"Land ahoy!" Ares shouted to nobody in particular. For a good while now it had just been him and the monster fish leaping out of the water in an attempt to eat him as he crossed the ocean. His Voidwalk journey was relatively quiet and uninteresting so he made his own fun by pretending to be a pirate shooing cannon balls (Shock Beads) at any aggressive sea life. He could still chat with the people inside the Blade but it felt weird taking on the role of the floating disembodied voice of God instead of being there in person. Speaking of the Blade, this trip helped Ares understand its current limitations better which was undeniably helpful but also revealed a slight problem he was going to have to address at some point. The capacity was not sufficient as-is to bring along the entirety of Red Sun, there were just too many people that needed to be stuffed in it. The actual space needed for Red Sun inside the Blade was not an issue; if Ares just wanted to put his local area, buildings included, inside his storage he could manage it. People, however, were an entirely separate matter and the only real solution was to keep raising his cultivation and pray he would be strong enough to carry everyone. If it came down to it, he might have to take multiple trips to ferry everyone to Vraizon and he would obviously much rather avoid that. Going to and fro Vraizon, or more specifically whatever location he set up in Vraizon for the sect, would take a pretty long time so he had to start thinking of potential alternatives now just in case the Blade wasn't capable of transporting everyone by itself. Still, that was an issue for the future. Right now, land ahoy.
There wasn't exactly much to look at. mostly trees as far as the eye could see with a sandy shore off to the east. There was a port in Akarala but Ares figured rocking up to it with nothing but the clothes on his back would cause confusion so he actively avoided it. It wasn't even really a 'port' anyway and more so something akin to a hastily strewn together dock on the outskirts of the only Akaralan city. Akarala was hardly an advanced country, and most civilisations within it were tribal so lived in small villages dotted around various territories, so Ares 'sneaking' in from elsewhere was a non-issue. Nobody was going to keep tabs on him anyway and he could enter wherever was convenient. That came with its own risks, the had to weather the storm of local monsters that would come to him in search of foreign flavoured meat, but Ares wasn't so weak he would get eaten as soon as he arrived. Again, Akarala was open to visitors but you really had to be competent at defending yourself if you wanted to really explore it. Even the one 'city' this place had was actually just a massive collection of huts that functioned like a large marketplace. It was bustling, and it was certainly the closest thing Akarala had to a centralised government / ruling party, but it did not have any real control over other territories and was primarily a hub for imports. It occasionally distributed wealth to tribes in desperate need, those that suffered from natural disasters and catastrophes across the island, but couldn't intervene in internal disputes. The city was run by the Bara Karas and they seemed to be the most likely to advance civilisation on the island but only in their respective area. They weren't fussed by the out and out rejection to have them get involved in other territories, they could be the sole acquirers of international wealth and boost their own position in the world. They were content with becoming a powerhouse and would harbor all the tools and wealth necessary to live a good life. One day they would maybe even forcefully take over the rest of the country when it was too late to stop them but Ares did not care in the slightest. The tribes didn't want to hear the truth, they didn't want outsiders to get involved, and they refused to believe the Bara Karas could ever become a dominant force through 'meaningless currency'. They were well versed in trading commodities that had historically always mattered to them, such as meat and furs, but were less aware of the kind of developments the rest of society had been making regarding warfare as of late. Granted Sheryashka was still relatively behind in that matter, so the tribes could maybe persist in holding out with cultivation and magic, but there was a limit to how long they could realistically keep weapons of mass destruction at bay. By the time it wasn't possible any longer Ares would already have left the confines of the Blade barrier, which would ironically probably be the spark for technology to run rampant in these lower domains, and he had no attachment to anyone or anything in this region. Moreover, it was their own kind, fellow aevysqualls, betraying them so he felt even less responsibility to do something about it.
Ares was simply going to head to the city, ask for information, and take his leave. He wanted to know about the treasure Thundraga left behind for Dominus however many years ago, that was literally it. Some of the merchants might have resources or herbs that interested him but he could find such things in larger quantities out in the wild for free so there was no point in trading for it for exorbitant prices... Unless he was an accelerationist. He could supply immense wealth to the Bara Karas and reignite their instinct for conquest. They were one of the three dominant tribes in the region and the only one to never truly give up on unification, if Ares dumped stardust on their heads he could indirectly gain a conspirator in the region and have a shadowy hand in its running, like a puppeteer of sorts... Though if he really wanted the region for whatever reason there was nothing stopping him from taking it by force either...
