And the winner of the poll is Weiss Schnee! So I'll be writing with her in mind. Anyways new chapter! Jaune doesn't go to Beacon yet. I'm having him explore and show how he gradually becomes powerful. I may have borrowed some elements from other anime, but in name only because they match what I was thinking.

Also, for Lien, I've color coded each value, and making it 1 Lien=1 Us Dollar to get a rough idea. Theory of why these colors can be seen at the end of this chapter in Author's note. Knowing why though isn't too important to the story, though.

Read and Review!

Three years passed since Jaune began his training in the cave. The dragons had quickly settled into roles as family for Jaune. Aryz acted like his mother with Alaerth was the elder sister. Othim and Andusk settled as his older brothers, while the others settled themselves as a variety of uncles. Since then, Jaune's strength, flexibility, and skills increased dramatically. Instead of using the Arc techniques, the dragons taught him martial arts that had been derived from the dragons themselves and what the Dragon Clan used. For swordplay, it was the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu style, otherwise known as Heavenly Governing Sword Style. The sword style was modified slightly for Jaune to use in conjunction with a shield, although he was still taught the original style, too. For CQC, it was Dragon Style as the main fighting style with a few other styles they thought was an important supplement to it. Jaune asked what was with the names, and Lung Wang responded by forcing Jaune to triple his training for asking such a stupid question.

For reflexes, Jaune meditated and went into his mindscape, where they would proceed to attack him and make him dodge. Othim was especially harsh on this, as he would yell dodge every time before he landed a hit, driving in the point that Jaune couldn't always rely on tanking it, even if he did have massive aura reserves.

Alaerth and Aryz were mainly in charge of teaching Jaune how to survive as well as education. Thankfully, the Scroll from his mother Yu provided him with books that he could download to read, although in current events they didn't focus too much upon that. Ryo-Wo taught him proper behavior as well as swimming and combat skills. Fafnir was in charge of learning how to utilize the land around him to his advantage as well as making sure he could recognize landmarks. On a side note, he also told Jaune to make sure he kept Crocea Mors, saying that the sword was special. He wouldn't go any further. Andusk and Othim taught him stealth and fighting. Lung Wang was mostly in charge in pushing Jaune to his limits as well as fighting and training. His pride would not allow his contract holder to be unprepared.

Jaune had grown since then. His clothes didn't fit him at all, and several times he had to learn how to sew when he ripped it. The shirt he was wearing now was several of his old shirts patched up together. His pants were the same way. Some of his other clothing were fur from various animals, skinned and tanned. Even if he couldn't use Aura to heal his injuries, he was able to at least channel some Aura into his sword after concentrating. They promised him it would be much easier once he had his Aura unlocked. All his muscles were lean, as his fighting style involved flexibility, endurance, and power. A perfect combination of red muscle and white muscle. Lung Wang called it pink muscles.

Soon, Lung Wang declared that Jaune had met the 'minimum' requirements to start exploring Remnant and explore the other nesting caves at the other continents. The dragons told him it was vital he got there at least once. He would keep training, but it was time for some much need human interaction. That, and it was time to buy Jaune some much needed clothing, training equipment, and perhaps light armor and ranged weaponry. Since Jaune did not have access a good amount of abilities from his contract, it was better if he had something to fall back to, as well as build up his base. As Jaune packed up whatever he had left, he suddenly remembered something important. Something that was a must to live in this world. Something that the world quite revolved around.

"I don't have any Lien!" shouted Jaune in despair.

"What's Lien," asked Othim curiously.

"That's this worlds currency," replied Aryz, "And don't worry Jaune. Merely go through the cave and enter the inside of one of the holes that we told you not to go. You have permission this time."

Curious, Jaune went ahead and saw a pile of priceless jewels, both uncut and cut, all laid there waiting for it to be spent.

"If you're wondering why there's a stash here, it's because before our race departed, we left a few treasures on Remnant as a gift to those who found it. Since you're going to bring the Dragon Clan back, this is all yours. There are several more locations with treasure, as we didn't want to pile it in one place," explained Alaerth.

"There should also be a bag made from dragon skin," said Ryo-Wo "It's been enchanted to be able to keep all that treasure in a bag. Merely wish for what you need, and it'll come to your hand."

"And don't lose it," warned Lung Wang, "Although nobody can have access to it except you and perhaps your mates, it is still a valuable item. And I can not stand losing an item by carelessness."

Nodding, Jaune found the bag and stuffed all the treasure as well as a few personal items and supplies into the bag. He found it completely light and grinned. He wouldn't be breaking his back carrying what seemed to be 30 pounds of items, and was able to carry it like a backpack. Soon, he was ready to leave the cave with Crocea Mors strapped on his waist. He left the safety of the cave and jungle and saw endless sand. Looking behind him, he saw the oasis shimmer and suddenly disappear, as if it never existed. Jaune remembered about Othim's word about how it was sealed from others gaining entrance.

