pearldive without exchanging another word.
And now Kai was only half certain of what was going on, except this was his best chance to obtain a new identity that wouldn’t buckle under scrutiny.
I can't screw this up. They could get here at any moment.
The metal entrance opened with a strident creak. Kai took the pebble path leading to the main residence. One of the granite steps of the porch was cracked. He ignored the owl doorbell, the black door had paint peeling off near the hinges and a dusty brass pommel.
According to the information Valela left him, the lock should have been left open to allow him to explore the interiors. He understood the necessity of learning more about the place he supposedly grew up in, though it still felt morbid.
I could check the outside first.
While climbing the dirt trail from the beach, he had spotted the glint of green motes in the back of the property. Circling the manor, Kai confirmed his guess. A greenhouse rose amidst all the disrepair. Mana plants sounded more welcoming than the manor of a deceased alchemist.
The glasshouse was covered in runes. Nothing particularly impressive, though they looked maintained to a usable degree. The iron key in the lock opened the door with a little fiddling and let the scent of thriving plants and flowers swallow him.
Huh, not bad.
The space had been separated into ten sections to recreate different climates. Crystals set in the ceiling provided different degrees of light and warmth. Kai wandered among the aisles of the greenhouse.
Plants ranging from low red to peak orange stood arranged in neat rows, each in its pot. It was hard to be impressed by mana herbs after the Sanctuary, still, he had never seen such a large collection since Dora left. The old alchemist must have spent a great deal of time and effort on this place.
Mat picked up a leather notebook abandoned beside a vase of purple stalks. The pages were filled with observations and diagrams he couldn’t understand, some kind of research on how to increase the yield of Faery Grass. The man’s frustration was evident in the blotchy ink of the last entries, though Kai couldn’t deduce much more.
How paranoid do you need to be to encrypt your notes when you live alone?
After twenty minutes spent trying to decipher the book, Kai realized he wasn’t getting anywhere—not anytime soon. Reading the deceased alchemist’s notes only worsened his mood. Cultivation and mutations weren’t his area of expertise anyway.
I gotta move.
He exited the greenhouse to finish his tour of the outside before he tackled the mansion. There wasn’t much else of note, wild weeds had conquered the garden to the edge of the cliff. He was about to turn back when he spotted a dirt mound, hidden among the untamed grass.
From the freshly moved earth, Kai didn’t need his skills to know this was the alchemist’s burial ground. Cyrus Veernon, a reclusive mage who had retired on the archipelago three decades before. No family or friends to lay claim to his possessions. His closest acquaintance was the sailor who left the supplies in front of his gate once a month.
I wouldn’t be here if he were a sociable guy…
Valela had gotten wind of his death through her network of informants. Without an heir, the Republic would have swept in to claim everything. The scheme had moved so fast, Kai barely had any idea of what was going on. He trusted the princess and Flynn to know what they were doing. Hallowed Intuition acquiescence also helped.
This is as good as it’s gonna get for a fake cover story.
Waves crashed on the rocks beyond the precipice, and a gust blew his hair, bringing him back to the present. A teal and beryl sea sprinkled with verdant isles extended to the horizon.
“Hmm… it must have been a pleasant place to live in, if you didn’t mind the solitude.” Kai turned to the tomb. “I’ve no idea who you were, and I know you had no choice in this, but I thank you regardless.”
He grew a small patch of white and red wildflowers over the alchemist’s resting place, hoping the man would have appreciated it. “I’m not sure how it works with the church of Seven Moons, but may your gods guide you to whatever lies beyond.”
“I’m sure he would have liked that,” an aged voice creaked.
Kai jolted. An old woman leaned on a gnarly cane by the corner of the manor, her face covered with weathered wrinkles. He had been so lost in his thoughts she managed to creep up on him.
I guess it’s good, huh… I’m not supposed to be much of a fighter.
“You must be Matthew.” The granny offered a toothless smile. “It’s nice to see such a thoughtful young man.”
