51 Popular Science
Claire returned two days later with Brie in tow.
When she returned, the island was much changed. There was a desalination plant, with a gigantic tub where the twins practiced their fire. The house is full of obsidian ware. There was a pile of metal rods in front of the house, made of god knows what, but she was too in a hurry to pay them attention.
" Sister ! Why are you rushing so fast ? " Brie asked as she flew Brie as fast as possible to their home.
" I am afraid the person who made the slave label will soon realize and retaliate. I have to undo this contract before they come by poking. " Claire explained.
" I don't understand. Didn't you already break it ? " Brie asked innocently.
" Oh, dear ! There is no such free lunch in the world. " Claire was about to push Brie aside to start meditating, but she stopped at the last second.
The children rushed home after her, and they all arrived at the same time along with Zayne. She hugged them, said her usual greetings, and as the hubbub died down, she looked at and remembered their faces clearly. What she was about to do is some crazy stuff. She might be stuck in the inner world for a long time. So, maybe she should teach them something before she goes in for 'closed cultivation' as it's said.
' Today's as good as any to give them a lesson. ' She thought.
" All of you, gather around. You have heard about the apocalypse, correct ? " She asked.
They all nodded, save for Dolce. He was obviously too young to understand what she was saying.
" Forty years ago, dungeons appeared on the earth, causing an apocalypse. Most of the world's population died in the apocalypse, reducing humans from billions to millions. The world before was well connected, going from one end of the world to another was as easy as getting on the right transport. With the apocalypse, that all changed. For the first ten years, the strong men invaded the dungeons, reaping the rewards, establishing kingdoms. They are called heroes. These ten years are the age of heroes, when our technology stagnated.
However, the world does not run on strength alone. For the sake of their own convenience, these heroes gathered people, and eventually, formed bases. Eventually, small bases converged into big bases, big bases into numbered bases similar to a country. This process has taken another ten years, called the age of aggregation.
The bases formed centered around resources provided by the dungeons. Humans started rebuilding their strength. This is the beginning of the age of rebuilding. We are all born in the age of rebuilding, and it will probably continue through our death. However, today, we are not talking about history, but we are talking about mana. " Claire ended the first part of her lecture.
All the children were looking at her seriously. She began once more.
" When the age of heroes began, many humans acquired super powers. These superpowers helped them greatly in conquering dungeons. Each country through the superpowers is the result of a different thing. Some thought it's cultivation, some thought it's divinity having an awakening, others thought it's dormant mutant genes finally exhibiting their character, there were many different theories.
As time passed, slowly the information coalesced. Everyone agrees meditation helps find innerworld. With practice, a person could move their own mana, to do tasks outside, but how easy it is to move mana depends on the person. Over time, more commonalities were discovered, making it popular science.
Every person possesses a mana core, which indicates the person's true talent. Purer the mana core, stronger the ability. Then came tiers. Every other planet, shard or otherwise which rotates around mana core indicates one more ability. Most of the time, this planet's ability is similar or related to the mana core. Size of the shard indicated a tier.
Thus came the next set of practices, which depend on refining mana core, meditating to remove impurities from mana core, next from planets, etc. This is the refining, which helps fine tune a person's ability. At this time, there was a great change. The first S-level dungeon appeared, and along with the s-level dungeon, awakening stones and runes arrived in our world.
Runes are natural symbols, which exist in harmony with mana. However, each type of mana has a different rune that goes with it, and there are as many types of mana in the world as there are people. All the same, people threw themselves into research, and eventually, different schools of thought had released a different set of runic charts to deal with mana. More refined a runic symbol, more pure and powerful the mana conducted by it.
However, if a person does not practice meditation well, and does not practice with their own mana, even the runes will not help him get to places. So, you all have to diligently try and train your powers when we are here. You are not to openly use your powers, but in case someone harms your life, or you face a bad situation you can not run from, you can use your powers.
However, you can not, and will not use them to just play around. Do you understand ? "
She asked the children.
" Yes sister. " They all replied happily.
" From now on, I am going to go into practicing behind closed doors. During this time, you have listened well to sister Brie and your uncle Zayne. You can do that, can't you ? " She asked them.
The children nodded happily.
" Come here, then. Give a kiss to my sister. " She said, opening her arms.
They all piled up on her at the same time, Robin and Dolce clinging to either side, twins with their arms around them. Claire kissed them all on foreheads, then handed them over to Zayne.
" Sister loves you the most. " She said, hugging all the children.
Brie remained in the room.
" Sister, the class is nice and all, but what's the relationship with the contract ? " She asked, after Zayne had taken the children away.
" Among runes exists a symbol representing purest spirit mana, which could be the base to any mana in the world. The people who possess this sort of mana for their core could become inscribers, engravers, enchanters, etc.. . They can move mana not just in their innerworld, but also in someone else's innerworld. " Claire explained.
Brie caught on to what Claire did not say.
" You are such an inscriber. You can get into any one's innerworld and use their mana. "
Claire nodded.
" Correct. So, these inscribers are very sensitive to mana flow, and the contracts and magical circles on Deeepsi are inscribed by a very talented person. Now, most of these inscribers have a signature rune, which they leave behind, upon whose destruction, they will know immediately. " she explained.
Brie's face changed.
" You destroyed such a rune ? " She asked, dreading the answer.
" I destroyed a thousand such runes. " Claire answered.
Brie's face paled, as she understood the ramifications. Where can a person who can put such a curse on another human being be good ? they are going to come for her. They are going to come and kill sister Claire, like they did their mom and dad !
" Sister ! You need to run ! You go far away.. Wait .. don't go far. You said Uncle Zayne's strong, didn't you? You stick to uncle Zayne. Also, can you manipulate innerworld ? You take my vitality. If you have it, they can not hurt you, correct ? " Brie said, her thoughts running all over the place.
" Calm, Brie. I already ran, didn't I ? This island is Liancourt rocks. It's in the middle of nowhere, even in times of prosperity. Now with the monsters and ghosts that inhabit the open seas, no one can get here. " Claire assured Brie.
Brie calmed down a bit, before getting worried again.
" If it were that easy, why are you rushing to do closed cultivation ? you are going into your innerworld do something, aren't you ? " Brie asked.
" Indeed, I am. " Claire answered calmly.
As the time was passing, she was calming down.
The magical high which made her restless and arbitrary is slowly settling down.
" What are you going to do, sister ? If there is anything I can help with, I will definitely help. " Brie spoke, realizing she can not stop Claire.
" The magical enslavement the inscriber placed on Caspian's brother had three parts. The mission board, the contract, and the will. The mission could be written in the mission board by any one with one of the specified elements. The contract is a far more complex set of runes, making sure it is connected to the mission board. What I did is equal to all thousand mission boards now connected to the contract in my head.
Currently, these freed slaves are serving as a distraction, but soon, the inscriber will come to his senses. When he does, all he needs to do is form a mission board in his head, summoning me to a certain location. I will have no place to hide. Before that happens, I need to analyze and hack this contract. For that, I need time, and my utter concentration. " Claire explained to Brie.
" Sister, what if you can't ? " Brie asked her.
Claire also wondered the same. That is why she taught them the knowledge they most need, as well as told them she loves them.
