BXBX NOVEL Chapter 216 : Importing violence
First, there were over two thousand mercenary hostages, all gathered near the edge of the forest. That, in turn, forced the active warriors of the forest to squeeze together with them, both to keep the mercenaries in check and also to be on alert in case another human army attacked.
That, in turn, led the non-combat members of the forest clans to move deeper into the forest, turning the usually calm and deserted lands of Madam\'s personal habitat a lot more busy than before.
In other, simpler words, there were too many eyes for me to just open up a portal smack-dab in the middle of the familiar clearing, even if only those whom I allowed would ever be able to see it. After all, while the portal itself could be hidden, the fact of people disappearing into nothing or, quite the reverse, appearing out of nowhere couldn\'t be concealed.
And then came the last major issue of there being enough space for free movement around where I would open up my last portal, for it would also mark the place where my first permanent gate was set to come into existence.
\'Once it\'s up and as long as it\'s not too pricey to use it, there\'s bound to be a lot of traffic in the area,\' I thought, trying not to let my impatience get the better of me.
Sure, I wanted to see how this permanent gate would work as soon as possible… But I wasn\'t going to do so at the cost of its future utility!
"I think this place should be good enough," I muttered once we finally moved deep enough into the forest to find one of the random clearings that, in my naive, earthy opinion, had no right to be here.
For how could a dense forest where plants fought for every tiniest sliver of sunlight, be a whole lot of empty spots with nothing but some grass, herbs, and flowers growing around?
Yet, as I asked Madam during one of our rest times before all the fighting finally went down, there was a rule behind this anomaly. And quite a valuable rule to boot.
As it turned out, medicinal herbs, just like any other plant, required as much sunlight as they could get. And with nothing but the thin, world\'s aura to feed on, on top of its natural nutrients from the soil, those precious herbs had to take energy to create their valuable qualities from somewhere.
And just like any other living being, those herbs would often dry out all the nutrients from different spots around the forest, killing all the plants within and then proliferating a special type of grass that connected to their root system.
\'Such a complex explanation behind such a small detail,\' I thought as I stepped into one of the clearings like that. \'It makes me wonder just how much depth there is in topics that I wouldn\'t normally take a closer look at.\'
I sighed before shaking my head for a second so I could clear out all of the deep yet ultimately useless thoughts.
"Are you sure it\'s okay to move as deep into the forest as we did?" Fay, my only companion on our journey back to earth, asked. "While I get the need for an open space so that whatever comes through the gate will have ample room to maneuver… they will still have to cross the thick woods we moved through on our way here."
The task that Fay brought up to my attention would be relatively…
Well, for a carriage of the type I saw the mercenaries operate back at the camp, it would be a tall order. Yet, with enough men to clear the path and then maintain it, it would certainly be a doable task.
But for the earthly vehicles? Especially military equipment?
I pursed my lips together and reached out to grab Fay\'s hand.
"So you saw through my plans, huh?" I asked without looking at the girl.
For some reason, I couldn\'t bring myself to look her in the eyes.
And Fay… simply smiled.
"Wasn\'t it the goal, for us to learn how to see through the other even without relying on our bond?" she asked, pulling on my hand a bit to bring it away from my side… all for the sake of wrapping her arm around it.
"It sure was," I replied, unable and, quite frankly, unwilling to hold back my smile when the warmth of her body pressed against me.
After all, the moment we would step through the gate came with the promise of all the things we couldn\'t indulge ourselves in here. And with how all the things that I had to take care of on the other side would take some time to take place, there would be more than enough time for the two of us to finally enjoy each other company in the privacy of our apartment!
"Let\'s go home," I muttered before taking a long breath and swiping my hand. And as usual, without any added flair, the two-meter high and one-meter wide blob of purple weaved itself into existence, quickly turning into its refined, slightly circular shape.
With Fay glued to my arm, we quickly cut through the few steps that separated us from the portal before pushing ourselves into the swirly purple that blocked our sight of what was on the other side…
Only for the visuals all around us to reverse, with the part of our vision ahead now revealing the insides of the apartment while the back half of our vision cut away, blocked by the exit of the portal.