“And you must be the housemaid.” He dug into his memory. He only had time to read Valela’s information once. “…Belaria?”
“Belalia, but you can call me Bel. I was never really a maid. Cyrus hired me because I was cheap and did a bit of everything: house chores, cooking, tending to the garden.” She waved her cane to the wild grass and broke into a cough. “That was before my health got me. I retired more than seven years ago, but the old clam refused to hire anyone else. You see, he didn’t trust people easily…”
The granny looked at the tomb as if annoyed the alchemist wasn’t alive to hear her complaints. “He called me through one of his magic stones when his last moments were near… I had to wake my grandson in the middle of the night to row to the island,” she muttered. Then her cloudy gaze snapped on him. “I don’t want to waste your time with the ramblings of an old lady. Come, I’ll show you inside. The enforcers should be here in a couple hours.”
Bel ambled toward the front porch without looking back, forcing him to follow. “It was such a lovely place. I wish you could have seen how this was.” She opened the black door without much ceremony. “Don’t just stand there. This is your house. I promised Miss Hightide I’d take care of this, and I intend to keep my word.”
“Yeah, sorry. I’m coming.” Kai walked into a dark hall that might have looked welcoming in its heyday. Now all that was left was stale air, chipped furniture and strained red velvet chairs.
“That stubborn fool… He never listened to anyone.” Bel went to open a window. “Come, I’ll show you around.”
He hurried to follow the old maid through half a dozen rooms full of knick-knacks, mold and dust. It looked like Cyrus Veernon was a hoarder besides being a recluse. Less than a third of the house was livable, half of that because Bel had cleaned it.
Burned pans and unwashed dishes covered every surface of the kitchen—including the floor. In the study, piles of papers and books climbed twice his height, with sheets full of arcane ramblings nailed to the walls. Lastly, the laboratory was perhaps the worst of all. It housed an unholy clutter of glassware that stank of rotten and burned alchemic waste.
Mat went in alone, listening carefully to Hallowed Intuition to avoid any biohazard. He moved a few things around to create a smaller, cleaner space that might have belonged to him. He placed a couple tools in his ring and left a few of the papers he had sketched on the way here.
That should be good enough.
Valela would organize someone to empty the house and erase any evidence once he officially signed a sponsorship with her. He only had to pass the inspection of the enforcers if they decided to snoop around.
“And this is your room.” Bel showed him to a door on the second floor. “It was originally a guest room, not that Cyrus ever had any. I mostly used it when I worked here.”
The room was relatively large, though quite plain, with the floral wallpaper wrinkling from water damage and mold in one corner. There was an old wooden desk, a single window and a bookshelf filled to the brim with alchemy volumes made up. A collection of common minerals was the only semi-personal touch.
“I furnished it the best I could with what I found from the library. I also borrowed some of my grandson's old clothes to fill the space and prepare your luggage.” The old woman pointed to a bag lying beside the bed. “Nothing fancy, but it should be fine even if the clothes aren’t a perfect fit. Cyrus never went shopping himself and you’re supposed to have never left the island.”
That was quite thoughtful, she couldn’t have gotten much longer than a day to set this all up.
“Do you mind if I add a few things of my own?” Kai lay down the backpack, mainly as an excuse to use his ring.
“Go ahead.” Bel plopped down on a chair with a heavy sigh. “These old bones aren’t used to this much movement anymore. Mhmm… guess I should tell you more about your father. I knew Cyrus better than anyone alive, which is not to say much. He was quite a difficult man. He suffered some kind of betrayal in his youth, though he never told me the details. He never explained much in general. Oh, except for his research, he always rambled about that nonsense. It was the only thing he cared about, much more than people…”
Mat listened to Bel’s random anecdotes while he added a few personal effects to the room.
If Cyrus ever discovered anything noteworthy in his research, he didn’t publish it. He was honestly the perfect candidate for his new identity, the alchemist lived on an island isolated from everyone. Perhaps because he was a mage, all sorts of colorful rumors about him had spread in Pearldive over the decades.
