The Great ntor's words brought the ongoing debate between the old and new to a close.
It was quite apparent that everyone was now drawn to what Igor and Kuren had just said. Although they didn't fully understand it, they were able to glean sothing from Kuren and Igor's descriptions. At least it was clear to them that Igor and Kuren had made a new discovery in this cave.
It was up to Igor and Kuren to describe these new findings.
Eager gazes fell onto both Igor and Kuren with obvious anticipation. Even the usually silent Brad, an Alchemist who at most would grunt a "hmm" all day, was now staring wide-eyed at Igor and Kuren.
What on earth has them so excited? Igor wondered, completely oblivious. They must have simply discovered so novel place and beco suddenly excited, he still thought.
Igor didn't sense the ardent gazes upon him. These expectant looks can't be for , he thought.
Thus, he turned his gaze to Kuren himself...
Overwheld by all the attention, Kuren was flattered. Yet, being a man of age and experience, he knew precisely what was required of him. With a steady pace, he began to outline his conclusions. He knew that Igor would fill in any gaps in his summary, so he found himself enjoying this mont.
"These formations are like Witch Spirits. They suddenly gained their own consciousness."
"No. To be precise, their consciousness was awakened by the formations. This was directly from the mouth of the entity called Spirit, who spoke to ." Igor, proving himself an excellent clarifying machine, intervened to explain even before Kuren had finished. He had a knack for taking over the conversation. However, he was oblivious to the fact that interrupting others was considered rude.
Yet, the free-spirited Igor interrupting Kuren did not upset anyone. After all, Igor seed quite docile and obedient in Kuren's eyes.
Hence, a tacit understanding was naturally ford between them...
"This entity known as Spirit also ntioned that we are 'Awakened'. The term sounds extraordinary, but, in practice, there seems to be no difference," Igor shared, offering an explanation after any noun Kuren ntioned.
"Awakened individuals, conscious formations... who would've anticipated this!"
"Do these conscious formations have shapes?"
"Do they behave like Witch Spirits and can attach themselves to a person?"
A barrage of questions flew in, a chaos of voices. Although the cave was now more crowded with the arrival of the Great ntor and others, its intellectual scope was broadening.
These questions left Igor sowhat bewildered. As a young man, he wasn't accustod to such situations. However, Kuren was different. He was an experienced Adventurer with Class who was good at summarizing and, therefore, had a natural way of handling these questions. Kuren did not intend rely to dismiss them. His response was a speculation that required proof from everyone present.
"In truth, there are several conscious formations around us; we just didn't realize it," Kuren said nonchalantly.
His statent prompted them to introspect, pondering what conscious formations around them they might have overlooked.
This ti, it was no longer a case of 'an outsider sees most clearly.' On the contrary, even those who scrutinized everything failed to decipher the enigma. As they wondered in confusion, even the venerable Great ntor furrowed his brows.
I can't stand this anymore! Igor thought, then offered an example. "Ah, the simplest example would be the Spirit Book! Isn't it a product of a formation which possesses a unique consciousness? And it is indeed a formation, right?"
A sudden realization dawned on the group. The Spirit Book, after all, had a physical book as its dium. But what about other formations? they wondered collectively. Once they gain consciousness, through what dium do they transmit it?
While the group was once again lost in distracted thought, Kuren resud his "speech." He presented summaries and generalizations, all his own deductions. He speculated, "I pondered a lot about my encounter in the Inner World. I believe that Igor and I didn't just et a conscious formation, but mysterious ancient entities. They call themselves Spirits, claiming to have been awakened by formations. They have always existed, concurrently with our world."
"True," Igor added. "I also feel now that they cannot be rely addressed as conscious formations. Their traits are distinct from those of the Spirit Book and Witch Spirits."
The group listened very attentively, oblivious to how ti was slipping away.
"Spirit said that those who can communicate with them are 'Awakened.' As I ntioned earlier, this status doesn't seem to have any special qualities. However, Spirit also said they confird this status has impacted the structure of their world!" Igor shared, revealing so much that even Kuren couldn't keep up.
His statents disrupted Kuren's "talk," causing it to beco a little chaotic.
"I suspect that among us, so are 'Awakened'. You, Yuga, are an 'Awakened', for instance," said Kuren, whose train of thought had been derailed by Igor.
"Hmm? Kuren, what are you blabbering about?" Yuga was utterly confused. Did he hit his head? he wondered, then asked, "Are you sure you didn't hit your head?"
"What Senior Kuren ans is that you, Yuga, are an 'Awakened'. The reason is simple: can so Wizards, after advancing, witness natural elents?"
"Yes, for example, . As a Wind Wizard, after I advanced, I gained the ability to perceive the Wind Elental."
"Yuga, that is Spirit. It can communicate with you, can it not?"
"Correct, it can communicate with , but I hardly ever chat with it. I only ever engage it when I'm in the midst of swift combat."
"So, Yuga is an Awakened then." The Great ntor, Guzan, smoothed his furrowed brows. He appeared to have understood.
"Great ntor, I am confused," Yuga said, completely lost. "I humbly ask for your explanation."
"The intersection of two worlds necessarily requires a dium. The so-called Awakened serve as these diums," said the Great ntor.
This explanation completely went over the heads of Kadi and Kuruto. Brad, Joseph, and Yuga also didn't quite understand. Kuren and Igor had a vague sense of its aning. Only Estev and Stan Sol, who had remained silent for a long ti, fully grasped the Great ntor's point.
The Great ntor lived up to his reputation, understanding Igor and Kuren's complex descriptions in an instant. It had to be said that although the Great ntor was advanced in years, his mind was by no ans less sharp than anyone else's present. At the very least, no one else in the cave had fathod the idea of the intersection of two worlds...
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