CH503

“No. Nope. Absolutely not.”

The second Ben walked through the gate and got a look at the city beyond, he was already turning around to go back, thinking of how he’d apologize to Nare for not being able to meet his request but placing his life above any promise. The only thing that kept him from his escape was Thera’s grasp on his arm.

“Come on, it’s a bit hot but it’s not that bad.”

“A bit hot? Thera, look at that! Some idiot built a city beside an active volcano! I see smoke and fire, I’m pretty sure everyone should be evacuating!”

“Nobody’s evacuating because it’s perfectly safe. What has you so scared?”

“My intense urge to not die?”

“Then everything’s fine. I’ve heard about this place, a lot of fire and earth elementals and fairies live here and they keep the volcano in check so the climate is better for certain races. Why don’t you know this?”

“I haven’t read any geography books and apparently neither god thought it was important enough to bring up,” He spoke accusingly to the heavens, not getting any reply. If he ignored the volcano there was nothing wrong with the city. It was hot like Thera said, but his heavily enchanted jacket made that a bit easier to deal with and everything was constructed in a way to help with airflow, meaning the buildings themselves wouldn’t be ovens, but that was just it. He couldn’t make himself ignore the presence of the giant volcano looming overhead with wisps of smoke making it to the skies and the glow of lava lighting up cracks and crevices. He was sure it was the sort of thing that would look beautiful at night, but in the moment it only looked like impending doom.

God, if I die from an eruption I’m going to be pissed. That would suck so much.

Still, Thera seemed thrilled by the location with how different it was from anywhere else they’d been and it really was late to be cancelling, even if he did feel like he was led there without being fully informed of what that meant, so he tried to suppress his desire to flee as they continued down the streets, taking in the various other sights that didn’t speak of a future fiery death.

It seemed that Nare’s people were at least a group he recognized, the ignisia, who fit into the common hominid body type, with the biggest distinctions to set them apart from his own kind being their sold black eyes and bony exoskeleton along their hands and forearms, with that pale outer shell able to retract and extend across their hands depending on if they needed to protect their more delicate inner flesh from whatever they might face or something that would require a finer sense of touch.

Seeing it did leave Ben questioning if that was a trait that already existed in them before they were uplifted by their god or if it was a feature Nare had granted them during that uplifting process but left it as something to ask later as they first tried to find the succubus embassy to secure their accommodations.

“I think you’re going to need to make one of your air conditioners when you get the chance,” Thera told him, beginning to feel the heat even through her excitement. “It’s not so bad right now but a couple days of this and I’m going to melt.”

“I won’t make you wait, I think I’m going to need a little extra too.”

The jacket was helping with its cooling enchantment, but there was a problem attached to that as well. Ben’s resistances kept him from feeling it to the extent anyone else would since the magic had a weaker effect on him. While it would also cool the air within his jacket which would help cool him, the close volcano and what he could only assume was a location near the equator were just slightly beating any effect he felt, making him need some help if he really wanted to be comfortable.

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To accomplish that he connected to Thera, stealing the mana from her he needed to create a few wood-like bands with small bits of mythril and white mana crystal within, making them wrap around each of their arms and necks before creating a new, stronger cooling enchantment upon them.

Huh, I used so little mythril and mana crystal I don’t think I actually needed to steal any mana for making these. Man, I’m so good at what I do.

He would need to steal some later if he was going to be making a proper air conditioner, but that was fine. Both of them were already feeling the effects of the bands he’d made, giving them each the relief they needed to enjoy the rest of their walk.