Chapter 201: Spreading Brohood

Chapter 201: Spreading Brohood

Brock walked into a garden laden with mist. It was thin; thin enough that he could see through it.

Animals lumbered all around him. He spotted deer drinking from a pond; squirrels jumping from branch to branch and gliding to the ground; a large, gray, scaled beast resting on a hot stone. Each of those animals was at least as strong as him.

Brock could not read the letters above the entrance, but he had heard others call this place, Beast Garden. It felt perfect.

He was alone, too. Dog Bro and Girl Bro had gone in other directions, as had most of the other cultivators. Which, again, suited him perfectly. If there were other people around, they would be envious of the great treasures he would undoubtedly secure.

The problem was, where could he find those? The garden was expansive in all directions. Searching for treasure would be like searching for a pine tree in the forest.

Thankfully, the way of the bro had an answer for all cases.

Brock walked up to the deer and greeted them politely. He then asked for directions to treasure. The deer bros, after staring at him for a moment, angled their heads in a certain direction. One of them mimed something tall, then touched a stone with its horns.

Brock and the deer didnt share a language, but bros didnt need to speak to communicate!

Thanks, bro, said Brock. He fist-bumped a deer before continuing.

As it turned out, the garden animals were very friendly. Anytime Brock asked for directions, they showed him the way forward. Some were even polite enough to make small talkin mime language. Brock was a good bro, so he was polite and friendly back. Before long, the animals here had become his friends. A squirrel treated him to a nut, and a chimp hanging from a tall branch handed him a fruit with a smooth skin. The moment Brock took a bite, he found it was overflowing with juiceswhich made him dizzy in a pleasant way.

He also discovered there were plenty of treasures here. Not all animals pointed to the same one. Brock, however, decided to take them one by one. When an animal gave him contrasting directions to the others, he would mime high and stone. The animal would then exclaim in understanding and point him towherever he was headed.

A few hours later, Brock finally reached his destination. A tall stone obelisk emerged from the mist. It was surrounded by shorter stone slabs, erected to form a ring around it.

Brock approached slowly. He entered the ring of stone, looking around him in wonder. These stone slabs were huge! Who had set them up?

Then again, Big Bro could probably do it. Soon, so would Brock.

Welcome, young one, a feminine voice rumbled. Brock looked around. A figure walked out of the mista large beast, three times as tall as Brock and many times as long. It walked on all fours, had the body of a lion, the wings of a bird, and the face of a human woman. Her eyes were clear and deep, so piercing that Brock thought they were cutting right to his soul.

He didnt mind. His soul had nothing to hide or be ashamed of.

He could also see a set of fierce fangs lining her mouththe kind of fangs that could easily tear a brorilla apart. Moreover, he could sense that this creature was far stronger than him. It was similar in strength to the strongest cultivator bros hed met in this place.

Hello, Brock replied to its greeting. Me, Brock.

The creatures sharp fangs warped to resemble a smile. Welcome, Brock, to the Misty Stone Ring. I am a sphinx by species and Eterazel by name. You can call me whichever you prefer.N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.

Okay.

I am pleased to see you have manners the sphinx said, relaxing slightly. She walked to a stone platform before the obelisk and lay on it, crossing her front legs before her massive body. You would not believe how many disrespectful cultivators I have to eat every season. They are all give me this and give me that, and all sorts of rude comments. Distasteful, dont you think?

Brock considered it. Going to another persons home and being greedy or rude wasnt nice. Therefore, he nodded.

Good. Now, Brock, I see you are no cultivator, but you are not a creature of this garden, either. Am I right to assume you have come here for my treasure?

Yes.

The sphinxs sharp fangs warped into a smile again. A bone was revealed on the stone before her, like it had always been there but Brock had failed to notice. It smelled very tasty.

This is the Sphinxs Bone, the lion-eagle-woman bro said. Sucking its marrow enhances your body, mind, and soul. It is most effective on those not already strengthened by the Systemthat is, beasts like you and me.

Brock nodded. That sounded very good.

However, if you want this bone, you have to answer three questions of mine first. Do you want to try?

Brock nodded.

Be careful, though. If you fail, I might eat you.

Brock nodded again. If this bro wanted to eat him, she could do it anytime. Therefore, answering her questions came at no cost. Even though he wasnt very smart, he hoped that his Very Big Thought of Brohood would lead him to the right answers.

