Isabel pulled out tents from her space-ring, building a small encampnt. It was honestly shocking how much she carried around, but Liam had better things to do than ponder the size of her storage item.
Lancelot settled in the open to ditate. His Qi reserves might be imnse, but his last spell had made full use of his innate advantage. Without elixirs, he needed a bit to refill them completely.
Julian also stayed in the open, surrounded by the automatons’ remains, alternating ditation with absorbed inspection of the inscriptions on the white tal.
anwhile, after gathering the white arrows, Liam settled on the elevated area with Robert. Five flowers had appeared there, too, probably allowing the exit from the inheritance, but the two rooting experts never once looked in their direction, focused on sharing their reward.
Robert was transcribing the knowledge from the to through chalk and paper that Isabel had provided. Per the agreent, that copy would have to be destroyed, but Liam needed it to learn the martial art since oral teachings wouldn’t cut it.
Still, copy or not, the martial art turned out to be peculiar enough to leave Liam confused.
’Aura?’ Liam read on the first pages that Robert had finished. ’What a strange na.’
The strangeness didn’t end there. Unlike other tos, the rank 2 Aura featured no descriptions of its Qi consumption and training difficulty. It didn’t even have the usual summary about its uses.
’The heroic heart emboldens n,’ Liam kept reading. ’The frightening mind stops n. The sharp spirit severs n.’
Liam reread those lines multiple tis, but nothing clicked, and his hood eventually pointed at the cross-legged figure in front of him.
"What?" Robert scoffed, interrupting his transcription. "Do you have complaints about my calligraphy? I’m sorry, I’m not a pampered scholar like you all."
"My calligraphy is also bad," Liam stated. "I just can’t understand what this martial art is about."
Robert’s face beca deadpan. Liam’s reassurance had confird that Robert’s calligraphy was indeed poor, but he decided to ignore it. Liam had done him a favor with the reward after all.
"It’s so kind of ntal attack," Robert whispered, warily glancing at the team down the hall. He had access to knowledge Liam had yet to read, so he had managed to surmise as much.
Liam noticed the glance and summoned one of his talismans, placing it on the floor to isolate the sound. He hadn’t really relied on it for alchemy, but it had co with Grace’s full set.
"ntal attack?" Liam questioned afterward. He knew martial arts could co in many shapes, and the cultivation world had all kinds of strange tools, but that was his first ti hearing about sothing like that.
"It seems to echo your thoughts through the Qi," Robert explained, keeping his voice down despite the talisman, "Or feelings, rather, to affect people."
Liam frowned. He could connect that explanation to sothing in his experience. Both the hiss and Lancelot’s heated stare had similar effects. He just couldn’t see how effective they could be, especially compared to more traditional martial arts.
"It sounds powerful," Robert comnted, resuming transcribing. "One mont of hesitation is all cultivators need. If you can cause it, you can reliably create winning openings."
’Right,’ Liam realized. Despite having relied on similar tactics, the idea of enforcing them with his mind had still been too foreign for him to consider, but Robert’s comnt broadened his mindset.
The broadening didn’t stop there. The trial had been multilayered, hiding its true solution behind obviousness, and that could apply to the martial art, too.
’The heroic heart emboldens n,’ Liam repeated in his mind. ’Is it to say that the martial art can strengthen your teammates? Is that how Archbishop Ignatius wishes it to be used?’
Liam couldn’t be sure, and it didn’t matter. Even if it weren’t for the Church’s strange doings, Liam would still live his life his own way, aning using that martial art how he best saw fit, which most likely ant murder.
However, it didn’t escape Liam how sharp Robert had been. He had the full picture, but his consideration had still vouched for his battle sense.
"You know battles well," Liam praised, letting his curiosity win over cultivators’ customs. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"Here and there," Robert casually said, seemingly wanting to remain vague, only for his following words to reveal a different truth. "I just fought until I learned."
That wasn’t a lie. Liam tasted nothing but truth, which was surprising. Robert’s fighting talent was great, even greater if self-taught.
"Where did you learn to wield a bow like that?" Robert asked back, emboldened by Liam’s probe. "I thought alchemists spent all their ti behind cauldrons."
"I fired arrows until I stopped missing," Liam revealed, noticing the similarity with Robert’s previous reply.
Robert noticed that, too, and a scoff-like chuckle escaped his mouth. "Maybe we are kindred spirits. Even our noses are sharp the sa."
Liam also chuckled. Robert’s whole attire reminded him of his ti in Krosstoen’s mountain. Liam had beco sort of civilized, but so kinship among savages still existed.
"So," Robert exclaid, "Master Alchemist, what do you think?"
"About?" Liam asked.
"This inheritance," Robert said, "This team."
Liam couldn’t help but glance down the hall and back at Robert, responding with the only truth he could find. "We aren’t weak."
"Ain’t that right?" Robert sighed. "Ain’t that the problem?"
"If you are so worried about the Church," Liam pointed out, "Why did you co?"
Unlike Julian, Liam’s question had no mockery, and what had happened with the reward helped in that regard.
"Not much of a choice," Robert admitted. "Those two are here for fun. They have an oh-mighty Sect to go back to. You and that guy have your valuable trades. I don’t."
Robert finished transcribing another page, passing it to Liam before continuing, "That doesn’t an I want the Church to hunt down. You must fill your belly with scraps before you can consider going for full als."
In a way, Robert sounded like the most sensible cultivator Liam had ever t, until he added his last point.
"So, if we have to burn this place to the ground," Robert said, "At least let’s do it quietly."
’How can we even ...?’ Liam gave up finishing that usual thought, instead recalling sothing that sohow still surprised him. ’Right, we are all crazy here.’
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