Chapter 303 – Loot and how others fare

Aiko excavated quite a large portion of the garden, but she was currently facing a big issue.

[Tails Storage(2,400m3): [Heavenly Blessed Light-Water 1,000L], [Primordial Soul Wood], [100 Ghost Parade Lamp(Damaged)], [Talismans], [Tools], [Soil with Herbs(2048m3)]]

'I'm running out of storage...' Aiko clicked her tongue. 'How do I increase storage capacity?' She narrowed her eyes.

'Let's buy it!' Aiko nodded to herself like she was some kind of genius.

'Something that increases the storage.'

[You can't access the rest in a Secret World.]

A big vein appeared on Aiko's forehead. 'What do you mean that I can't access it?! I need it now! Not later!' Aiko growled in displeasure.

"SCREEEEEEEEEEEECH!"

Aiko was startled and immediately dived into the ground, soon after a terrifying pressure descended upon the Garden.

'Let's not stay here. My harvest was plentiful.' Aiko nodded to herself.

[Gardening: Lv.2->3][Soil Excavation: Lv.2->3][Digging Site: Lv.2->3]

Aiko nodded to herself and disappeared from that place.

...

She went above the ground near the Dragon, since she knew that this place was completely safe.

'I can stay here to regenerate my Beast Core.' Aiko sighed, those 2048m3 consumed 20,480 Beast Core Energy, putting her at risk of running out of energy that could be used for her Abilities.

'I'm lucky that [Earthen Walk] consumes Stamina before it starts consuming my Beast Core Energy'. Aiko nodded happily. She could still use her Beast Core Energy to enhance the speed of the [Earthen Walk], but even the speed with just Stamina is good enough for now.

'Hmmm... maybe I should return.' Aiko pondered on it.

Aiko decided to return and consult the Dragon about the Herbs, since she didn't have Mei's precious Jade Slip.

...

"You are back quite quickly." The Dragon narrowed his eyes.

"I accidentally robbed someone scary." Aiko coughed awkwardly.

"Who?" The Dragon tilted his head.

"A bald bird, probably?" Aiko didn't know what kind of bird it was, but it was definitely a bird, since it was descending on her.

"Bird?" The Dragon thought about it, but couldn't figure it out since there were too many birds in this Secret Realm. "What did you steal?" He couldn't help, but ask Aiko.

"Garden." Aiko replied quickly.

"Garden?" The Dragon was confused. "What garden?" He couldn't understand how someone could steal a garden. Herbs and stuff, sure, but garden?

"Yeah, like this." Aiko pulled the 1m by 1m by .5m out of her tail, shocking the dragon once again.

"What the-" The Dragon's eyes widened like lightbulbs. "Wait! They are even so well-preserved!?" He was left speechless. Those Herbs were in perfect condition, well almost, and could be used in Alchemy right away!

"Wait, a bald bird with a scary presence and garden?" The Dragon thought about it, but then burst into laughter.

"Good, good! You did very well!" The Dragon praised Aiko while laughing loudly and the whole forest shook.

"I can't believe that that bastard was robbed under his beak!" The Dragon kept laughing so much that it hurt Aiko's ears.

"Can you stop? It hurts." Aiko whined openly and the Dragon laughed even more.

"How was he?" The Dragon smirked towards Aiko.

"Pretty livid, he was screeching at 'me'." Aiko chuckled. She was happy that someone praised her grubby hands.

"Excellent!" He laughed again. "How much were you able to steal?"

"Only around 10%, I don't have enough storage." Aiko shook her head with a gentle sigh.

"Hmmmm..." The Dragon thought about it, but he unfortunately didn't have any storage devices.

"How about harvesting the Herbs and robbing the rest?" The Dragon asked.

"I don't know how to harvest many of them, so I will have to wait for my partner." Aiko said, nodding her head. She would have to wait for Mei and then rob the rest!

Aiko chuckled darkly, scaring even the Dragon.

'It's good that I'm not dead, otherwise she would've pillaged my body...' The Dragon shivered.

"Oh, right." Aiko suddenly paused. "What is your name?" She tilted her head, still worried that he would have a strange nickname.

"I..." The Dragon paused for a long time. "It does not matter, call me whatever you want."

"Hmmmmm." Aiko didn't like that idea. Her naming scheme might offend him, so she didn't immediately think about it.

"I will rest since I'm a bit too tired. Where is Feifei?" Aiko looked around, but couldn't find her.

"She is meditating." The Dragon lifted his tail.

"Hmmmmm..." Aiko narrowed his eyes. This place had thick draconic energy, which means that if something unexpected happened to Feifei...

'I can blame it on the Dragon.' Aiko nodded to herself. It seems like it is time to get closer to Feifei and test the rest of the system items.

Aiko smirked and nodded gently, but that would be for later. First, she needed to recover her energy!

...

Aiko meditated for a few days to fill her Beast Core with energy. It was not as straining, but she didn't get much sleep thanks to the fact that her favourite pillows were away.

"You really should sleep." The Dragon sighed.

"That can wait." Aiko shook her head. She knew that she wouldn't be able to rest properly without others.