"All right. I'm ready!" shouted Jaune as he began his trek to the closest city.

"I am not ready!" panted Jaune as he continued to walk, using his sword sheath as a walking stick. He had been walking for at least three days now. It was a wonder why he wasn't lost yet. Not to mention all the Grimm he had to fight. Luckily, they were small ones that Jaune had no problem taking care of. Thankfully, all the guidance from Fanrir paid off as he noticed he was finally nearing civilization. It took another two days before he finally reached the town of Kuo Kuana at night. He was almost out of water and food. Upon arrival, he decided to wear a cloak made of tiger skin he made to do disguise the fact he was a human. He felt a bit out of place in an all Faunus town. Locating the mayor's house, he decided to trade some of the gold for Lien there, or at least find directions to an exchange.

Kali Belladonna, a cat faunus, sighed as she drank her tea. Her husband Ghira Belladonna was busy as usual being the new mayor of Kuo Kuana. Her daughter, who had inherited the same ears as her, had left after a huge argument with her husband. Blake Belladonna wanted to keep supporting the White Fang after Ghira passed leadership to Sienna Khan in order to become mayor, to fight for Faunus rights. Ghira wanted his family to stay together at Kuo Kunana. After much anger and words thrown out, Bella left with her mentor/ almost boyfriend Adam Taurus. Ghira was not happy, and almost pulverized the nearest White Fang member when Kali managed to calm him down. Thus, the house was quiet as it had been for a year, with her just sipping her tea. Suddenly, she heard someone knocking on the door. She cautiously opened the door to see a cloaked figure standing there.

"Who is that?" shouted Ghira from his workplace.

"I don't know," replied back Kali before turning her attention back to the figure. She couldn't tell who it was, but based on figure and scent, she figured that it was a young boy who hadn't bathed in days. She estimated the boy was perhaps the same age as her daughter, maybe older due to his height.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"I need Lien," replied the figure. Based on the voice, Kali was sure it was a young boy, still unsure of his age, though. "I have some items to trade in for Lien. I was wondering if I could do it here or if you could direct me to a bank or pawn shop." He began to shift, and Kali could see his hands moving into a bag.

She felt sorry for the boy. Clearly, this boy was a young orphan.

"Wait. Not here," she said as she opened her doors. "Come inside. You look like you haven't bathed in days. My husband will handle the transactions."

Cautiously, the figure entered through the door. Kali guided him to a table and had him sit while offering some tea. The boy thanked her before taking a sip, not letting his hood slip off. Kali observed him for a bit before she went off, calling her husband in. Ghira responded right away. His secretary told him that he still had work, but Ghira waived if off, saying he could do it later. Family was first for him. Upon entering the room, he saw Kali sitting with a stranger, who was sipping tea. Ghira noticed the stranger's calloused hands and deduced that it was a young boy who had been working hard. He didn't seem to come from rich family, where they children tended to have soft hands, leaving all the work to servants.

"So, what can I do for you today?" asked Ghira after the couple introduced themselves, "My wife said you wanted to trade some items for Lien?" Ghira had already made up his mind to give the boy the best rate, thinking the boy needed money.

The boy nodded, never letting his hood drop.

"All right. I can do that for you. But I'm going to need you to at least take off your cloak. I like to handle business with an open face," said Ghira. His tone told the boy he wasn't taking no for an answer.

In Jaune's mind, he was slightly panicking. He didn't want to let anyone see his face.

"Just follow my instructions," said Ryo-Wo, "It won't matter if they see it. Just maintain a proper behavior, and you'll be fine."

Jaune nodded before taking his cloak off. Kali and Ghira were surprised to see a young blonde human boy about the same age as their daughter Blake. What became more obvious was the clothes he was wearing was clearly falling apart already, and that he had sewn several shirts together as well as pants to continue wearing it. Ghira took stood up, walking around Jaune to observe. He was a tall muscular man, and he was quite impressed with Jaune's muscles for his age. At first glance, he seemed just lean, but Ghira knew that those muscles also had explosive strength. This made him confused, though. Clearly, the boy wasn't living as harsh as he thought, but the clothes told a different story. Lastly, he didn't expect a human to actually be here in Menagerie, at least not of his age.

"Where do you come from, boy?" asked Ghira.

"From somewhere far way," replied Jaune, "if possible, that's a subject I would rather not discuss in detail. In short, I was abandoned."

Kali could only sob as she attempted to hug the poor boy. It didn't matter if the boy hadn't bath. SHe couldn't imagine abandoning her child.

"And how long ago was this?" asked Ghira, trying to prod a bit more information.

"About three years ago, when I was ten," replied Jaune, causing Kali to hug him harder.