Some said he would grant the wish of anyone who knocked on his door when the moons aligned, others that he ate children to prolong his life. Among all the wild stories, a secret child was one of the mildest rumors. Gossipers would probably be disappointed there wasn’t more to it.
I get why Valela was so impatient to send me here.
This was indeed a perfect opportunity for him, being half-native would be all the proof most people needed to confirm he was Cyrus’ son. The genius child of a recluse mage who studied alchemy and magic from a young age. Valela would ensure the Republic accepted the explanation without looking closely enough to find a flaw.
Mat would still have to play down some of his abilities, but he would have done the same even as Kai. The story fit so seamlessly, he suspected his Luck must have played a part.
It would be weirder if 80 Favor did nothing…
Truthfully, there was only one issue. “Does it not bother you that I'm using Cyrus’ name and house without permission?” Kai blurted out, perfectly knowing it would be wiser to keep silent. Even if Cyrus was dead and above mortal concerns, he couldn’t pass off the man as his father without caring at least a little.
Bel interrupted her ramblings to look at him with her cloudy gaze. “Do you know what he asked on his dying bed?”
Mat shook his head.
“He asked that I burn down his estate to not let the Republic have it.” Bel cackled aloud. “I know I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but Cyrus cared little for anyone besides himself. And it’s certainly not thanks to the pittance he paid me that my grandsons can afford an education. If it’s any consolation, the old fool would probably get a good laugh out of this.”
It does make me feel a tiny bit better.
“Thank you for your help.” Kai spotted three figures walking toward the main gate outside the window. “If there is anything I can do for you just let me know. They’re here.”
“I’m not a beggar. Miss Hightide has already insisted on paying me despite the debt my family owes her. I don’t need anything else.” Bel stood up with a proud look. “Let’s go greet our guests.”
Mat nervously paced. This was the most critical stage of his deception. “What if they have a lie detection skill?”
“Those abilities are much easier to trick than they want you to believe. Don’t worry, I’ll do most of the talking. If anyone gets suspicious, I’ll just stare at them dumbly and ramble about my grandkids till their ears bleed. One of the few advantages of my age is being underestimated.” The granny chuckled, her cane thumping down the stairs without a worry.
I wish I had half her confidence.
The enforcers were already waiting on the porch when they opened the door for them. Three men, all wearing immaculate uniforms, though one man wore blue instead of black. He also was a good head taller and more heavily built than the other two.
An officer with a silver hawk stepped forward, eyeing Kai with obvious surprise. “Good morning, we’re here to confirm the passing of Cyrus Veernon. And you are…”
“I’m Belalia, the one who called you in. You sure took your time to get here,” she grumbled without regard and patted his back. “This one here is Mat, Cyrus’ son. He’s a bit shy, you know his father…”
Mat lost the next exchange, too busy staring at the burly man. Something in his pensive green eyes rang bells in his memories.
Lou…? How did you get even bigger?
Comments
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter!
DaShoe
Agreed. It shouldn't flip back and forth.
Bryan
Feels like using a different last name just leaves more doors open to check his background and realize it's a fake name. Granted that would be a lot of digging, but a curious mind looking into Kai might be more inclined to look deeper if he has a different last name.
Gorane
I hope we get some stated goals from Kai, both personal and his skills status wide. Right now we barely even know what his new profession skills do. I think one of the best parts of the story were when training in the manor he had precise skill goals: meditation to 50, now can get new skills, lvl 50 mana sense to get elemental magic, lvl 100 in running and swimming to drop them foe elemental magics etc. For a long time we havent had any stated planning from Kai. It would make readers feel more invested in the story if they also are anticipating certain stated goals. Like right now, what is Kais plan for his skills? I personally theorize that he might want to evolve treasure sense to yellow and hope to merge it into hallowed intution. Alternativly yellow treasure sense might unlock new opyions for Hallowed Intuition evolutions. Also will he plan to cycle a few skills from orange to yellow, to gain better and alternative evolutuons for his skills or what? Will he plan to get Blessed Swimmer to yellow, so he can drop it temporarly for a few years for a potential school arc (and replave it with some "learning" skill?)? I feel like I would love to see our MCs thoughts about all this, to feel involved in his journey, not just feel like I am seeing somehing he decided off screen. Overall this story is good and I hope my notes will make it even better
Abe 7
Could even be Flynn pulling this prank on Kai for not going along with his excellent naming suggestions 😆
Adunn
I think the internal monologue should just be Kai.
