Day 55: Of course, this is it .... I can't believe I spent five years trying to discover this when it was so simple all this time. The mind laws, those broken things. I can't believe an ascendant was able to mutate their law through comprehending a minor mind law. From the manual I found in the mountains, it seems the mind laws are a little more powerful than the elemental laws.
Day 56. Of course, it was the law of sloth. How does one comprehend something like that? Anyway, I can finally try going deeper into the mountains today. I completed the soul defense art I bought. I can get a few more minutes of studying the blue energy.
Day 68: I can't believe this. This is genius. The water law and the sloth law. What rank do I have to be to comprehend the mysteries behind something like this? No use thinking of that now, but I can gain something from this. I have an affinity for the water law, too.
Day 100: This mutant law is too strong. The elemental eyes spell I was able to purchase is useless for studying anything about it; I can only sense the existence of the water laws, but the water laws within it is far above my rank, and I can't see anything about them. I spend enormous points on a backpass to this mountain every time. I might go broke soon studying this energy. I need a breakthrough soon.
Ethan fully dove into every piece of information in the journal. While it turned out the owner loved to ramble, with most entries complaining about failed experiments and dwindling resources. Ethan pieced together a fascinating narrative.
This wasn't the first journal the author had kept. He was an ascendant with an affinity for the Water Law, which explained his fascination with the Blue Mountain's energy. Ethan also learned the names of a spell called the Elemental Eyes and the existence of a Soul Defense Art.
His attention spiked as he flipped to a new page.
Day 350: No results so far. The Elemental Eyes only let me see the Water Laws at work, but what's the use when I can't see the higher rank water laws at least, and apparently, that's just how the spell functions—The Mind Laws are inherently elusive too.
The test with the slaves I was able to smuggle into the Blue Mountains was successful. I can say for sure now that the mutant law—a fusion of the Water Law and a minor Mind Law—has a major flaw. Its effect on individuals with higher soul power is significantly slower compared to the low-quality slaves with minimal soul power. This suggests the ascendant who created this might not be as overwhelmingly powerful as I imagined, but there's room for error since this energy hasn't been shaped into a spell structure, but its passive effect is still this potent. Of course, the fact that this energy has persisted for so long without losing intensity is a marvel in itself. There's just so much to consider.
Ethan was shocked beyond words. A single day's rambling had given him more information than he could process.
Slaves? There are slaves here?
The Blue Energy's flaw... It's weak against strong souls. Does that explain why I was so resistant?
What could have happened to such an incredible mind to die alone, with no one knowing?
Filled with a potent mix of fear and anticipation, he devoured page after page until he finally reached the end of the thick tome. He closed it, breathed out heavily, and leaned back in his chair, his eyes tracing the high ceiling of his room—only now noticing how it never felt cramped. He stayed like that for a long moment.
"So," he said to himself, "that's how he chose to end everything." He laughed softly, a dry, weary sound. "I swear, I can't understand a choice like that. Anyway... I need a shower."
Standing up, he moved towards the bathroom, already pulling his shirt off and reaching for his pants.
BAM!
A pillow smashed into his tired body. He turned, startled, to see Alan, who was still swiping through interface after interface on his soulband, completely unbothered.
"And who invited you to stay, you bastard!?" Ethan screamed.
Alan didn't look up. "Don't you want to hear how much we made from the sales when I'm done? I bet we could even visit the legendary library of the Order with this."
Ethan's anger evaporated instantly. If there was something he loved as much as knowledge, it was money. He refused to be broke in two consecutive lives.
Stepping out of the shower, with his black trousers on, Ethan saw Alan lying back on his bed, eyes wide, with the journal resting beside him.
"So," Alan began, "with all his extensive knowledge and experience, he chose to use his breathing technique after saturating that cave with blue energy from those high-level stones? How stupid was that?"
Ethan was shocked. The lazy Alan had not only picked up the journal but had read everything while he was in the shower. "Well, it's an obsession. You couldn't understand it, even if he stood here explaining it to you. Haven't you ever had an obsession?"
"What do you think?" Alan shot back, suggesting his answer was negative.
"I mean, would you do what he did, knowing how dangerous that mutated blue energy is?
"Of course not. No reasonable person would. But you have to understand that he spent years and countless resources pouring into a dead end. Who could accept that with a straight face?"
Ethan shook his head and continued. "Anyway, dangerous or not, there's no way I'm seeing exposure to any foreign energy I don't understand as a good idea. Then imagine trying to absorb it with your fingers crossed. I'm not that crazy."
He took a seat at his desk and said to Alan. "Sansa should be here soon. You should put that journal away. I'll confirm some of my thoughts from the journal with her when she gets here," Ethan said, pointing at the tome.
Alan picked it up and stored it in his spatial ring immediately.
"Oh, before I forget, I was able to negotiate six points for each low-rank blue stone and twenty points for the mid-rank. The high-rank blue stones I found in the ring went for one hundred points each."
Ethan froze. "What's with the massive difference in value between the mid-rank and high-rank stones?" If he went by the incremental increase from low to mid, the price for the high-rank stones was astronomical.
"Well, Henry said something about the low supply. The area where the high-rank stones can be found is just too dangerous for any Initiate to mine." Alan's tone shifted. "Obviously, he was curious about where we secured such a large haul from, too."
Ethan stopped what he was doing and looked straight at Alan. "And?"
"Obviously, I didn't say anything. I just told him we got lucky." Alan shrugged. "Of course, he didn't buy it, but there's nothing he can do about it."
"Of course, you think there's nothing he could do," Ethan replied, his voice low and serious.
"Within the rules of the Order, did you see one that stops another ascendant from trying to kill you secretly, as long as they have the strength? I'm thinking that after the tutorial with Sansa, we should limit our movements to the cafeteria and the library, since we'll have enough points to spend soon. And when you're not in either of those places, stay locked in your room trying to weave your core. Does that make sense?"
Alan nodded, the easy-going expression finally leaving his face. "Yes, it does. I'm not going to lie; the Blue Mountain was a reality check. I'm sure if we were hit by that blue energy, no one would blink twice at our bodies and would reach for our rings instead."
Knock! Knock!
At that precise moment, a knock echoed from the door. Sansa, their tutor, had arrived. Cautious now, Alan confirmed it was her through the soulband interface before finally unlocking the door.