With a light landing, Ares officially stepped onto Akaralan soil and his new adventure had begun. He wasn't going to bring out the others yet, travelling by himself was faster and he wasn't going to set up a camp here now, but he did let them know they were on-land which earned some small cheers from inside the Blade. It wasn't uncomfortable in there, per se, but it was hardly luxurious either. There was little privacy and real rooms to speak of, just a massive void of space with the occasional useful item floating around thanks to Ares' hoarding habits. There was even a brain in a jar! It's not like Ares had anywhere else to shove Brainiac and he still didn't have the means to make use of him so his brain was just going to be floating around for the foreseeable future. Anyone who stayed inside the Blade would have to get used to watching it tumble through space every now and then. Anyhow, back outside, Ares was having a staredown. He'd been informed about this particular new resident of the island by Bahru but he hadn't expected to run into it right out of the gate. At least, Ares was fairly certain he was having a silent confrontation with the black-furred Pooka because the being before him didn't resemble any other living creature he'd ever heard of. Also, what appeared to be a a dog's head, with a lion's mane, bunny ears, goat's horns, and the body of a lanky imp, slowly transformed into an eery, large owl. The new creature was fat and grumpy, it didn't look natural in the slightest. It was clearly still the Pooka, it bore an uncanny resemblance, but it had transformed into something slightly different. Had Ares run into this owl first he would have assumed it was just a rare subspecies native to the area. Fortunately that wasn't the case, so he wouldn't be fooled by this conniving trickster, but he was now tempted to kill it. Not for any real personal reason, though he was warned by Bahru about it, but because it might prove useful for Rox? If it had a monster core then surely its ability to transform would prove beneficial? Regrettably, while Ares thought it over, the Pooka vanished in a puff of black smoke and feathers, complete disappearing from the nearby area such that Ares could no longer track it. Perhaps it could sense his intentions and wasn't confident it could beat this unknown stranger, hence it's immediate departure once confrontation was in the air. This was the first time Ares had ever seen a monster acknowledge him to the point of fleeing while managing to do the latter successfully so he respected the Pooka's ability to skedaddle. The monsters in Akarala were fierce but, more importantly, they were smart. Akarala was essentially a massive no-man's land hunting ground, a free for all of epic scale, so naturally those that couldn't adapt or determine when they were at a disadvantage, be they human, animal, or monster, wouldn't live long. Residents of Neo Gear were strong because of their constitution, allowing them to cheat cultivation by purchasing improvements and grafting them onto their robotic frames, residents of Akarala were fierce because they grew up surrounded by violence in a survival of the fittest world. It was safe to say that anyone, or anything, who lived in Neo Gear or Akarala had strength superior to that of other organisms from literally any country in Sheryashka. Ares could expect to find the occasional challenge here and in Neo Gear as he was getting into the dangerous territories of this domain now. Even the weaker, and more cautious, monsters knew when, and how, to make an exit. He was still king of the jungle, there was no mistake about that, but there were definitely a few challengers to the throne who weren't afraid of trying their luck.
As for the Pooka... Ares really couldn't tell how strong it was. The ability to transform was its own inherent ability, so not magic of any kind, and its cultivation base was masked well. It wouldn't be a threat if it wasn't strong but Bahru seemed convinced it was a problem so Ares would take his word and keep and eye out for this shifty thing in the future. Maybe it specialised in remaining low-key, hard to detect and spot out in the wilderness, before abducting or kidnapping unsuspecting victims, in which case Ares would have to be concerned about his travelling companions more so than himself. His wives could handle themselves, if they were together they were arguably the scariest force in the domain, but Allie and Trixie were on the weaker side. They wouldn't roll over and die in a place like this but unknown threats were still precisely that and whether they were prepared for them was another matter. Sufficient strength can overcome almost any danger but Allie and Trixie weren't quite at that point yet. Still, Aejaz was so he would have to keep his head on a swivel and look out for them.
About five minutes later, after hacking his way through rather obnoxiously large foliage and brush with his trusty neon scythe, Ares caught sight of the city he was aiming for. There were no walls surrounding it, so it was probably more accurate to say he walked past a tree and stumbled into the city rather than spotting it beforehand, and he could see others arriving in much the same fashion form all over the place. People emerging from greenery, some with more expertise and mastery over the terrain than others, was a common visual. Though it was to be expected, those who were tanned seemed to show more fleet of foot in navigating the environment due to their familiarity while pale, spectacled researchers and environmental scientists stumbled over branches that were obscured from vision. There were also aevysquall flying in from afar and landing in a specific zone and Ares reckoned they were part of the Bara Karas given the general subservient treatment they received from those who welcomed them back from their hunt / gathering session. They were carrying large bundles of herbs which just went to show how different they were from other tribes that would scoff at such a 'meagre' haul in comparison to even a single chunk of meat. One man's trash is another man's treasure and that bundle of herbs was going to sell for a boatload to some overeager merchant. There were already a few crowding around the landing spot and placing bids like an auction. The Federation wasn't nearby but that only meant now was the perfect time for other merchants to crawl out of the woodworks fight fairly amongst themselves without fretting the financial titan would steal everything from under their noses. Average or aspiring merchants looking to make a quick buck would hire guards around this time of year, pray for a safe journey across the sea, and wrack up exotic goods that were usually unavailable or scare. The Federation had to travel to many places and couldn't afford to favour any one destination so some rarer products from other countries just disappeared from shelves and that was where these lot came in. It was risky, and more merchants died per year sailing to distant lands than they did getting into quarrels with customers, but those that returned safely were talk of the town and only ever inspired more to follow in their footsteps. In the merchant world, these people were heroes to some extent and greatly respected. Part of why Onno was well known was because his father made him undergo a solo voyage, much like the ones these merchants took, at a young age and those in the same field could only nod their heads in amazement when he returned alive with valuable products. Making it there in one piece, finding the true treasures amidst the heap of unusable detritus, returning, and not having anything stolen by bandits all the while was, to merchants, akin to a modern epic.
