Chapter 15: The Rules of Souls

*Rustle*

The sound of paper resounded on the mahogany table. Every turn of the page emitted a calming woody scent. The light formation of the room perfectly imitated the sunlight of a perfect day.

Insig is flipping through stacks of books as he searches for the way to mend the soul.

He skimmed and memorized the important parts. After he finished a book, he read the next one. This one was called [Rules of Souls]. It tackles the constitution of the souls. The author didn't leave his name behind, what was only left was his masterpiece of a book.

[Souls can think, feel, observe, and have a will, yet they don't have any nervous system. They are an organism yet they don't have an organ system.

I've researched souls all my life and I've come to the conclusion that souls are a different life form altogether. Their main source of sustenance is soul energy, but other subversion of mental energy can also be used, albeit it will not be enough for them to last for a long time. Side effects of using subversion of mental energy can also appear and they are based on the energy used.

They are born out of wills of an organism that has 'materialized' but they can pass through various kinds of matter, including solid ones. Not only that, but they also possess the ability to affect the physical world through the use of soul energy. Be it mentally, physically, or magically.

They are a whole new law itself.

The most particular about this law of soul is they are 'binded' on a physical body when they are born. But I believe that the physical body is only a vessel for the soul to grow.]

A sentence caught Seiki's eye as he read this.

'They sustain themselves with soul energy... where can I get that soul energy?

Seiki turned the page and saw the table of content.

[The Abilities of Souls] -- Pg.1–5

[The Structure of Souls] -- Pg. 6–10

[The Illusory Species] -- Pg.11–15

[The Spirit Realm and Soul Energy] -- Pg. 16–20

[The Soul Rules] -- Pg. 21–30

Insig turned the book into page 16. The book actually houses many words and the letters were smaller than average. Making the book quite thin but when you read it, there are actually thousands of words.

Insig spent the entire night reading books about souls. But the one that hit him the most was the [Rules of Souls] book.

He learned that other realms exist beside this one. He also learned that other beings can live through different systems. Even if they don't have organs or a physical body, they can still exist. Reading the book was like meeting an alien from outer space itself.

Insig felt like his view of the world was turned upside down. His mind was like a frog in the well. He didn't know the wonders beyond the well, but even though he knew a bit above the well, he didn't know anything about the universe.

Insig has always thought that the knowledge from his past life already made him ahead of others. But after he read this, he thought of the saying. 'There's an able man behind an able man'

He felt that the knowledge was like a tsunami crashing into his mind. Breaking his world view. It was like he saw the shadow of the sun or the boundary of the universe. Like a door to a different world, where the unscientific was explained. All the mysteries about the rules of souls were laid naked in front of him.

*Kacha!*

Insig closed his eyes and felt something was unlocked inside of him. He felt that something was different yet still the same. It was a peculiar feeling of freedom.

After some time. Insig opened his eyes, there weren't any changes physically yet his charisma had changed slightly. When you also look in his eyes, you'll faintly see some white stars revolving inside it.

Insig looked at his body. There weren't any changes, but from his vision, he could faintly see a milky white fog was contained in his body.

He looked at his wrist, particularly at the place where there were red marks. He saw that the milky white fog was cut off and couldn't reach it.

'Is this... my soul?"

Insig was delighted as he gained the ability to see souls. Souls were free from space so they were also free from objects, including light. No light means no vision, so souls have always been invisible to the naked eye.

'But what happened? Why did I gain the ability to see souls? Is it because the book gave me one? But there would be many people who should have this ability already and already ran out of energy.'

Insig was perplexed as to what natural phenomenon occurred here. But Insig threw this curiosity out of his mind. He focused on healing his soul first as it was more important.

'I need something that can mend the soul but all of the things that can help me are all inside the [Spirit Realm]. There is also the option of venturing into a soul energy rich environment and looking for other herbs.... There's also the option of looking for a person with the soul element, but the chances are low. Hayzz.... I can only suppress the injuries by using mental energy as a substitute.'

