With all that happened since first embarking on the journey from his original planet, Null was— to say the least— awestruck at the new environment on Theef's ship.
From there being just him and the loner on a beaten-up ship to the now group of crew members on a sleek metallic super-ship there was much to be had with the meshing of the crew.
The newest addition— or additions— Z'oelo and Muni took it upon themselves to fuel their curiosity of the space faring vessel among the sea of stars that was the cosmos.
"Look at it Muni! We're really in outer space, aren't we?"
Wu!
'It's beautiful Z'oelo! A vast expanse of everything I always looked up to.'
While the rest of the crew were a bit perturbed by the nature of Z'oelo and Muni's relationship, Null and Theef had a better time understanding it what with having their own similar relationships.
However, that was not to say that the two were not getting along too closely as they knew about each other in ways not normally seen.
Null looked to Klein who was probably the most interested in the relationship outside of those with their own Livelli and thought of a way he could experience something similar.
"Come here for a second Klein. I've got a way you can research the bond of a Livelli firsthand."
Klein's face flushed with excitement upon hearing this, "Really! Let's see it then."
Null was a bit hesitant to experiment with what he was about to do, but considering the possibilities there was a good chance that things were not going to get out of hand.
Holding out his hand, Null let the free-flowing form of the vortex within him slowly seep out and along his arm until pooling into his upturned palm.
"Reach out slowly. I'm going to allow Void to seep into you so you can feel it's presence within yourself.
As a whole, Void was the child-like entity that made up the vortex within Null as part of the factory behind his spiritual energy absorption.
The only reason Null took them out now was because it seemed to maintain a state of slumber as long as it was filled with spiritual energy.
If he wanted to utilize Void as a separate entity outside of its vortex state, he would have to awaken it, thus he let the spiritual energy slowly seep outwards in a controlled manner as if it was always present.
The jet-black ooze tossed and turned in Null's hand as it was slowly disturbed by the lack of spiritual energy.
Null sought to appease Void by allowing Klein to stimulate the mofei in his core alongside Void and fill it up that way.
If all went well, then he might have another way to bolster his crew's power output.
The ever-expansive vortex provided Null with all the spiritual energy he could ever want to allow him to churn out whatever powers he desired.
If Klein's core was boosted by a mini vortex of his own, then he could absorb more energy in a purer state like Null could.
This was all very experimental though, so who was to say this would not have some adverse effect?
Nevertheless, Klein allowed the ooze to seep into his skin as it found its way travelling towards his beast core.
Unlike anything he could imagine, the core was darkened and allowed him to store a much more potent mofei in a neutral state.
If before his core would contain mixed elemental mofei that remained in a constant flux of being, it now held a pure form of mofei that would retain the element of his own choosing.
At this point, only about a fifth of the total vortex was transferred over to Klein and the results were already showing themselves.
"I think that's enough Null, I feel faint for some reason," Klein spoke up once they were this far in.
"I would stop it, but that would mean I'd have to cut it off. I hate to say it, but I don't know what will happen if I do."
"Just do something! It feels like my core is about to burst!"
"Alright! I'll just take it back in and we can go on from there," Null said, but his actions were quite the opposite.
He tried to will the ooze back, but it resisted and continued to flow into Klein's beast core.
Strangely enough, Null could feel the intent behind Void in a childish voice, 'Needs more. Not pure enough.'
'Fuck! I totally forgot!'
The reason why Null could properly contain Void was because his body was reformed by the Creator way back when.
Although Klein had undergone his Elemental Rebirth with the help of some spiritual energy, he was far from the standards of Null apparently.
Thus, while Void was perfectly contained inside Null as the vortex, Klein's core was now a vessel it sought to contain the pure spiritual energy.
A body like Null's was as rare as they came, so Null saw no way to appease the presence that was Void.
If he allowed this to continue, Klein was probably going to explode or something!
'Ego! You gotta have a way to help me!'
He was left to consort with his last resort, Ego.
'Hmm. It seems that I wasn't the only thing you've had your hands in the making of.'
Null was about to retort, but Ego was not going to let him, 'Firstly, I would advise you to stop meddling with the nature of these friends of yours lest you break them like you are doing now.'
'Remember how you were taken over by the cosmic vortex those times before? I suggest you lure it with a tasty treat like before. I'll even allow you to access the cosmic structure for a moment to do so.'
Null was dumbstruck at the attitude Ego had, but it was not the time; he had more pressing matters to deal with.
