I had to stop myself from laughing at his offer.
I knew he was being sincere, but it was a little ridiculous. A legless torso with a head was offering to help me become a cultivator from behind bars.
"I appreciate the sentiment, Mr. Foreigner, but I don't think you could help me become a cultivator from a cell."
"Is that what you want? To become a cultivator? It's not exactly my field of expertise, but I know enough to get you started, at least."
"Huh?"
"Do you really know how to cultivate?"
"Yes. I learned the basics shortly before I was captured. Let's start with something easy."
Before I could ask what he meant, the room began to heat up.
Steam started flowing from Foreigner's metal chest, rising toward the ceiling and spreading throughout the room.
The sheer stench of the prison's now-heated filth almost brought me to tears.
It was worse than anything I'd ever encountered.
The smell forced me to take a step backward, gagging as the foul air filled my nose.
For the first time in a while, I was reminded that the other prisoners were still alive. The sound of vomiting began echoing from some of the cells.
"Mr. Foreigner, what are you doing?!"
"Permeating the room with a physical dispersion of the energy source you call ki. Unfortunately, this process requires heating the immediate area."
"Then stop!"
"Don't worry. It will only last for a few hours. By the time your shift ends, the area should have cooled enough for you to leave comfortably."
"A few hours?!"
I started gagging again as some of the steam got into my mouth, leaving behind the distinct and unmistakable flavor of hot filth.
I quickly put a hand over my mouth before continuing, trying to keep any more from getting in.
"We can't stand this for hours! Stop it!"
"I can, but are you sure? You said you wanted to be a cultivator, and this is the most effective way to start."
"There's no way that's true. I may not know much about cultivation outside of stories, but I've seen Outer Disciple Tel cultivate once, and he didn't do it by sitting in a room full of steam and human filth."
The statue was quiet for a moment.
"Yes. I suppose that was phrased improperly."
The steam continued pouring from his metal chest.
"It is the most effective way that I know of for you to start cultivating right now."
"...Is there a way to make it smell better, at least?"
"There is, but I don't have access to it right no...w."
Foreigner's speech suddenly began to slow.
"Doi...ng this to...ok a lo...t out of me. Gonna shut down now. Br...ing more water tommorow and come here often."
"Mr. Foreigner?"
His head drooped.
His entire body went limp.
Just like that, he entered the same lifeless state I'd seen him in earlier.
I stared at him for several seconds.
I waved my hand in front of his face.
Nothing.
I poked his cheek.
Nothing.
"Are you dead again?"
No response.
I sighed and stood up.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
As bad as the smell and the feeling of the unclean steam were, I actually got used to it fairly quickly. The vomit littering the cells didn't help, but eventually, I was able to spend the rest of my shift guarding the prison as if it were a regular day.
I wasn't sure if Foreigner's ki-fueled steam bath had actually had any effect on me.
I certainly didn't feel any different.
At the very least, though, I'd learned something.
Foreigner probably wasn't human.
He had called himself a foreigner, but I'd never heard of a normal person being made entirely out of metal.
He was probably some kind of spirit beast.
I wonder why he's on the first floor?
The first floor was for prisoners who weren't considered dangerous.
If Foreigner really was a spirit beast, then why had the sect put him here instead of on the more well guarded floors?
I didn't know.
I should probably ask him tomorrow.
I should also tell Outer Disciple Tel about him.
By the time my shift was over, the room had cooled down and the steam had disappeared.
The only evidence of Foreigner's "training" was the vomit scattered throughout several of the cells.
I looked at the prisoners as I walked past them.
Some were coughing most were in a vegetative state, but a few seemed lucid even if they could talk.
I really should bring them some food and water from now on if this is going to be a regular thing.
I grabbed the empty bucket I'd brought and headed toward the exit.
Outer Disciple Tel was waiting beside the gate with an outstretched palm again.
I pulled out another token I'd earned during the shift and placed it in his hand.
"Outer Disciple Tel, there was something I wanted to—"
He cut me off.
His eyes were glued to me as he looked me up and down this much attention was unnerving and more then a little gross considering how dismissive he normally was and the rumors about why he was demoted to an outer discipline in the first place.
"Did something happen?"
"Yeah, I was trying to tell you tha—"
He cut me off again.
This time, he placed a hand on my forehead.
I froze.
His hand remained there for several seconds before he removed it bringing the hand to his face and then sniffing it,
His expression changed.
"Oh..."
He slowly pulled his hand away.
"That's... interesting."
I stared at him.
"I wonder how you got this."
"Well, like I was trying to tell you when I—"
"Stop."
His voice was quiet.
But something about it sent a chill down my back.
I stopped talking.
My body felt strangely stiff, as though I'd forgotten how to move.
Tel stared at me for several seconds.
Then he removed his hand from my shoulder.
"Don't tell me what happened."
"What?"
"From now on, come to my quarters every day after you've done....Actually, no never mind."
"what?"
I ask again even more confused
"Doesn't matter Just keep doing whatever you did today."
He placed a hand against his chin.
"And stay away from the other disciples."
I stared at him.
"Why?"
"Because I said so."
That wasn't much of an answer.
I opened my mouth to ask another question, but Tel continued before I could speak.
"Don't tell anyone else about anything that happened today either."
He tossed the token back toward me.
I caught it.
"And don't worry about giving me your tokens anymore. In fact don't worry about tokens at all anymore if you need any come to me don't worry about chores anymore."
"wait sir why?"
"doesn't matter, and don't make me say that again! just focus on whatever training you've been doing. If you keep it up you'll be able to ace the competition easily"
I stared at the token in my hand.
What just happened?
I looked down at the token in my hand.
I'd spent months giving him every token I earned because of our arrangement. And now he was just gonna give me tokens? just to keep taking steam baths with the statue.
I returned to my dorm not feeling any hunger after todays events and went to sleep.