Chapter 29: Unseeming Wealth
Wealth even she hadn't ever seen, despite her status in her Clan. Qi Essences, Magic Artifacts, Pills and Tonics, Art of the Elements, etc. There was a vat placed in a corner that was her size, filled with money.
Re'Kha first peered into the vat filled with money, scooping some with her hands, "1 RuQi, 5 RuQi…there's even a 100 RuQi coin."
RuQi was the name of their currency. Their denomination ranged as: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1000. A simple meal only cost 1 RuQi, so the wealth the household had amassed was a staggering amount.
Even the settlement couldn't amass such an amount, considering all the taxes that were put in place to prevent hoarding. The currency was shaped into a coin, the material created using Metal Qi. But, only the Capital could produce the currency, because of the elements imbued in it that formed harmony.
Re'Kha grabbed hold of a coin, feeling its clear indentations. The back of the coin contained three rings and one circle at the centre. The circle represented the element of Lightning, the element exclusive to their race. It also represented the element the least number of Harmonisers possessed. Re'Kha felt a mild prickling sensation while touching it.
The ring surrounding it represented Fire Qi, the second rarest element to be wielded by Harmonisers. Re'Kha felt mild warmth while touching the ring. Followed by it was the ring representing Metal Qi. It was hard to touch, also making a sonorous sound when touched.
The final, outermost ring represented Water Qi, the element wielded by the largest fraction of Harmonisers. It was soft to the touch but didn't form any depressions to force.
The front of the coin sported a vertical eye, a replica of the third eye exclusive to their race. Engraved in its centre was the number representing its denomination. Re'Kha placed the coin back in the vat, watching it making a clinging sound.
The amount stored in the vat was a fortune, the likes of which she hadn't ever seen. Re'Kha frowned, "How can a family in a settlement possess such wealth? Unless, they were part of something that could amass such wealth?"
She did know how they came to possess the amount they possessed. At present, she had no mood to bother with such things. Survival was her priority. Everything would be for naught if she died.
Re'Kha closed the lid on the vat and arrived before a large trunk, opening it to find sharp blank spaces of all kinds. She couldn't differentiate them as they all looked like sharp blank spaces to her. There were tiny compartments to hold each sharp blank space, safe and secure.
Re'Kha deactivated her Wind Qi perception, activating her Water Qi perception as she touched each sharp blank space. She actually didn't need to perceive them through her perception, just a simple touch was enough for her to get an idea about them.
"This is a Fire Qi Essence, this is a Metal Qi Essence, this is a Water Qi Essence…they even have Lightning Qi Essence, quite a lot of them." Re'Kha touched every piece, sensing the element in them.
An Elemental Qi Essence had a variety of uses: making Magic Artifacts, comprehending the element faster, creating an advantageous battlefield, etc. Their most important use was increasing the rate at which one comprehended the element.
Only by comprehending the element would they get the qualification to increase the Qi In their body. As the demand far exceeded the supply, their prices were sky-high. Even a household of Harmonisers wouldn't be able to afford to buy one, not to mention hoard a trunk full of them.
"Suspicious indeed," Re'Kha continued to touch and note the Elemental Qi Essences, wishing to find out the number of each when her hands paused, feeling an odd sensation. Touching a Water Qi Essence would make one feel humid, touching a Fire Qi Essence would make one feel hot, touching the Metal Qi Essence would make one feel rigid, and touching a Lightning Qi Essence would make one feel numb.
So, it was easy to determine the type of Essence based on touch. But, she suddenly felt a foreign feeling, like the scent of grass. Re'Kha used her cultivation technique to enter the excited state, activating her Wood Qi perception.
"How is this even possible?" She gawked in shock, for the Elemental Qi Essence she touched now conformed to the Wood element. Re'Kha noted down its position and continued to touch the other sharp blank spaces, soon feeling a breezy sensation.
She activated her Wind Qi perception and watched a grey stone in her perception. It shone with blinding radiance, something she had never witnessed before, "This is Wind Qi Essence."
Re'Kha recalled her master's words, muttering, "Did you plan it so that I would end up in this house and chance upon these Qi Essences? Master, who actually are you?"
She finished inspecting all the Elemental Qi Essence, noting that there was only one of the Wind Qi Essence and the Wood Qi Essence. She sighed, "A normal household with Harmonisers cannot even afford to buy an Elemental Qi Essence. But this household has amassed this much."
Re'Kha looked at the rack above the trunk. Numerous vials and porcelain bottles were placed on its shelves. She looked using her Wind Qi perception, noticing faint lines on the sides of each vial and bottle. Upon closer inspection, it was the contents of the containers inscribed on it. This way, thanks to the indentations, she could perceive their names, allowing her to spot their uses easily.
With a single glance, Re'Kha realised her master had probably predicted everything. It was as if he knew everything that she wanted, the place she could find it, and the method to obtain it. It wasn't her overestimating her master due to coincidences.
She could deduce it through the hints her master had given her during their short interaction. Each of his words back then seemed to have a second, deeper meaning now, leading her to surprises one after another.
Gazing at the names on the vials, Re'Kha teared up, "With them, I can make a swift recovery."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone