Cultivation a fantasy li.., p.5
Cultivation: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Battle Mage Farmer Book 3), page 5
Heading inside, he found Ellie making breakfast, and after eating a quick plate of eggs he went to his room and threw himself into bed, falling asleep instantly. While John never felt physical exhaustion any more, creating the portal stone spell in one go had drained him mentally, so he was happy to go to bed. Two hours later he woke up, his mind clear once again. Lying in bed for a moment, a slow smile crossed John’s face and he felt his anticipation growing.
It only took ten years, but I’m finally starting to feel like an actual Mage.
Jumping out of bed, John washed his face and headed for the cheese cellar where Ellie had already started on the day’s batches. Seeing her getting ready to dip a batch, he refilled the milk cans and got another batch of cheese cooking. A few times, when he had a moment between tasks, he walked over to the portal stone to look at it happily, but then he went back to work. Working together, John and Ellie finished up the last batch of cheese in the middle of the afternoon and then cleaned up and set everything out for the following day. Seeing Ellie standing by the portal stone, John dried off the last of the milk cans he was washing out and dropped it into the cart before walking over.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Just thinking about studying magic and how much time it will take,” Ellie said, glancing at him. “There’s really too much to do on the farm.”
“Are you worried you won’t have time?”
“Will I have time? If we both go, who’s going to make the cheese?”
“We could just make less of it,” John said, shrugging.
Shaking her head firmly, Ellie turned to look at John properly.
“No, we made an agreement with Gofreid. We need to keep it.”
“Then I guess we’d better find a few more people to work on the farm. We’re already about maxed out, but if we build another bunkhouse, I think we could afford to hire someone to handle the cheese making. Tell you what. For now, while we’re looking for someone, let’s just try to get the cheese done by noon. We can cut a third of our production temporarily while we look for someone to help out, and then we can spend the afternoon and evening in the Shadow Tower. How does that sound?”
Considering it for a moment, Ellie nodded.
“That sounds great.”
“Good, then what do you say we fire this portal up?” John asked, pointing at the inscribed runes. “I don’t think I can wait any longer.”
CHAPTER 6
Stepping into the center of the circle of runes, John held up his hand to stop Ellie from entering. When she looked confused, he gave her a lopsided grin.
“I’m confident it will be fine. But just in case it isn’t, let me test it first. If something goes wrong, I’ll be fine but I won’t necessarily be able to protect you. I’ll be right back.”
Ellie’s lips tightened slightly as she heard him speak, but she stepped back and nodded, watching as John invoked the transfer spell. A flash of light rose from the carved runes, and with a hum, John vanished. Everything looked fine from Ellie’s side, and a moment later the portal stone hummed again and John was back, a big grin on his face.
“Works like a dream. We should make some tokens for it so you can come through any time you want. Come on, you won’t believe this place.”
Accepting the hand John had stretched toward her, Ellie stepped into the spell circle and he cast the spell again. With a flash they were gone. For Ellie, who had never used a portal stone, the abrupt shift was a shock, and it took her a moment to orient to her new position. The portal they appeared on was in a large stone room filled with glowing flowers. Still holding Ellie’s hand, John helped her down from the platform and walked toward the large doorway and down the hall beyond it.
“Welcome to Shadow Tower.”
Hearing Rebya’s voice echoing in the hallway, Ellie looked around but didn’t see the plant women anywhere. Chuckling, John pointed to the many flowers covering the stone walls.
“She’s everywhere in the tower.”
“John is correct,” Rebya said. “In many ways, this tower is my body. The figure that you see when we enter the mental realm is based on a younger version of my creator, as I assumed talking to another human would be more comfortable than speaking to a flower. I can hear and see everything within the confines of the tower, so feel free to speak to me as you wish.”
“Thanks, Rebya. Where do you want to carry out the tests?” John asked.
“Please come to the second floor. Do you need assistance?”
“No, we should be good.”
Pulling Ellie close, John slipped his arm around her waist, causing Ellie to look at him, her expression startled. Before she could say anything, flames flickered and the hallway blurred. A moment later, John and Ellie appeared at the end of the long hallway. Continuing to flash forward, John and Ellie quickly arrived at the long central shaft of the tower. The destroyed bridges had been repaired and everything looked like it had been put back in order. Carrying Ellie along with him, John continued to move forward, and within a few steps they were standing on the second level of the tower.
Many of the rooms Ellie had once run through to escape from Earl Vacek were gone, and the entire area had been remade into a large laboratory. Tables covered in strange devices were flanked by shelves holding thousands of different kinds of materials, and there were at least a dozen bookshelves filled with partially deteriorated old tomes. All around the area were pillars holding flowers that brought bright light to the space.
“John, you’ll find a table in the center of the lab. Please take a seat there.”
Following Rebya’s request, John found a table that was well lit by glowing flowers and hopped up on it. Crossing his legs, he noticed that Ellie’s expression was troubled so he gave her a reassuring smile.
“Rebya?”
“Yes, John?”
“What exactly is it you’re planning?”
“I think I may have discovered why it is you keep advancing on the path toward the destruction of this world.”
Hearing a gasp from Ellie, John’s eyes narrowed and a faint sense of pressure rippled out of him.
“Oh? What have you discovered?”
“Are you familiar with the theory of the universal mana pool?”
“You mean the idea that all mana is connected?”
“Yes. It was first proposed six hundred years ago, and was verified through a series of tests by the academy. I believe this theory gives us a hint as to the destruction we face.”
Raising her hand, Ellie looked around at the flowers, her forehead scrunched.
“Sorry, but I’m not following. What is the universal mana pool?”
One of the glowing flowers suddenly gained a purple hue and began to grow at a rapid rate as Rebya appeared in its center. Growing until she was as tall as Ellie, Rebya bowed her head in greeting and explained.
“The theory suggests that all mana in the entire world is interconnected. You might think of it as a giant pool of water or even an ocean. Every object in this world, sentient and non-sentient, occupies a place in that ocean, and by doing so takes up a certain amount of space. That space is equivalent to the mana they possess. Living creatures can, through absorption, increase the amount of mana they possess. However, mana is naturally toxic to biological matter and only by taking in tiny amounts at a time can living beings survive and grow stronger. What all of this means is that the amount of mana in the world is fixed.”
“Hold on,” Ellie said, holding up her hand. “You mean that my mana and John’s mana are the same?”
“No, just that there’s a relationship between them. This is a highly simplified version of one of the most complex magical theories in existence. What is relevant to our discussion is that all the mana in the world is like a slightly poisonous pool of water which is, despite its danger, vital for life to flourish.”
“And? How does that explain the fact that we’re hurtling toward the end of the world?” John asked, a bad feeling growing in his chest.
“All living beings require mana to live, but what happens when the mana they need grows too concentrated?”
“Mana sickness.”
“Exactly. A slightly toxic substance, in small enough quantities, can be handled safely. Too much, and sickness and death follow. The purer mana grows, the greater its toxicity. If I’m right, the problem we face is that the ambient purity of mana in the world is being increased because of John’s presence.”
Seeing the confusion on John’s and Ellie’s faces, Rebya smiled slightly and pointed to a nearby shelf.
“I’ve prepared a demonstration. Ellie, would you retrieve the jar of water on the second shelf?”
Nodding, Ellie walked over and got the clear jar Rebya was pointing to and brought it over to the table. As soon as he saw it, John’s eyes widened and he knew exactly what Rebya was getting at. Still, he kept quiet and watched as she started her demonstration.
“Thank you. Here we have a representation of the universal mana pool. But remember, pure mana is toxic.”
Unscrewing the top of the jar, one of Rebya’s tendrils stretched out and poked into the container. As John and Ellie watched, it began to release an inky substance into the jar, dyeing it a deep blue.
“It’s through the dilution of the purity of the universal pool’s mana that living beings are able to survive. Yet, what happens when you introduce a filter that absorbs diluted mana and returns pure mana?”
A second tendril rose from under the purple petals and dipped into the jar, beginning to suck up the dyed water. Even as it did so, the other tendril began to release perfectly clear water, refilling what was being removed. Though the water level didn’t change, it didn’t take long for the jar to return to its perfectly clear state as the dyed water filtered out and clear water replaced it.
“You mean that I’m acting as a filter for the universal mana pool?” John asked, his voice grim.
“Exactly,” Rebya nodded, removing her tendrils from the now-clear jar of water. “Your level of mana purity is beyond anything I’ve ever encountered. It’s even beyond the natural state of condensed mana found in mana stones. It’s so pure that I’ve had to dilute it to use it. The power core you recharged is actually too strong for me to use directly, and I’ve been reduced to siphoning the ambient mana it gives off to power the tower. I believe that this apocalypse spoken of is most likely going to occur because the purity of the world’s mana will grow too high for other living beings to tolerate.”
Looking down at his hands, John didn’t know what to say. Part of him wanted to reject what Rebya was saying, but in his heart he knew it was true. He could feel how, with every breath he took, the impurity in the world around him was absorbed and destroyed, leaving nothing but pure mana behind. For the last two years he had been storing that mana in his body, preventing it from returning to the world to keep his every breath from destroying the world around him, but it was clear he was rapidly approaching his limit. John and those who had come with him had been summoned to this world to save it, yet now he was the very reason it was going to be destroyed. Taking a moment to center himself, he looked at Rebya calmly.
“How do we fix this?”
“Fixing it completely will be nearly impossible,” Rebya said with a shrug. “Unless we can drastically increase the mana tolerance of every living thing in the world. However, it’s not as if we don’t have some options. What I want to explore today is why, on occasion, a feeling of peace will cause the situation to regress. To that purpose, I would like you to work with me for the next few days while I monitor the mana around you. Hopefully that will allow us to understand what’s happening and begin to create countermeasures.”
Nodding, John looked at Ellie.
“That works for me, but Ellie can’t cast the spell to use the portal and there is a lot to do on the farm.”