Very well. The sphinx relaxed further, lowering her body until her jaw touched the stone. The first question: what life do you dream for yourself?

Brock nodded. He also didnt see how humans had four legs, then two, then three. Cultivators could be coocoo sometimes.

He then approached the sphinx. She expected him to pick up the bone. Instead, he walked past it to shake her paw.

I What? she said, absent-mindedly letting her paw be shaken. Are you not afraid that I will eat you?

Brock was pretty sure she wouldnt eat him.

But everyone else is.

Good thing Brock wasnt everyone else. He laughed and indicated that hed enjoyed their conversation. He then asked if she wanted to leave this place and travel with him, since she was clearly unhappy here. But she would have to promise not to eat everyone.

The sphinx got even more flustered. I Thank you for your offer, Friend Brock, but I cannot do that. I am happy here. This is how sphinxes live. We guard places and ask riddles. We really dont enjoy traveling.

Brock considered it for a moment, then nodded. Everyone had their own preferences. He still mimed that she should try to find friends nearby. Even if she didnt like leaving her Misty Stone Ring, she could invite them here to spend some quality time together. He also suggested that maybe not eating everyone would help her make friends.

That is not a bad idea, she agreed thoughtfully. I dont know why it never occurred to me before. Okay. I will try.

Brock nodded happily. Another successful bro intervention. It was incredible how many people needed a good bro to show them the way.

Thankfully, he was here.

He then grabbed the bone and inspected it. It was a bone. How was he supposed to suck its marrow? Should he just break it?

You can twist its top, the sphinx suggested. Brock did as she said and found that, indeed, the top was easily twisted. It popped off like a cork, revealing a thin line of red marrow. He brought it up to his mouth and sucked.

Instantly, thick liquid filled his mouth, and intense life energy flooded his entire being. Everything, from his toes to his soul, were strengthened. Brock felt his muscles contract and harden, becoming like iron cords. He felt his mind sharpen and the world coming into focus. He even felt his soul grow by a bit.

In just a moment, he had gotten much stronger than before. It reminded him of the pink pill he swallowed in the Trialwhich, in turn, reminded him that he still had to think about the Big Thought of Density.

Hopefully, he would find some time later. For now, he had to get as many treasures as possible, both for himself and his other bros.

Theres something more, the sphinx said, hesitating over something. A moment later, she told him, Wait here! and rushed away into the mist. When she returned, a small pouch hung from her mouth, which she deposited to Brocks feet.

He made a questioning gesture. This pouch resembled a closed lotus flower, and it was filled with a sort of white powder.

This is called Beast Growth Powder, the sphinx said. A cultivator of the past tried to bribe me with it after failing my test. I ate him, of course, but I kept the powder. I never discovered how to use it, so it remained in my lairuntil now.

Brock mimed whether she had tried to eat it, as she liked doing to anything else.

Of course not, the sphinx replied. It is powder. Who eats powder?

Brock considered it for a moment, then nodded. It made sense. He then asked why she was giving it to him.

Suddenly, her face reddened a bit. Were friends now, right? Friends are supposed to exchange giftsright?

What?! Brock quickly mimed that he couldnt accept this. He had no gift to reciprocate!

Its okay, the sphinx replied, smiling in her particularly carnivorous way. You became my friend and gave me advice. Take this as a token of my gratitude.

Refusing any longer would be un-bro-like. Brock accepted the powder, sticking it in his pocket. Maybe Big Bro would know how to use it.

Thanks, bro, he told her. She made an awkward happy expressionher mouth was used to poising threateningly, not smiling.

I thank you, Friend Brock. You were a welcome break in my mundane life. I wish you all the best.

Brock nodded. He shook her paw againa motion as awkward as the first time, but letting that stop him would be un-brothen waved goodbye and turned to leave. He really wished she would find some friendsbut, in the end, it was her choice. Good bros should help people achieve happiness by their own strength, not hand-hold them into it.

He hadnt taken two steps outside the stone circle when two beasts landed to his right and left. One was a frog the size of a person, with yellow skin and green eyes. The other was a desert lizard reminiscent of the ones hed seen in Village Ring.

Brock paused. Each of these beasts was much stronger than him. What was going on?

I got you, a voice came from up ahead, as a humanoid figure walked out of the mist.