The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 166: Leaps and bounds

Chapter 166: Leaps and bounds

"You are very hard to find."

Seeing Hex enter her office, Laila stood up and complained. Her pout enhanced her allure. Hex grinned and put his arm around her middle.

"I am a traveler, seeking new things to taste."

He ended with a wink, giving his words a hidden meaning. Laila giggled but didn’t pull away. She nestled at his side as they took a seat on the couch.

"Your time to shine is here. The people participating in the new governor’s competition have returned. There are more refinement requests than we or anyone else can handle."

Her eyes shone like gems as she spoke excitedly. Having more refiners especially those qualified to be titled adept would attract more clients to her business, earning them quite a profit.

"How many do I need to refine?"

Hex’s hand slipped between her skirt and blouse, kneading her back directly. Laila encouraged him with a smile as she explained the task.

"Our minimum request is twenty Fiend crystals in two weeks. We will pay based on the quality and the speed. This is also an opportunity to spread your name. There will be many spectators. People seek refiners but are afraid to entrust their hard-earned crystals to just anyone."

’With more spectators, I need to be careful with how much of my ability I display. On the other hand, if more people are willing to choose me as their refiner, I can harvest more energy.’

Hex weighed the pros and cons of the developments. Ultimately, he decided to appear like an excellent adept-stage refiner but with some limitations in speed and stamina. But he wouldn’t compromise on the quality. After all, people would accept slower speed but wouldn’t risk ruining their crystal.

"You said, at least twenty, right? And I manage more?" Hex asked with a smile as his hand brushed the side of her boob.

"You can do as many as you wish. You are allowed...everything." She spoke, looking directly into Hex’s eyes. She didn’t put up any resistance for Hex.

"Excellent." Just when she seemed about to push herself further into him, Hex jumped to his feet, startling her. "I am off to meet with Tarquin. I got an agreement with him too as you know."

Before she recovered, Hex had opened the door and exited, leaving her behind frustrated.

Hex didn’t hear her curses with the door closed behind him. He exhaled deeply and only when the stretch in his pants disappeared, did he walk out of the building.

...

"We have a lot of crystals but only three refiners. How many can you do?"

Hex, disguised as Mike, met Tarquin’s team again at the Simmering Tongue. He could estimate the number of crystals in their possession using their scores as a reference.

"I have agreed to do a minimum of twenty for the Union. I can do many more for you guys."

Tarquin knew his agreement with the Union so he expected such a thing. He wasn’t happy but there was nothing he could do about it.

"That should not be a problem but I don’t want to wait until you meet their quota. I want you to do some for us every day. We have reserved a spot in the Temple."

’The rich and mighty have it easy. It costs an astronomical sum to reserve the monoliths for two weeks. The Merchant Union earns through it, recovering their costs. But these people are doing it only for themselves.’

Hex understood the principle of the rich becoming richer as he had seen the Temple’s regulations favoring them above the average person. His heart and personalized monolith helped Hex to be less dependent on the Temple.

Hex even went one step further. His plan helped him become stronger using the resources of these wealthy people and groups.

"If you can arrange food and a place to rest, I can practically live inside the Temple."

Hex’s offer caused Tarquin’s group to jerk their heads towards him. They were eating and didn’t pay much attention to the refiner. Even Elsa seemed to have lost interest in him.

Usually, refiners worked for a limited time in the day, limiting the service even further. Hex’s offer would increase the opportunity to refine even more. At their level, the slightest increase gave them the edge over their rivals.

They immediately guaranteed Hex that they would take care of all miscellaneous tasks and needs as long as he could refine and maintain the quality of his service. Seeing them this excited, Hex smiled.

"We will start tonight. Meet me at the Temple."

With those words, he left them behind. A smile appeared on his face. He was about to increase his strength by leaps and bounds.

...

Hex sat cross-legged on his bed. A heap of crystals lay spread out in front of him. There was still time before night. He wouldn’t get much time to refine his crystals in the Temple. To fill the time, he decided to refine a few crystals.

’I can leave these crystals for last. Unlike others, I am not bound to a Temple or monolith. My priority is to use other’s resources, as many as possible.’

Feeling joyful, he picked up the Demon crystals and began refining them. Unlike the test, he didn’t need finished products. He sucked the energy out of the crystals without holding back. The crystals turned to dust after a while.

’One drop of energy.’

The Demon crystals provided the minimum amount of energy but Hex didn’t ignore it. ’A bucket is filled with drops,’ he reasoned, appreciating every wisp of energy he gained.

He picked another Demon crystal and resumed refining. Slowly but surely the heap of Demon crystals diminished and the energy inside him increased.

Before he realized it, dusk fell.

Knock. Knock.

"Sir, it’s time to leave. You requested to be notified."

Hex woke up when he heard Ember’s voice through the door.

"Thanks. I will be out in a moment."

Hex knew he could lose track of time when refining so he asked the ladies at the counter to knock on his door as night fell.

Hex looked at the pile of dust before him and grinned. He felt invigorated. Regular refiners suffered from exhaustion because they were left with a net deficit as they refined, which took its toll on their souls. Hex on the other hand always had more energy and never felt anything when it came to his soul.

"An increase of fifteen drops," Hex muttered with a smile, focussing on the amount of energy within him. The fifteen drops were not a small amount. His total was at one hundred and nineteen.

His goal was to end up with at least three hundred more drops of energy and an increase in his elements. And by the end of the competition he wished to have reached or be close to the five thousand.

It sounded lofty and an uphill struggle but it wasn’t impossible. The stronger he got, the more he could harvest, increasing his strength even further.

He quickly freshened up and took a bite from the food he ordered. After ensuring his disguise was well done, he hurried to the Temple.

...

Although Laila said there would be many spectators, Hex didn’t expect the Temple to be packed to the brim with people. Hex pushed through the crowd, displeasing many. A few tried to hit him but failed to withstand his blows. They slumped to the floor. No one picked them up or bothered with them. Their focus was on the platform with the rows of monolith and refiners gathered.

There were also people responsible for leading the refiners to their spots. The Merchant Union had arranged for Bella to be Hex’s guide. She wore a classy dress but one that accentuated the right places.

She greeted Hex warmly and gestured for Hex to follow her. But a sharp voice interrupted them.

"I wondered if you would appear."

Hex looked at the person who spoke. She was a beautiful young woman with an elegant demeanor. A group of youngsters surrounded her.

"Ah. Miss Delia," Hex exclaimed, acting overly friendly. "It delights me that someone like you can’t get me out of your head."

His shameless behavior threw her off. She was so stunned that she didn’t realize Hex held her hand. The others around her looked at them with their mouths agape.

"Let me go!" Delia pulled her hand away and snapped once she regained her bearing.

"Huh? You say you kept thinking about me but when I reciprocate, you pull away?" Hex raised his brow and questioned her. "Or are you the kind that acts tough and rude to hide your true feelings?" Hex gave her a knowing look.

"T-That...N-No," she stammered at first. Then she took a deep breath, looked angrily at him, then stomped away.

"Young ladies sure are thorny," Hex said with a grin. "Miss Bella, please continue. Don’t need to waste more time."

’Sigh. It’s sure hard to be a carefree, flower-loving person. If I overdo it, I might be killed by an angry mob of ladies before fighting Heartless creatures.’

Bella brought him to the two monoliths reserved by the Union. There were a few refiners gathered. They all worked for the Union. They would have to share two monoliths. They were looking at him. They heard about a newcomer but hadn’t met him. Hex, however, was looking at the box with crystals.

’Time to improve by leaps and bounds.’