Feeling a faint sense of the cosmic structure seep back into his facilities, Null produced a radiant energy that had the properties of mofei mixed with potent spiritual energy.
He had around three-fifths of the vortex remaining, so the potency of the energy would wane overtime as Void sought to change Klein's beast core to produce the same.
It lusted after the pure mofei energy that Null produced and quickly withdrew from the less potent mofei that Klein's beast core produced, but the changes it made were permanent.
It was a plus at the very least.
When the last of its traces finally left Klein's body, the two could breathe in relief.
"What just happened you two?"
"Were you experimenting with something again?"
Barter's Ruler and Theef came to their side as they noticed their little outburst.
"Yeah, something like that."
"I've got a reinforced core at the very least, but I could literally feel my body about to burst in some places."
"So, what was it that you two sought to achieve," Barter's Ruler asked with intrigue.
"Well, for starters, I felt that I could imbue Klein with the vortex inside me in the form of Void so that he could have an experience with what it's like having a companion."
The two were unsurprised at the level of audacity Null had when it came to experimenting with his already experimental powers.
"You shouldn't have tried doing that with a body as unadaptable as Klein's," Theef said, proud of his own physique.
"It was just a passing thought. You can't be the only one around here with the crazy build it takes to push beyond the normal," Null said dismissively.
He continued, "It's worth it to note however that if I can control Void with a method similar to what I just did, we can see about enhancing the rest of you guy's power intake."
The two looked to each other and sighed, 'I'd rather not feel like blowing up.'
"It's important that we grow in strength as fast as possible," Null spoke to the entirety of the crew, "It's not enough for only me to hold this power."
His words struck the crew to their cores as they knew there would be an end goal to their journey and as it stood, they could not even reach the next destination as it stood.
Their current destination was Planet Barter for a supply mission and to just gather themselves as it had been a tiresome journey so far.
Due to the new upgrades to the ship and it running on spirit stones, the ship was many times faster than before; they were due to arrive in just a few days.
Now that there was a period of time before the next phase of the journey, they had time to further advance their already sturdy foundations.
Null had issues with control over the cosmic structure and vortex.
Theef had a lack of direct attack force.
Barter's Ruler had limited methods of utilizing his powers.
Klein lacked depth in his beast core; only being changed after purification via Void.
Z'oelo had no magnificent power in his close quarters arsenal.
All of them were powerful among mortal level beings— Barter's Ruler being an exception— but taking the next steps towards immortal level and even further heights was tricky for some of them.
And so, after reaching Planet Barter, it was decided that they would join the Wanderer's Guild as one of their members.
The Wanderer's Guild was an established group across the universes many diverse and explored regions.
Their members ranged in the millions spread throughout countless galaxies and were operated on many small-time planets like Barter.
Rumors had it that the translators that were common amongst the average population came from the Wanderer's Guild's influence.
There was much to be learned from like the late Castello Crew that met an unfortunate end at Void's hand.
There were quests issued and markets available that had much more to offer than the commonly found items like the Rainbow Mane blanket that Null covered Null's naked body.
Speaking of which, they would have to find a decent clothing shop on Planet Barter as most of the crew were naturally in a state of nudity.
It was not their fault as Null was constantly on the move and getting into the thick of it everywhere he went.
Klein himself only had his pelt tunic and some cloth undergarments while Z'oelo was topless with loose tied pants.
Theef was accustomed to wearing his torn-up spacesuit that had tears in it from his chimera tendrils.
The only one with a normal guise was Barter's Ruler as he wore golden threaded clothes with an adorned cape made from his Universal Rule power of wealth.
All in all, the crew was lacking in certain departments.
"Alright crew! We're just outside the orbit of Planet Barter," Theef spoke from the navigation room.
"Finally! I've had enough of just sitting around," Z'oelo said exasperatedly.
He enjoyed the company and Muni, but there was a certain itch he could not scratch while stuck on the ship.
The rest could gain improvements with their abilities over time, but Z'oelo had already trained enough for his lifetime; he wanted to have some fun.
"I've got to say, this sleek new ship is wonderful compared to the hunk of junk it was before," Barter's Ruler was elated to be back on his home turf.
Not only did he garner power from the planet, but he also had lived all of his life there; it was nostalgic after travelling across space to the home planets of the others.
"Yeah, let's go! It's about time I get some underwear or something similar," Null said and sighed.
