"A little more right now, then we should get there soon."
"Do you think they would've heard what we did? Could they be on guard?"
Yan rubbed the back of her neck, "It's possible, but for a mortal its quite far away and they said this place wasn't a part of the coalition."
"So probably not part of Yi Sect?"
"Exactly, if we want the best unbiased information, this would be our best bet. Don't forget about the reason we choose to go here rather than anywhere else..."
"The Oracle...Do you think it's right? It's a cultivator who can create prophecies?"
"I wouldn't bet on a anything yet but if you ask me personally. My gut feeling says this'll be real...and it'll be good for us."
Hamar tightened his grip on the reigns, "Well let's first your gut is right on this..."
***
A massive hole in the desert, a gaping descent I to the dark within the gold sand around. Large slopes spiralling down with holes into the ground along the way.
"So...this is it?" Hamar looked down from the edge of the whole, peering down with his sight.
Yan, too, peered over the edge, "This matches the description. Now if we just go down to the bottom, we should be able to meet The Oracle...if it is 'fated' to be so, that is."
Hamar squinted and turned to the entrance, the start of the slope going down the hole. Then he lightly whipped the reigns, causing Lassy to lightly begin to jog.
"Only one way to see...we go down, no stopping."
And so, Hamar and Yan upon Lassy began their descent. They continued to journey upon Lassy while walking down the massive spiral down the pit.
Across the way. They would squeeze past the traffic, skirt around the people, ignore vendors, look into markets.
Unlike the previous town, this was a city made of mostly QI masters with even a few cultivators. Because of this, Yan did not take the time to hide her cultivation.
As a result of this, they did not get into any trouble while travelling. Those who would cautiously look at newcomers would see Yan's cultivation level and back away, scared to fight.
Even the cultivators wouldn't make trouble, though their reasons were different. Cultivators were cautious people by default and would understand not to judge another cultivator without information.
This was a result of the fact that if someone had a special technique with special laws, one could easily defeat someone of a higher stage given the chance.
Given that situation, it was an unspoken rule among rogue cultivators, those without a sect, to stick to Qi until it is necessary to do otherwise.
This meant that along the way, cultivators would try to gauge Yan's strength by sending QI out to mess with the surroundings, however with Yan's Core Disciple of Major Sect training she easily blocked all the attempts.
Hamar similarly would send out a thin line of aura as a warning to stop, which would of course work on any cultivator despite level. Aura was ultimately a foreign substance opposed to laws and should therefore scare those cultivators who have no knowledge
Along the way, a fog formed yet still they continued through. Hamar held his reigns tightly and continued pushing Lassy onwards.
However, as they walked through the fog, the edited at the bottom of the pit. Hamar looked up, "Teleportation?"
Then from the darkness in front of them, a voice answered him, "Yes, a sort of teleportation."
"A sort of?"
"I'm merely bringing you to be where you were fated to go a little early, that's all." Then the figure in the darkness formed.
They wore a white mask which covered their features and a black cloak. They were talking but not unusually so. They spoke in a deep voice but not unusually deep.
They continued to speak, "You are destined to be here," they turned to darkness and appeared behind Yan beside Lassy, "Won't you step down?"
Yan's heart raced, 'How could I not detect them?!' she calmed herself and hopped off the lizard.
"Ae you...The Oracle?"
Suddenly they vanished again and appeared in front of Yan, "I think you know the answer, I won't say otherwise."
Hamar stepped off Lassy and put his hands together ring a bow, "We just want to know if you can help us, do yo-" he was cut off.
"Oh, I can. The Coalition? Come follow me..."
Hamar took a step forward but then before his feet landed on the ground he was already high into the sky, looking down upon the desert.
"I want to help, I really do. But it is not yet fated."
"Fated this, fated that! What are you on about?" Hamar clenched his fists. Confused at everything happening.
"You will understand when it is time, for now you do not. It is not yet fated."
"Then what is fated?"
"Fated...not fated. It is all one for me. You wish to stop the Outer Friends but is that fated? Fated or not...interesting."
Then they vanished, coming back behind Hamar with their hands upon his shoulders, "You are interesting, your little friend even more so. The Chosen One...the Admin...he had given you a precarious fate...can you stand it?"
"Hou?" Hamar looked back into the blank white mask.
"Hou? Saviour? Araxis? Yue? They are all Admin. Well...they are now all Admin, you are in fact a little Admin. It does not matter, you are not fated to know now, what you are fated to do is grander."
"Then what am I fated to do?" As he reached out to touch the figure it disappeared again.
Appearing crouched in front of him, still within the sky, "I don't know."
"Aren't you The Oracle, you should know...what's fated?!"
"Should I?" The Oracle touched where it's cheek would be and Hamar imagined it was sticking out its tongue.
Hamar rubbed his temples, "If you can't help just say."
"Oh but I never said I couldn't help, did I?"