Ares walked over to one such merchant and tapped him on the shoulder. Ares picked this particular merchant because he watched him navigate the city, and its outskirts, fairly decently compared to his cohorts and assumed that meant he'd been here a while. Maybe he'd even been here before but, either way, he seemed like a good target to pry information from. "'Scuse me, got a minute?"
The merchant turned and raised his eyebrows, suspicious of the man who was clearly not a native, merchant, or researcher. Still, never one to let a business opportunity fly, "I've got a minute if you've got an acceptable offer?"
Ares sighed, rolled his eyes, and tried a different, less subtle approach. "I don't know? How much do you value your life?" It was unlike Ares to kill someone over something so minor, and he wouldn't, but the threat alone was enough to make the conversation take a different path. The merchant didn't recognise Ares but knew he was a cultivator and probably thought he was another merchant's bodyguard. Either way, Ares was out of his mortal league and his own bodyguards were not nearby right now, they were resting in huts with local women they paid a pretty penny to sleep with.
"Tsk. Not that there's anything I can really do against you but you are aware that if word gest out about this none of the merchants here will do business with you ever again right?"
"I think they, much like you, can be persuaded under the right conditions." Ares had no reason to reveal his identity here and he refused to care about this one grouchy merchant beyond this current interaction. Nobody would refuse to trade with him if he simply mentioned his name but that seemed like a massive hassle. He might even wind up getting crowded by merchants looking to find an inroad to Red Sun or the sect and make business alliances. It was for the best if he went about things in this manner. "Besides, I just want an answer to a single question. Is that too hard for you?"
Unable to do anything beside grind his teeth, the merchant gave up. "Well? Spit it out."
"One of the tribes in this region should worship a Goddess called 'Thundraga' right? Where are they? A general direction will do."
"That way." The merchant pointed north west immediately and showed no hesitation in his response...
Crack
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The merchant screamed and clutched his broken finger as he tumbled backwards against a shack made of straw. Ares menacingly towered over him and cast a deep shadow across his face, clearly unhappy.
"Try again." Ares did not know where the tribe he was searching for was, this much was true. However, what he conveniently did not mention was that he had an ability he used relatively infrequently since acquiring it from Enyo. His lie detector. Most people were not dumb enough to lie to Ares' face, rightfully fearing the repercussions, and most didn't have a reason to. This merchant was trying to get Ares killed because he was being heavy handed. It wasn't unfair he tried to do this, this was just how the world worked, but the world was cruel and now his finger was broken so he couldn't complain either. Charging for information that should have been free, threatening an 'innocent' person, both Ares and the merchant were in the wrong here and the score was pretty much even. After lying, Ares wanted to even the score again, and make sure the merchant understood who was in charge here, so a broken pinky seemed appropriate. It was enough to spook the merchant and make him play ball without going overboard... Though Enyo was going to disapprove of his methods. Ares might be reprimanded for that later.
"Fuck! Fine fine, whatever, just stop attacking me fuck..." The merchant was no stranger to witnessing violence but, usually, whenever his guards went on the offensive he could still see them move with his eyes. Ares' sudden violence was well beyond what he could feasibly react to so he knew better than to offend this mysterious cultivator who was leagues above him. The merchant didn't know how Ares knew he was lying, it may have even been a bluff for all he knew, but the merchant was wise enough to avoid tempting fate by lying a second time. "It's over there somewhere..." The merchant grumbled while hobbling away and holding his abused pinky. He was telling the truth this time so Ares let him leave before turning to the north-east and setting off at a calm pace, unbothered by the groaning merchant nor the looks on the faces of those around him. Arse wasn't going to return to this place so their stares and condemnation be damned! The only real issue would have been the Bara Karas looking to enforce peace in the city but they seemed to ignore this issue as it didn't break out into a big brawl. The merchants were unhappy but this was a loss they were just going to have to suck up, unfortunately. The victim would ask other merchants for information on Ares but, seeing as none of them recognised him, it was ultimately a dead-end and Ares got off for free. Not that retaliation was possible even if he did know but there was less hassle this way and the matter was resolved in short time. Ares felt like he'd been pretty productive today as he arrived, located and identified the Pooka, and found his destination. He'd make it to his goal by nightfall and find a place to camp so, from tomorrow onwards, the vacation / exploration would begin in earnest. Whatever funky beasts and dangerous abodes this place had in store best be quaking in their boots because Ares was on the loose! He had explosions and wasn't afraid to use them!