Souls were made of wills, and wills were made of mental energy. So mental energy and soul energy have a slight similarity in rules and nature.

Insig thought about it. He would make an armor made of mental energy. This would make his soul 'reconnect'. Although this kind of connection is weak and not permanent, this is enough to help Insig out of his predicament.

'To get an armor made of mental energy, I would need a mental-element mana crystal, which is so rare that you'll only see it once a month in auctions. Maybe I should get help from the Librarian?'

Having made up a plan, Insig returns all the books to their previous location. He then went down to the first floor and exited the [Library].

He pulled his badge out of the machine and the machine narrated his remaining balance. And oddly enough, the machine's voice didn't sound robotic at all. If anything, a rather pleasant voice entered his ears

[You have spent 5 hours in the Library. A total of 100 contribution points have been deducted from your 832 salary.]

Insig was surprised because he had spent 5 hours reading books without him knowing.

'I sure as hell didn't know that I was this hardworking.'

What Insig didn't know was that he can actually concentrate under strenuous conditions… as long as it isn't personal. For example, he was able to think calmly when he was fighting the soul of the carnivorous plant. However, he lost his mind when he was fighting with the Grim Reaper.

"Hahaha, looks like you're rather rich, huh!"

The Librarian talks to him across the desk.

"Hahaha, I'm not that rich, I just don't use them that much. By the way, can you do me a favor?"

Insig laughed humbly and suddenly looked grim.

"Hmm? Do you want to use my power? I don't work for free though."

The Librarian smiled. He already knew what Insig wanted. As a mental-element holder, he has keen observational abilities accompanied with high speed calculation.

Just the 2 questions of Insig made the Librarian know what Seiki wanted.

"Well, ummh... what do you want in return then?"

Insig asks forebodingly.

`If he asks me for something like making a contract, then I would immediately look for other ways."

From what he found from the original's memory, there was a way to bind people's will in this world. It was more of an oath, though.

"Haha! You don't have to be so nervous, it's just knowledge."

Seeing his grim look, the Librarian can't help but laugh.

"Knowledge?"

Insig asks perplexingly.

"Yes, knowledge. Knowledge is the basis of mental-elements' power. So expanding my knowledge is equivalent to getting stronger."

The Librarian deliberates to Insig.

"What kind of knowledge then?"

'Is there even something you don't know that I know? I'm sure you've already memorized all the books here.'

Insig looks at the Librarian nervously.

"Anything, anything that I don't know."

Insig went into a daze as he deliberated about what he can help the Librarian with.

'Knowledge from this world is useless. He might even be more knowledgeable about me. I should use my past life's knowledge.... How about… microbiology?'

"Okay then. However… how are you going to guarantee that you'll help me?"

Insig held his breath and looked at the Librarian seriously. Seeing this, the Librarian was surprised. He didn't really think that Insig could have known something he didn't know. He was only fumbling in the dark because he reached a bottleneck in his cultivation. He didn't actually have much high expectations but Insig gave him a surprise.

"Hahahaha. Here you go. It's my sincerity."

The Librarian felt joyful and threw something at him.

Insig caught it with both hands and found out that what was in his palm was a metal box. An image of a fox was embedded atop it, and a small combination of runes of unknown element was also in it.

"What is this? Wait… this design…!"

Insig was momentarily confused. However, after looking carefully at the design of the box, he felt that they were oddly familiar. He opened the box and a burst of unknown aura hit him! He suddenly felt like he was in the wilderness, and he had a faint vision of trees, flowers, and the earth. He could even smell the scent of flora but… the most prominent thing he saw and felt was… fog.

He saw a large amount of white fog gathering into the shape of a mountain. No. It was a mountain itself!

'What the heck is this? Wait, don't tell me it's a mana crystal? This is his sincerity? He must need knowledge so badly then.'

Insig smiles and observes the mana crystal. There was a light blue energy flowing in a circuit inside it, forming a faint image of a fox.

