Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

Liam had observed the surroundings as they made their way down the central staircase. Upon reaching the entrance of Street Thirty-Seven, he grasped a deeper understanding of the sect.

\'The properties higher up seemed more individual and unique. There really seems to be a big difference in the treatment of disciples here. Housing is only secondary for Spirit Masters, but even so...\'

He sighed as his seniors told him which dormitories were available for him to join.

"Are there any affiliations and responsibilities if I join one of these dorms?" Liam imagined the possibilities.

He knew what kind of internal relationships existed in such a competitive environment. He didn\'t aspire to be dragged into someone else\'s problems just by choosing a dorm at random!

"Yes, and no. You won\'t become someone\'s ally or enemy just by choosing a dormitory. But usually, members of the same faction live in the same dormitory. So you could end up in trouble."

Liam frowned, looking for an alternative. "Is there any way I can avoid that? I saw on the way here properties along the city that don\'t seem to be collective residences."

The three Officers laughed in unison.

"These are private properties. You can buy one of them with contributions to the sect. But right now, you don\'t have any merit points that would guarantee you such a place."

\'That\'s a problem.\' Liam clenched his fists.

All it would take was one annoying neighbor and he could unwittingly get involved in third party problems that could get him killed!

\'I\'ll see if I can visit each of the options they mentioned and find the place that\'s least bad for me. If that\'s not possible, I\'ll have to deal with the sect\'s activities to keep me away from the dormitory for as long as possible. That will probably help me.\'

He gazed at the pentagram-shaped stones that lined the street, their intricate patterns catching the sunlight. He smelled a strong perfume and turned his gaze in the direction where a woman had just passed him.

With a sudden surge of adrenaline, Liam\'s heart leaped in his chest, and the world around him seemed to blur. The rush of blood in his veins created a tingling sensation, as if tiny sparks were dancing beneath his skin. In that moment, all his previous thoughts vanished like smoke, leaving his mind clear and focused.

\'That\'s right, now I\'m in a place where there are more women than just Mary...\'

"Seniors, I have one more question before I say goodbye." Liam glanced discreetly at the masked woman, whose head was covered by a cloak, but who he knew was a woman by her physical form.

"What\'s with the dress code for Officers? Do you have to wear masks and cloaks to hide yourself at all times?"

The three looked at Liam in silence, wondering what he had to do with this. What in the world could an outer disciple like him possibly want with the clothes of the inner disciples?

But one of them replied sincerely after a moment\'s thought, as it was his duty, today, to answer all doubts of this newcomer. "We only have to wear our uniform during our activities or when we\'re outside the sect. We don\'t wear it all the time.

Officers are the most common soldiers in the sect. We perform most of its relevant functions, such as guarding, escorting resources, delivering messages, etc. Most of us don\'t have to risk ourselves, but there are some who have strange activities. Because of them, we hide."

"I see..." Liam thanked them with a common greeting, pressing his right palm to his clenched left fist.

The three Officers nodded at him, then made their way to the higher levels of City Thirteen.

Left alone, Liam imagined it wouldn\'t be easy to see the true face of the sect\'s inner disciples unless he became one himself. He closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing, stirred by the scent of the previous woman.

Something strange in his body told him to look for her. \'Why do I want to see this woman\'s face so badly?\' He looked inside himself, forgetting his surroundings.

The chill of the evening gave way to the darkness of the black-haired young man\'s doubtful thoughts; his attention turned toward the incubus.

\'Is this your work? So far I\'ve only had close contact with Mary and Day, but Day was my mortal enemy... Don\'t tell me I\'m attracted to every woman who comes close to me?\'

He asked, but the incubus just ignored him and continued his meditation.

Feeling the unseen assault on his inquiries, Liam\'s face contorted with a grimace as he tightly clenched his jaw.

He opened his eyes to see the movement of people in the area, most of them without masks or cloaks covering their bodies.

As he continued along Street Thirty-Seven, he was determined to explore the area in search of the best possible accommodations. His plans included visiting the dormitories in the area, if possible, before going to the Library.

As for the strange feeling in his body, he wanted to meet Mary as soon as possible. If his theory was correct, even if he would suffer from certain incubus instincts, he should feel some ease in dealing with his emotions if he kept the \'beast\' in him satiated.

"Who\'s that?" A man leaning against a wall close to Liam asked his two companions in a low voice. The look on his face seemed interested, the mark of a cross surrounded by a red circle on his forehead distorted by his expression.

"A novice, I suppose. Look at the savage\'s clothes..." A brown-haired man pointed out, his eyes narrowing. "But it is quite unusual for newcomers to enter the sect as Initiates. He must be some kind of genius?"

"Genius, huh?" A guy with red hair, a horizontal scar down the middle of his nose, running from one ear to the other, opened his mouth and commented coldly. "Geniuses are better off dead."

"We can get him to our side, Levi." Ezekiel, who had a muscular body and brown hair, suggested.

"It might be interesting to send someone after him once the novice\'s protection period is over. But is it really worth the effort?" Levi opened his arms, thinking two steps ahead of his companions.

"Either he\'ll join us and one of our competitors will kill him, or we\'ll be one of the groups against him. In the end, it\'s the same. However, Ezekiel and Giles, if you want to try, approach him. I\'ll give you one week to move. After that, I\'ll act accordingly."

Ezekiel and Giles nodded in agreement.

"Maybe he\'ll be smart and lucky."

Liam continued on his way in silence, in the dark about the people watching him, getting on with his immediate goals.

In two hours, he would choose the place that would be his home from now on, where he would have a single room, with a bathroom, of 38 square meters.

He would later discover the difference between such a room on Street Thirty-Seven and a room on Street Fifty-Three—these were much smaller, simpler, and most importantly, less rich in mana.

After a quick tour of the dormitory, Liam and his silver spear headed to the shopping district on Street Twenty-Six, where the Library was located.

\'First, I\'m going to sell this weapon. My superiors said that newcomers have 48 hours of protection, but it\'s better that as few competitors as possible see me with it. I\'ll go to the library as soon as I can get rid of it.\'

He would soon discover a magic artifact shop in the middle of the shops on Street Twenty-Six.