The Dawn of the New World

Hao Xuan intently listened to the exhaustive list of 'what-ifs' before Lord Yami finally moved on to a lighter subject.

"Have you been informed about the complete process of communing with the Marks and using them properly?"

"A little?" Hao Xuan responded with obvious uncertainty, "Lord Jyothi mentioned that it is different for everyone although some things are common throughout. As for using the marks, I have yet to experience that for myself."

Lord Yami rubbed his chin in contemplation, "Hmm, he is right but his experience is not only greatly limited but also vastly different from yours. He was a slave of Baba Jezda for centuries and she kept him locked up in a separate space where all he did was craft weapons and armor for her so he never got to experience the outside world too much."

"But you will be doing the exact opposite, meaning touring countless landmasses and various worlds while trying to get to your destination. For you, the simplest method would be to directly sacrifice souls to the marks, it will be slower but- what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

There was an obvious look of disappointment in Hao Xuan's eyes, "Nothing, never mind. I won't be sacrificing any innocent souls, ever."

Lord Yami let out a breath of relief followed by a lighthearted chuckle, "Haha, good. I wasn't suggesting that you should but I can see how you would come to that conclusion. Sacrifice does usually entail spilling of innocent blood and I won't lie, that WOULD net you the most favour with the Nine since pure souls are much more coveted."

"BUT! That is not the only way. You can also present the scum, the villains, the wrongdoers, and the miscreants as sacrifice. Their souls would only be worth a third of a pure soul's but...where you're going? It will be filled to the brim with some of the most vile creatures you might ever come across. Obviously you don't HAVE to do any of that but if you do find yourself in a situation where blood must be spilled, why not make use of it and present it to the Nine for some added benefit?"

As much as Hao Xuan hated to admit it, his words did make sense...not that he was above such acts to begin with.

"I will...keep that in mind," he awkwardly responded.

"Hmm, good," Lord Yami nodded before continuing his explanation, "Each soul is different depending on the kinds of lives they lived so the favour you get will also vary greatly. More powerful souls will obviously give you a lot more favour-"

"Sorry one thing," Hao Xuan cut him off after hearing the term for the third time, "This favour you keep mentioning, what exactly is that?"

"Oh, my apologies. I thought Lord Jyothi might have already mentioned that part. Favour is the currency by which the value of each sacrifice is measured. The better or more valuable the sacrifice the more favour you will gain, quite straightforward."

"Really? That would make things a lot simpler," Hao Xuan was almost impressed by how efficient they had made the whole process of currying favour with the Nine, "How can I see how much favour I have or need?"

"Well," Lord Yami scratched his temple trying to come up with the best explanation. He had never had to explain this to another person before so it was a little odd, "Much like many of the other things, the process itself is unique to every individual. Some people carry with them objects like a simple scroll that will show the favour and gifts offered by the Nine while others may carry books, ledgers...basically anything you can imagine can be used to reveal such information."

"Wait, so it doesn't actually matter WHAT you use?"

"Yes, the information will be projected onto the chosen object only to make it easier for you to understand it. No one else can see it since it is a secret shared between only you and the Nine."

"So...I could just see the information even on the surface of water or empty air if I wanted to?"

"Yes, as long as you can visualize it you will be able to manifest it. Just think about what you want to see in relation to the Nine and it will appear."

Hao Xuan didn't even have to wait to try out that part. Unlike most others, he was already used to having information projected directly into his retinas because of how Baracus communicated with him.

He closed his eyes for a second and opened them again after thinking about the favour. As expected, the words were floating in front of his eyes as if being projected by his very thoughts.

They were in the same format and font but much less vivid, feeling more like a water painting that could be washed away any second.