He lifted up the mana crystal and looked underneath it. There really was a note and he picked it up and read it.

[The Mana Crystal of an Illusory Fox

Illusion Rule of Mental Element

Level 6 Core state

Harvested at the Boundary of Wandering Souls]

'It's the Illusory Fox! I heard that they were so hard to catch as they can confuse their enemies by making realistic illusions! I didn't know that he had one.'

Insig felt his sincerity and shared his knowledge.

*Hours later*

Insig walks out of a black tall tower happily. 'It's a success! He got totally hooked by the knowledge! He even paid for the smithing.'

Insig smiles and observes the white necklace in his hand. The necklace was made up of bones of the Illusory fox, this would make the transfer of mental energy efficient.

There was a kite shaped bone in the middle, with a light blue gem embedded in it. Surrounding it were runes made of mental magic, stabilizing and directing the mental aura and energy.

Insig feels that his soul was protected by an illusory layer of energy, and it helped him separate the side-effects of soul injuries for 3 months.

Insig looked back at the tower for a while.

'Will spreading the knowledge about microorganisms affect me in the future?'

Insig shakes his head and removes this thought. He knew that he needed to trade this knowledge for his life. If the war comes abruptly and he can't move efficiently, then it might kill him.

Insig walks away from the tower, what he didn't know was the Librarian was looking at him. The things that Insig said looped in his head.

[A God's point of view can see above the stars and moon. So their world is the universe.

A bird's point of view can see above the clouds and mountains. So their world is the skies

A giant's point of view can see above trees and buildings. So their worlds are the mountains

A human's point of view can see above plants and boulders. So their world is only a plot of land.

A rabbit's point of view can only look above the ground. So for them, their whole world is underground.

An organism's point of view can decide its view of the world. And there is a world so small that they're everywhere but can't be seen. The world of microorganisms.]

'The perspective of others… I couldn't ever possibly think that even though we live in the same world and reality, other's actually think of it differently… It's as if… they have a world of their own…!'

The librarian learned from Insig the microorganisms, including the parts, species, etc., but that was not what his mind focused on.

The Librarian learned that a different world was inside every being's mind, and he was curious. His mana heart thirsted for knowledge. He wanted to feel the perspective of other things.

He wanna know how the snake feels when it slithers, how the trees feel when they dig their roots, how the fishes feel when they breath underwater, how the birds fee when they fly, how the ants feel when they marks their scent, how the flowers feel when they blossom in the sun!

What Insig said to him opened up a new world for him. He closed his eyes and felt his mana heart getting excited. His aura fluctuated and bursted out.

A wave of mental energy scattered with him at the center.

*Rustle*

The surrounding stacks of papers and books were blown away even though there was no wind blowing. He felt the mana pathways in his body burrowing deeper into his soul and mind.

After a while, his aura stabilized and disappeared. He opened his eyes and inspected himself.

'Looks like I've reached Level 10, huh.'

He smiles and thinks of Insig.

'Insig, huh... I'll remember this favor.'

The mana crystal actually didn't hold much value to him. This is because he initially thought that Insig was just about to share small knowledge with him, unbeknownst to him that Insig's knowledge was far beyond what he could ever think of currently. After all, those microbiology studies were only made possible through the use of groundbreaking technology! There's no way an old civilization like this one was capable of knowing so.

So the Librarian was feeling grateful towards Insig. But at the same time, he was also… curious. He wants to know how Insig could have possessed such deep knowledge. After all, the technology used to study those things was not available.

'Insig… what is he hiding… does he still have more knowledge in store?'

The Librarian thought curiously. His mental aura affected him deeply and he subconsciously had a large curiosity and urge to learn and know.

'No. Calm down. I can still study him without killing him anyway.'

The Librarian thought to himself and forcefully calmed himself down.

*Rustle*

With a wave of his hands, the messed up and scattered papers flew back to where they were before like they had a mind of their own.

Of course, Insig didn't know anything about this.