El_Branco
Or maybe it was Valela pulling a few strings and to get back at him from making fun of her with Hobbes
Gromaul
If I dislike a chapter generally I will only read it once. If I like it I will read another 1 or 2 times to make sure I didn't miss any details
ZaA
Exactly. Especially 'cause his name is Matthew, so you'd expect it to be Matt. Feels like Mat with one T is for people actually just named.. Mat. It's a small thing, but when reading that's how it feels to me.
Gwalmeich
There is more to learn at the academy than magic, such as geopolitics and the world in general. Kai can't go on an adventure without a minimum of information about the different powers governing the world, their laws, the differences in culture and the fauna and flora inhabiting Elydes. Without such knowledge, you're only asking to end up in a world of hurt. Beside, no man is an island and building proper connections within the empire would definitely help make his exploration more enjoyable.
Eric M
Honetly, at this point I feel like a Magic Adacemy would be a bad move for him. On his own, and with some exceptional mentors, he has developed skills that are probably leaps ahead of most anyone else that isn't a genius at his age. He's too advanced to get much from the Academy, while it could hamper him, by telling him there are limits to what he can accomplish with his skills. Better he strives to push those limits well beyond what the "professionals" believe possible.
Sam
Originally, Lou winks at the very end. Drewells must have done a minor edit at some point. It's like 1 sentence missing. Maybe next chap will start with it.
Gwalmeich
There are no winks mentioned.
Gwalmeich
It reminds me of Viviane's luck in the serie called the Calamitous Bob. She's so lucky but also the cause of many calamities around her because of said luck.
Gwalmeich
I miss the old gang of friends. I hope they go to the academy together and ends up getting into troubles. It would make for a fun little arc.
Vyle
I thought there was a pov change and I was confused.
Vyle
His family probably has it and it's not a harbor. It's just a stretch of beach with a small hut on it.
Brandon Steele
I feel like favor is essentially plot armor. The one with more favor is expected to have a better story.
Craig
It would be funny if using his old life name really does trip up truth detection skills
Lidja
Maybe Reece was his “mother’s” last name.
Eric M
Where is a wink mentioned?
Hammy
Ya, it get really confusing when names shift around. Especially in internal monologues.
Jason Hardman
TYFTC! "It’s the name I used in his previous life." -> "It’s the name I used in my previous life."
Jason Hardman
Adopted?
Ananiash
most normal people read chapters only once...
Bryan
So how is Kai going to be Mathew Reece if his "father" is Cyrus Veernon?
Abe 7
Kai's luck is awesome and shitty at the same time. Hilarious ! Love it!
Connor Hinrichs
That wink implies that Lou knows whats going on
Ethan Gardner
I think the internal name shift is fine, best not to give any potential any of the range of potential lie detectors a possible gap.
Wolve
It made the chapter more immersive for me than before, so I don't know if I agree with you.
Gromaul
I think it only makes sense if moving forward he is always referred to at Matt. If he is only called Matt by the guards, but is still Kai to everyone else, then his internal monologues should be as Kai.
Gromaul
Drewells, in my humble opinion as a rando on the web, on the topic of the position of the first section, after re-reading the chapter a couple times I would recommend putting it in the last chapter or just removing it altogether. On one hand its cool that Flynn digs more into his name and it refreshes readers on what his OG name was, but on the other hand the OG name drop last chapter was the ideal spot to end it. That being said, I don't see it adding anything to this chapter. The main purpose it seems is to refresh peoples memories about his OG name with some banter, but then it doesn't connect well with the rest of the chapter. At first I didn't mind it, but on the third re-read I really noticed it.