"Kali, you're starting to make it hard for the boy to breath," chuckled Ghira. Kali looked to see that Jaune had started to turn blue. She jumped back and apologized. She did, however, get a good feel of Jaune's body and was impressed at how fit Jaune was.

"It's okay, ma'am," rasped out Jaune as he got his breath back. He tried to get a gem from his bag when Ghira raised his hand to stop him.

"Stay for the night, boy," said Ghira warmingly, "You look like you could use a bath and some food. We'll discuss about trading in the morning."

"Thank you, sir," said Jaune. Kali quickly lead him to the guest room and bath. After a nice hot bath, Jaune fell asleep in the bed they had prepared. It was lights out for him as soon as his head hit the pillow. His sword stayed at his side, though. He was taught to always be prepared, even when asleep.

Jaune woke up at 6:00 AM as usual. He had a bit of trouble getting out of bed because it was so warm and cozy, and was tempted to just fall back asleep. However, Lung Wang roared in his mind, telling him to get up or he would quadruple the training. That got Jaune up fast. However, Lung Wang said it was too late, making Jaune cry. Lucky for him, it became clear that Jaune did not have enough room to do his usual training, so Lung Wang grudgingly turned for light training. However, he said that Jaune would be making up for it later. Jaune began running in place for 10 minutes, allowing him to warm up. After that, he began a series of stretches to loosen up before he followed the training regimen Lung Wang had set for the day. It was around 8 AM that Jaune heard someone knocking on the door. Quickly calling out and wiping his sweat away, he opened the door to see Kali.

Kali had woken up and prepared breakfast as usual. However, this time she made it for three. She sighed as she made the extra portion. It had been a year since her daughter left them for the White Fang. She finished it and set it on the table before calling Ghira to eat. She walked up to the guest room and knocked on the door. She heard the boy shout, saying just a minute, before opening the door.

"Breakfast is ready. Please, join us," said Kali before walking away. Jaune quickly found another set of clothes in his bag before walking to join them.

After a silent breakfast with Jaune feeling slightly uncomfortable that Ghira was staring at him while also glad to finally have a delicious home-cooked meal, they finally got down to business.

"So, what did you have in mind of trading? And what's your name?" asked Ghira.

"My name is Jaune Ryu-Long. I was hoping to trade something I found in my travels," replied Jaune as he withdrew a rough diamond piece weighing at 3 carats.

Ghira and Kali eyes opened wide as soon as they saw this. Looking at Jaune, they could tell that he didn't steal this, but it was suspicious how he ended with this.

"Where did you find this?" asked Ghira cautiously.

"At a cave," replied Jaune, "I found it while traveling."

Ghira scrutinized at Jaune closely, trying to detect any lie. After a minute of failing to find any deceit, he sighed, "We don't have enough Lien, at least not at the price your looking at. Diamonds are very rare, you would be better off selling to a Schnee." He sneered at the mention of a Schnee, "Although I can tell you they'll try to lower the price as much as possible. You're lucky you're human, otherwise, they would lower it even more, if not just claim you stole it."

Jaune pondered at this before making a decision, "Then can you just give me enough to travel? I just need Lien for food and passage towards the continent Anima. I'll still give you the diamond."

Kali raised her eyebrow at the Jaune to be so willingly selling a diamond to them at a low price, even if they were Faunus. Jaune clearly didn't discriminate against them, but that could be because he wasn't old enough to be influenced by other views, being abandoned so early in age. What she didn't know was that Alaerth made sure Jaune wouldn't discriminate others based on appearance.

"Honey," said Kali, "I think we should help Jaune buy some better clothes and make arrangements for the next ship to come and take him to Anima. A cruise ships comes near port to dock for the night. Even if they are an arrogant bunch, one of them would be willing to buy such a diamond. Especially if it's from Jaune."

"But he's just a child. They'll be sure to take advantage of that!" said Ghira.

"Which is why you should be with him when making the deal," explained Kali, "to emphasize that they shouldn't be trying take advantage of him. Then, you can make the arrangements with one of our friends who is captain of his ship to take him to Anima."

"I'm worried that he might be carrying too much Lien with him. That'll make him a prime target for anyone," said Ghira.

Jaune coughed out loud, letting them know he was there, "Don't worry about it, sir. I can just give some Lien to you guys. I'm sure the town needs some Lien for expansion."

Ghira was liking this boy more by the minute. He wasn't racist, he was polite, and he was kind. Having a strong body was just a bonus. Something that punk Adam Taurus didn't have. Why Blake chose to run off with him, he still didn't understand.