"You will be more and more exhausted over time." The Dragon shook his head. He couldn't understand why this little Fox was so stubborn.

"I know, I know." Aiko shooed him away. She was aware of her predicament, but she was still fine.

The Dragon sighed again and ignored the little Fox. If she wanted to make things more difficult for herself... he couldn't stop her.

Aiko nodded and was ready to leave this place. She didn't want to interrupt Feifei in her Cultivation.

But just as she was to leave this place, Feifei stirred awake, staring at Aiko.

"Cultivated well?" Aiko smiled gently.

"Mmmmmm." Feifei gently nodded her head. She preferred the big Aiko more, but the small Aiko was not bad either.

"I have some plans with you, would you be willing to serve me?" Aiko narrowed her eyes and even the Dragon looked at her.

He was very interested in what this little Fox was plotting now. Would she help the little child or devour her Soul after she is nurtured? He didn't know, but he was curious where this would lead.

"My life was yours the moment that you helped me escape my predicament." Feifei smiled gently. She shone like a bright star, no longer wanting to die, but she still wished to fulfil any kind of demand that Aiko could have.

"Ack." Aiko had to shield her eyes, since Feifei was blindingly bright, especially that smile. 'Calm down, she is the perfect experiment material.' Aiko nodded to herself and looked at Feifei. 'Gosh! Why do I feel so bad for wanting to experiment on her?!' Aiko ruffled her hair.

-----

{Somewhere else in the Secret Realm}

Mei went through the portal with Aiko, but was naturally separated. This was not a bad thing, since Aiko would be able to loot around and become independent.

She was more worried about the other members. The twins needed to be together to be powerful and the Blood Fox was simply too weak in the grand scheme of things.

Mei spread her Divine Sense far and wide. There was no danger around her, but at the same time, this place also didn't hold any Treasures.

'Aiko's aura is weakening, but not enough that she would be in danger.' Mei checked the Rune on her hand. It was sapping her strength and supplying Aiko with energy for either the [Heavenly Suppression Technique] or her other techniques if she was in mortal danger.

It could also offset Techniques that could endanger Aiko's life. It was a very versatile and elaborate Rune.

'The others won't know where I'm at, so Aiko is the beacon that will connect us all.' Mei sighed. She wished to be alone, but if Aiko really wished; she could definitely find her.

Mei shook her head. She had unfinished business with this place and she would destroy a few things along the way. She might collect a few Herbs for Aiko to learn how to harvest.

Mei smiled gently. She wanted to be alone, but at the same time, she couldn't wait to unite with Aiko again. It was a strange and foreign feeling, one that she had forgotten for... a very long time.

Mei looked around. This place was too empty, so she would have to walk and find something...

-----

{Somewhere else in the Secret Realm}

The Blood Fox found herself around a cave that gave off a familiar feeling. She hated this feeling since it caused her too much pain.

'I almost killed my brother because I was temporarily possessed...' The Blood Fox had a very terrifying expression on her face, even the ruler of Hell would praise that expression!

'What do I do...' The Blood Fox believed that if she entered, she would not be able to return unharmed. It might even make her mad, but...

'Aiko is too powerful, Yuxi and Wanshu are too powerful, and Mei is completely unfathomable.' The Blood Fox frowned. To go inside or to not go inside...

'I won't be able to gain anything if I chicken out. I also don't like the fact that Aiko is sacrificing so much for us. It's time to pay some of that back. If I can rob this place, I can definitely give her Sacred Treasures.' The Blood Fox made up her mind. It was a dangerous gamble, especially since she didn't know how long she would spend inside, but that couldn't be helped. She wanted to pay Aiko tenfold, since she was kind and caring towards her!

The Blood Fox walked towards that disgusting cave, ready to conquer it!

-----

{Somewhere else in the Secret Realm}

"Yuxi?""Wanshu?"

""..."" The duo stared at each other speechlessly.

"We entered the Secret Realm, right?" Yuxi asked with a tilted head.

"That we did." Wanshu confirmed.

"What are you doing here, then?" Yuxi couldn't understand the situation, shouldn't they be separated?

"I can ask you the same." Wanshu stared at Yuxi with a smirk.

"What are you thinking about?" Yuxi took a step back.

"I'm thinking that we clean this place and I will get to enjoy myself~" Wanshu hummed gently, undressing Yuxi with her gaze.

"Pervert!" Yuxi glared at her.

"But the way you are blushing, its like you are inviting me~" Wanshu stuck out her tongue.

Yuxi clicked her tongue at that shameless display.

"Fine, fine." Wanshu conceded for the time being. She didn't want to upset her wifey.

"Let's clean this place out." Yuxi sighed. She wanted to collect many Treasures so Aiko would praise them, but her naughty partner seemed to have a different plan.

"I will do my best to assist you~" Wanshu hugged Yuxi from behind, groping her.

"Save it for later!" Yuxi swatted her.

"Oh my~" Wanshu giggled seductively. "So you are expecting something already~?" She teased her partner, since nobody was around.

"Shush!" Yuxi blushed red and swatted Wanshu away. It was time to fight and not the time to flirt!