\'Huh?\'
As eager as I was to just grab Fay\'s hand and pull her to the bedroom so that we could test out how learning about each other would affect the synchronization level of our bond… There was still something that I had to check.
Or rather, something that made me pretty damn anxious. For even after we emerged from the exit portal and even took a few steps further into the apartment\'s bath… I still saw no sign on the stable gate that was supposed to appear right where I opened up the portal!
\'Wait, maybe, just maybe…\' Struggling to keep myself calm, I took a deep breath and waved my hand, closing the normal portal…
[Exit point for the stable gate registered]
[Exit point invalid]
[Searching for a valid exit point in the area]
[Highlighting the suggested exit point in the area]
[Open a temporary portal at a valid location to establish the exit point for the stable gate]
Given how strained my nerves were, I noticed the influx of the system messages right the moment they appeared. And as I looked around, I quickly noticed how the frame of the bathroom\'s door was now enhanced with a slight, purple effect.
\'I guess a stable gate can only exist within a frame of a physical gate?\' I thought, trying to figure out what exactly was the meaning of the exit point being invalid.
Was it because of some sort of mana flow and how the original placement made it impossible for the gate to siphon enough energy to keep itself up and running?
As much as I wanted to believe in that option, the fact that my system pointed out the doorway as a suitable spot…
\'Unless we are talking about some sort of feng shui, I believe my first idea is the most likely one…\'
Still, if there was one way to call this slight inconvenience… Then it would be a blessing in disguise. For only now that I\'ve gone through a few rounds of battling it out with humans and encountered truly powerful ones…
Only now do I know that solving the problem of my forces lacking wouldn\'t be as easy as just throwing men with firearms into the fold.
Sure, doing that much would help the forest defenders to stave the invasion off… But it wasn\'t the type of force that could bring me a decisive victory. For that, I needed a modern military at its strongest. And that meant, a proper force saturated with armor and mobile elements.
Something that would be extremely hard to push through this gate, assuming it would be possible to begin with if it was in my fucking toilet!
"Any problems?" Fay asked, most likely noticing the ongoing tragi-comedy of the changes happening on my face. And given how things went from anxiety-inducing, through outright scary and worrying and somehow still ended on a positive, hopeful note with a hint of hidden relief…
I couldn\'t really blame her for enjoying the show to its fullest, could I?
"I was worried we were fucked, but things worked out better than I expected," I sighed, having no reason whatsoever to keep what happened from Fay.
"But we will need to find a better place to set that permanent gate up," I muttered before taking a look at the pile of things we ended up leaving behind… and a single item that I intentionally left in the bathroom for it would be of no use in Fay\'s world.
"We will need to find a better place for that permanent gate. And right now, I need to call Makary."
"So you decided to go through with this?" Fay asked in a light tone as if she was simply keeping up the small talk rather than mentioning quite the controversial topic.
After all, I was about to coer… invite a military force from my world over to hers!
"I believe it\'s our best shot to stop the invasion," I quickly replied… Only to stop myself before I could get any deeper into this narrative.
The real reason behind how lightly I made this choice was slightly different.
"Actually, that\'s not it," I admitted with a sigh. "You know, it struck me when we were going back from the meeting with that princess. I wasn\'t gifted with any sort of powerful skill, physique, or magic," I pointed out something that put me in the awkward spot of always trying to get stronger, not to bully others but just to reach the level of those around me.
Fay, rather than pressing me to keep talking, only pressed herself to the side of my chest.
By now, she was perfectly aware that the moment I started to talk, I would keep going. And all that she needed to do, was to stick close and hug me, muddling my thoughts to the point I would no longer pay much attention to what I was even talking about.
"My gift is the ability to open portals between our worlds. And my best bet to make the most out of it is by trading things between worlds."
I took a deep breath before walking over to my phone and picking it up.
"And what I need to import to your world, right now, is violence."