Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 217: Prosthetics

Chapter 217: Prosthetics

Following a beat of silence...a small nod. The most movement that Kazi had seen from Marta.

Elena put a hand to her mouth, horrified. "S-she can’t see? Are you sure? M-Marta, say something."

No answer was given. Commander Cedric moved back to her shoulder and the silver prosthetic arm gifted by Kazi; and after that, the leg prosthetic. Like a doctor, the Commander continued, "Yes, indeed, these are impressive sets of prosthetics. Stylistically, it’s better than what we Templars have. But...she won’t be able to conduct magic with them. This titanium will block her flow of mana and stop any spells in their tracks. And with no release, well...."

The silence was deafening.

"S-so...she can’t fight anymore?" Elena asked.

"That will be up to her. Now that her limbs are gone, her flow of mana is going to have to change; and fast. You’re feeling it now, aren’t you, Marta Kowalski? The discomfort in your arms. For mages and wizards, the phantom pain associated with limb loss is exponentially worse. Some wizards I’ve seen faint from the pain. You see, the way you spellcasters control your mana is automated in the worst way. Compared to Cultivators who create specific pathways and meditate to adjust said pathways, mages and wizards summon up hoards of mana only during the usage of spells. You create shields, you knead the shapes of your mana, but you never focus on your muscles or nerves. You never turn inward. And so, the flow of mana is going to move as it usually does; but, obviously, that flow can no longer persist. It longer exists. That is why it is going to hurt. That is why every waking second of your life right now is painful."

It didn’t end at just losing her arms and legs; to learn how to write and walk again. The repercussions extended far beyond that.

"You’ll struggle to control your mana back to normal." Commander Cedric kept going. "And the fact that you’ve lost not one, but all four limbs..."

Kazi looked at him and the Commander quieted down.

""If you want the pain to lessen, then get magical prosthetics. You can certainly buy them from us."

"I want the best on the market," Kazi declared.

"The best?" Commander Cedric stared at him. "That will cost you upwards of two million points."

"That’s no issue," Kazi brushed off. "Where can I find it?"

Commander Cedric crossed his arms. "You can’t possibly afford it. I’m talking about two million for each limb piece. Not the whole limb, I am talking per piece. The elbow, the hand, the wrist, the forearm bones, the upper arm bone. If we start talking about the leg, then..." He shook his head. "You don’t want that, Kazi."

"Humour me."

Commander Cedric eyed him wearily and told him straight-up, "The best out there is made of Hihi’irokane. It’s durable, immune to rust, and is an excellent conductor for mana. Ah, I’m underselling it in all honesty. It is less of a conductor and more of an amplifier. It is the best of the best. But buying them, price aside, is a tedious affair. You will have to buy them from the House of Yamato."

The House of Yamato.

’Meaning, the Japanese Imperial Family.’

Kazi heard they had a huge stake in the Sun Mall, a large-scale shōtengai that directly competed with the Baishi Mall. As the royal family of Japan that held eminence even in the modern day, the concentration of wealth and power was immense. As a new player with no political backing, he wondered what would happen if he casually strolled up to them to buy several pounds of Hihi’irokane or to buy the prosthetics themselves.

"Understood."

Commander Cedric didn’t. He thought he was crazy for daring to think he could buy something from the Imperial family of Japan. Father Phillip went down to his knees and offered a prayer. Elena joined in. They begged for the Lord to help her. To give her the strength to move past this. Marta didn’t say anything. She simply lay there.

Kazi looked away and opened up his messages.

[ > Kazi Hossain: How is William doing? ]

[ > Yoon Sun-young: still asleep ]

The reply was instant. Kazi drew in a breath and looked up at the ceiling. He, William, and Marta had built this room during their off-time. All of them had worked together to build each other’s room. It was a fun time where they laughed and joked. Kazi would often have to correct them but...he was okay with that. For once, he truly was.

He peered over his shoulder at Marta and hated what he saw. The woman that never gave up, that wanted to oh-so desperately change her destiny.

He refused to let it be over.

"Commander Cedric," Kazi called out. "Where can I meet them?"

"The Imperial Palace is situated directly next to the entrance of the Sun Mall in the Guild Sector. Just keep walking and you won’t miss it."

The territory belonging to the Alhambra Guardians was at the very, very end of the Nebulous Bazaar. ’The Imperial Palace must be aligned close to it then.’

Once Father Phillip and Elena were done with their prayer, he went over and held Marta’s hand with a comforting smile.

"I’ll be back."

***

"Ha...?"

Walking into Temple Anneke, Kazi was met with an eerie, surprised smile. Anna Roleffes, the cool woman in a long black rococo dress. He imagined her to be the type with an elbow on the counter and a hand always cupping the cheek, but upon seeing him, she removed her hand and smiled widely.

"Now this is wicked."

The Valknut symbol in his left eye changed gears. "I’m here for another bit of information."

"Information? I’m no broker but..." Anna Roleffes looked him up and down. The dark smell in the air thickened. "I suppose I can make an exception. What do you need?"

"The Imperial family of Japan. Tell me about them."

"That’s very specific." Anna hummed to herself. "Do you mind giving me some time?"

"You don’t know," Kazi stated.

"Everyone knows of the Eternal Emperor and his family," Anna clarified. "But he’s an immortal. He’s been here forever. When you read about him on the news, you just think, ’Oh, that old bastard is still kicking around?’ So it’s hard to know him on a personal level. Luckily for you..." Anna drawled. "A friend of mine in the Old Mage Tower does. Shadow Blade—maybe you’ve heard of him? Ah, I suppose it doesn’t matter. I’ll be back."

She went into the backroom and returned fifteen minutes later. On her shoulder was a white Dove Pigeon that was holding a rolled-up letter in its beak. "Here." Anna picked out the letter and was prepared to toss it to him, only to hold back. "Remember our contract. You owe me big time."

Kazi nodded and Anna threw it over. He didn’t waste a second in opening it up. After a quick read, he nodded again. "Thank you."

Anna tossed the Dove Pigeon a tiny piece of monster meat. "It’s what I do. Ah, but a question?" She didn’t allow him to deny or accept it. "Your left eye possesses the symbol of Odin and your mana...it’s endless. You’re more similar to an avatar than a demigod. Just what in the world happened to you?"

Kazi considered her question, then smiled. "I found myself looking at a well and realized that I had to try."