With the plan set, Jaune spent the rest of the day inside the house, reading. It wasn't safe for him to out, especially if some of the White Fang saw him. They might not outright hurt him, but they could harass him still. The only time Jaune went out was with Kali and Ghira to buy some clothes. Kali had a fun time shopping for clothes for Jaune, much to the distress of both Jaune and Ghira. Jaune bought a hoodie because he liked it. He now had quite a few clothes, a sleepwear, and a formal wear. A few days later, the cruise ship finally docked. Of course, only a few tourist would actually venture out, as many of them viewed the town as dirty. Using his power as mayor, Ghira managed to get Jaune on board. There, he managed to sell it to a jeweler at a rather fair price. Since the diamond was a 3 carat diamond, Jaune got 7,200 Lien from it. Jaune then surprised them by showing them another rough diamond, which the jeweler immediately bought from him at 10,000 Lien. In total, Jaune had 167 white cards(100Ⱡ ), 4 red cards(50Ⱡ), 6 yellow cards(20Ⱡ), 11 blue cards(10Ⱡ), 11 gray cards(5Ⱡ), and 15 green cards(1Ⱡ). Although Jaune could easily put them all in his bag, he gave 150 of the white cards to Ghira.

"Are-re you sure?" asked Ghira in amazement. He had only expected 10-15 white cards at best. Even with all the purchases that they had done for Jaune, they spent at best 5 white cards.

"Yea. Some of it is to repay you for all the clothes and kindness you showed me. You can use that Lien to arrange a ship for me while spending the rest on your town," replied Jaune.

Ghira laughed out loudly, "Boy, with this much Lien, I thought you were providing a dowry and asking my daughter in marriage." Jaune blushed and sputtered at this.

Kali smiled at this generosity. Truly, a blessing for them. If only Blake would had gone for this boy instead. Then, she smirked as she had an idea.

"Jaune," she began, "Will you also be traveling to the continent Sanus and going to Vale?"

Jaune nodded. Andusk and Othim both said that they felt something vital would happen there, so it was on his itinerary after he went to visit Mistral first and perhaps some other places. Perhaps at Mistral, he could find a weapon shop and grab a ranged weapon. Kali went inside the house for a bit before coming out with a necklace locket, the latest picture of Blake, and an envelope.

"My daughter, Blake Belladonna, is somewhere out there. We have no way of contacting her. However, should you ever meet her, please, give these to her. This is her latest photo. Although who knows how much she's changed, she still should almost look like me. She also has cat ears like I do, although she may try to hide it with a bow," said Kali, giving the items to Jaune. "I have a feeling you'll run into her sooner than my husband and I will."

Jaune nodded as he took the items and put them into his bag, swearing that he would pass them on.

A few more days passed, and another ship headed towards Anima came. Jaune said his farewells and boarded the ship. Kali gave him one last hug while Ghira shook his hand before just giving him a bear hug, crushing Jaune's ribs.

Before Jaune left, Ghira also gave him an envelope, "I have a few blacksmith friends who owe me a favor at Mistral. I can see you don't have weapons that can act as both close and ranged weapons. Merely show this to letter to a shop called Weapons Works and he'll help you craft the best weapon they can make for free. He should have a few friends that also specialize in armor if you need it. They can send the bill to me. And before you say anything, don't. You gave me so much Lien for my town, it's the least I could do."

Jaune nodded, giving them both another hug, surprising them both. Jaune was never one to initiate the hug, and it felt nice. Almost like a son was hugging them.

"Good-bye," said Jaune as he got on the ship. Soon, the ship left for Anima.

"I'm going to miss him.," said Ghira, "I would have preferred him as a boyfriend for my daughter instead of that dam Adam."

"I know," said Kali, "Which is why I can't wait to see her reaction when she reads that letter."

"What did you do?" asked Ghira curiously.

"A little family secret. It's how my mom managed to convince me to date you," replied Kali, smirking. Ghira could only laugh out loud at this while pitying Jaune. He remembered when he had his stepmother's blessing to chase after Kali, and giving him a letter to give to Kali. After he gave the letter to Kali, Kali pounced on him like a predator, with a gleam in her eyes. He wasn't sure how he felt about Jaune becoming a son to him, but it was a lot better than Adam Taurus.

Hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter, Jaune heads off towards Mistral. Who will he meet? .0

A/N Lien. Not very important to the story, but if you want to read my reasoning, go for it.

White Lien is 100 because when Cinder offered Lien to Adam in one of the episodes, they showed a briefcase full of white cards. Obviously, this would equate to a briefcase of high value money, like 100 dollar bills. Let's face it, offering a case full of 1 Lien is pathetic.

When Qrow finished his drink, leaving a tip, he paid with green cards. I would think their value would be lower.

Finally, when they showed Ruby's wallet, they had a red, yellow, and green card. A total of 71 Lien would be reasonable, perhaps a little too much, for a girl at a festival.

The value of each Lien isn't terribly important to the story, so just bear with me.