ZaA
I think the chapter should start by explaining a bit more about "mats father" cause I thought we were on a whole different pov. Start with calling him Kai, 'remind himself of his old name reborn' then call him mat from there. There's paragraphs calling him both and it's just confusing
Doug Wills
It was Mat in the first few chapters of the story. It's just how he spelled it.
Silver Beard
Treasure sense must be incredibly skewed if he needs stuff from the Sanctuary to level. Perfect place to train esp his Astral skill. He should be tempted to keep the deed.
Gio
Hey guys, the new name is simply for practical purposes. He's gonna be using it for a long time and constantly having to use Kai in internal monologue and Mat everywhere else would be more jarring imo, and annoying to write.
Koala Man
I think it’s ok , he’s gotta change his identity so it’s mat/t now . When people come along like Lou they will go omg Kai? And it will make sense . We are clever enough to understand that Mat/t is Kai and Kai is mat/t .
Emily Gurnavage
Guess his family already has it
James Lavender
It's not necessarily something he can use if he's considered dead, no?
Eric M
So did Val plant Lou there to make it go even easier, or is he unaware of what is going on?
wanderer117
Is that the name you were born with? Yes
Kazith
what is Kai going to do with the deed to the harbor? I mean he still has it and all? Gift it to his family? Forget about it and leave it as a plot hole?
Immutably Empty
Regarding the conversation at the beginning, I would say it fits better at the end of the previous chapter. Leave this chapter to be about his cover story.
Matt M
Why is it being shortened to Mat and not Matt. He is going by Matthew not Mathew. Do agree with what others are saying and keeping Kai for internal view.
Malcolm Haynes
💯. Don’t really see the value either.
Andrew
Thank you!
Kaze
Yeah, idk about just changing the name of the protag this late in the internal PoV. Should stay as Kai.
PlasmaticPi
Perfect place for his family to go to to hideout if they ever get in trouble. Maybe have a boat to get there stashed at the bay where the mansion used to be that Kai also owns.
Immutably Empty
Maybe keep it for official papers but friends still call him Kai?
Kyfe
She was acting "strange" cause she was getting all weak-kneed around him, and not because of his predator gaze this time, lol. (Or maybe it was :P )
Deathhead
It makes sense though. Thruthteller: is your name Mathew Reece ? Kai: yes. Well carry on then :)
Jackjargon
He a very big boi
Jacob Mariorenzi
Love the book, but mat coming into play as a new old name is sort of jarring
Derze
The hint is that she likes him and sees him as a potential love interest because they are peers. Helps that Kai is incredibly resourceful for someone supposedly without connections. Which to be fair… who wouldn’t. She is rich as fuck, has a lot of mentors and teachers , has all the support she needs to excel and is still behind in terms of progression when compared to our Boy Kai. Then again she has other responsibilities and stuff, while Kai is free to do as he pleases. But still…
Landon Amaya
Romance
Deathhead
Well to be honest he had like 2 years of bad stuff so he deserves a break.
Deathhead
A former alchemist's mansion on an island ? Perfect, love the development, i'm willing to bet that paranoid guy had a secret cellar with his research and maybe some magic items. Maybe teleportation circles to the other isles.
saltyApple
Is Kai a deadname now? I figured it would still get used in the narrative. Great Chapter though! Also Lou has gotta be so frazzled rn lol
Gromaul
He looks good and is a young man. She is an attractive young woman
Disclancer
Gotta say not a fan of the mixing of names. Being referred to as Mat by others is fine, but having him referred to as both Kai and Mat from his internal pov is odd. Hoping he sticks to Kai personally ;p
James Faulkner
Tftc!
Udayan Pradhan
I am also lost here? What is between Val and Kai?
Diego Urbina
Lol. They really rigged the game for our Protag 😅
Aaron Weingrad
Lou!
Gromaul
Uuuuh....well that certainly would help greese some wheels
Doctor Black
First Tftc! For all his skill Kai is clueless about Val lmao