Placing her hand on John’s knee, Ellie rolled her eyes at him.
“John, I think this is probably more important than making sure the cheese gets made. I want to stay and help you.”
Chuckling, John placed his hand on top of Ellie’s and gave it a squeeze.
“I’m glad to know I rank higher in your heart than cheese,” he teased.
Lifting his head, he saw that Rebya was staring at him with wide eyes. Unsure why she was so shocked, John was about to ask when the plant woman snapped out of her daze and the purple flower rose into the air, bringing Rebya closer to the table.
“Perfect! I think your interactions will be better than just studying John alone. Let’s do this. Is there a subject the two of you can work on together?”
Exchanging a glance with Ellie, John nodded.
“Yes. We’re both interested in enchanting. I want to try to repair my magitech bracer, but I’m not well versed enough in runecrafting, alchemy, or artifacting to do it.”
“I can focus on alchemy if you want to study runecrafting,” Ellie said, her face lighting up.
“And then we can work together to try and fix this thing,” John agreed, taking his bracer off and putting it down on the table. “But first, I need to go talk to Thomas and make sure everything on the farm will be fine.”
“Will he be able to handle everything?” Ellie asked.
“Yeah, I think so. I mean, there are literally two of him, so I think he should be fine.”
Jumping down from the table, John nodded to Rebya and jerked his thumb toward the bracer.
“Rebya, if you don’t mind pulling up everything you have on enchanting, that would be great. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Of course,” Rebya bowed her head slightly, “I’ll get Ellie started with the introduction to alchemy class.”
With a flash of flame, John vanished from the table and appeared on the bridge, only to disappear from view before Ellie could blink. Hearing Rebya click her tongue in amazement, Ellie looked over at the plant woman, her hand gripping her wand tightly. The entire purple flower Rebya was standing on turned to face Ellie, and for a moment the two women stared at each other. Slowly, a curious look came over Rebya’s face, and her head tilted to the side as if she was looking at something she didn’t understand.
“You don’t trust me.”
Nodding, Ellie didn’t relax her grip on her wand.
“I don’t.”
“I find that very curious, considering the circumstances. Why don’t you trust me?” Rebya asked, drifting closer.
“Should I? You’re clearly powerful, and in my experience, people with power never have the good of others in mind.”
Nodding, Rebya’s lips curled up in a smile.
“That seems accurate, yet you trust John.”
“John… John is different.”
“Is he? He is many times more powerful than me, and if your experiences are universal then your trust in him makes no sense.”
“He has proven himself trustworthy,” Ellie said, her voice calm and her expression unshaken. “You have not.”
“Then please give me the opportunity to do so,” Rebya said, bowing her head. “You don’t need to feel threatened, Ellie. I truly have no ill will toward you. And even if I did, I would never act on it for fear of my life.”
Seeing Ellie’s forehead scrunch up again, Rebya let out a laugh and shook her head.
“You really have no idea what sort of being you share your life with, do you? I will admit, there was a moment when you first arrived at the tower that I thought about seizing you and using you to threaten John so I could siphon his power. Believe me, anyone in my place would have such thoughts. If I had a fraction of his power, this world would be mine for the taking. And then I decided I did not want to die a horrible burning death. But enough about that. Come, let me show you how to use the archive while we wait for him to return.”
It took a moment for Ellie to respond as she processed what Rebya had said, but once she did, she nodded resolutely and put her wand away.
“Fine. John said we extend trust first and give people the chance to demonstrate they deserve it.”
“Thank you,” Rebya said, bowing slightly. “If you would place your hand on that short pillar by the side of the table, I’ll grant you access to the archive.”
Looking at the waist-high pillar the plant woman had mentioned, Ellie missed the glance Rebya shot toward the shadows on the opposite side of the tower, where two calm eyes were watching them.
CHAPTER 7
Standing just inside a doorway on the opposite side of the tower, John watched Rebya and Ellie’s interaction, his mana-enhanced ears clearly picking up everything they were saying. While he had spoken confidently of granting trust, he had spent too long around deceitful people to not be wary of leaving Ellie and Rebya alone together. Once he was sure there weren’t going to be any problems, he turned and left, quickly moving to the portal stone and activating the spell, appearing in the cheese cellar a moment later. Thomas was feeding the cows in the barn when John found him, and after helping him finish up, John explained what was going on.
“I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but we’ll be in the tower until we’ve figured out a solution. I’ll be creating some activation tokens for the portal stone and I’ll bring you one later, but for now I need you to hold down the fort. If the amount of work is going to be too high, we can get some help.”
Shaking his head, Thomas took a step to the left while also taking a simultaneous step to the right, his body splitting into two identical copies. Both of them looked at John calmly and shook their heads as they spoke in unison.
“We should be fine, sir.”
“Hah, that’s what I figured. Still, if you want to get someone to help cook and make cheese, that’s fine too. I’ll leave it up to you. I’ll bring you the token as soon as it’s done, but if you have any issues, just go tap on that plant out in Ferdie’s field and I’ll know.”
“Of course, sir.”