Being practically naked all the time did not register at times, but when faced with the facts Null was slightly embarrassed, especially considering there was technically a female member present.
He could see Muni's Livelli form typically residing on Z'oelo's shoulder or floating around him.
Usually though, she had her eyes glued to him.
'I should see about giving her a corporeal body somehow.
Theef's Livelli was presently tied to his Shetavi form, so he was not sure if he could experiment with him first.
"Hey, Theef. Does your Livelli partner have a name?"
Theef looked at Null with a grin and responded, "Bandit. Yeah, that sounds cool."
He slightly shifted in form and spoke to his Livelli partner briefly; it seemed they came to an agreement rather quickly as the name stuck.
'Screw it. I'm taking the risk,' Null was surrounded by people with so much potential, yet they were yet to take the next step.
"C'mere Theef. And change into your Shetavi form so I can see Bandit."
Theef looked around before acquiescing, "You better not blow me up man."
"Don't worry your big head. I'm just going to try giving him a physical form."
"A what?!"
Both Theef and Bandit were surprised at the revelation.
"We all should be able to experience life truly in all facets," Null said before whispering closer, "Besides, you should see how Muni gazes at Z'oelo; it's only fair she gets a real body don't you think?"
Theef and Bandit shared a look before nodding in understanding.
While they had no success in garnering a women's attention, they could at least dream.
"How do we do it?"
Null got to it seeing as they were both in agreement. It was as simple as bothering Ego for a bit.
'While you can bestow upon something a spirit, producing a suitable body is somewhat different.'
'What will it take,' Null asked.
'Not sure. Since they already have their own spirit forms, all they need is a viable physical body to inhabit in theory.'
'No duh. I'm asking how I would go about creating one.'
'Well, it's not like I have a body of my own,' Ego was offended.
'Aren't you made of spirit water? That totally counts!'
'...,' Ego was taken aback, 'I guess you're right, but that was a unique scenario. I'm willing to bet spirit water is a rare substance.'
Their talk took less time than it seemed as they spoke through thought, so Null was stumped with the two in front of him.
"How would you feel about a little surgery to remove the spirit housing organ?"
Immediately, the two shouted, "Pass!"
Theef scurried past and left Null standing alone with the predicament of Muni's physical form in his thoughts.
'Well, it's not like he can't caress the-,' he stopped mid thought, 'Nope. Thought begone!'
Thinking of such debauchery between his crew members was not good for his perception of the two.
So, he would have to postpone creating a physical body for Muni and the other spirit entities.
It was at this time that they were landing near Barter's Ruler's main building as a crowd of people spread out to greet them.
"Who's ship is this and why is it landing near the ruler's grand building!"
The crowd grew both intrigued and suspicious as it had been some time since their ruler's departure.
Upon landing, the door to the ship opened and as for a quick understanding, Barter's Ruler himself walked out for his denizens to see.
"The ruler... He's finally back!" One of the people shouted to which the crowd erupted.
Barter's Ruler raised his hand to silence the masses, "I have returned! Welcome me and my crew as we take a break from our journey."
The message was met with agreeance on all parts until a few stragglers pointed out Null for the catastrophe in the Wanderer's Market.
There were those that could not get past the atrocities committed by those that had power.
"I know your feelings regarding that gruesome day. I too felt angered for his treacherous actions but believe me when I say this boy was not in his right state."
"In addition to that, he has personally helped me gain more power and has brought along companions for us to advance even further beyond this bountiful planet."
The crowd was in awe of their benevolent ruler. but the very few still looked at the crew he mentioned and had more to complain about.
"There's that damn thief amidst them too!"
The crowd grew uncomfortable seeing the people that their ruler surrounded himself with.
Was he growing corrupt?
They began muttering among themselves while waiting for an explanation.
"Enough!"
The crowd jumped at the admonishing shout.
"I deem myself worthy of evaluating a person's worth by what they have to offer. That's how I worked my way up to establishing Planet Barter. If there are any who challenge my judgment speak now or forever hold your peace."
No one dared to insult their ruler after having elucidated his reasons for aiding and abetting those criminals.
They knew that the greater value something holds the more it would be cherished above all else; that was how life worked on Barter.
"Alright now leave us be. We have much to do here."
Adhering to their ruler's wishes, the crowd dispersed, and the crew went about heading to the Wanderer's Guild.
They were going to see how they could venture out in search of new power and a way to get to the puzzling planes where the two flames hid.