After my fun with Michelle and Chloe, the first thing in the morning, I headed to the workshop, where I attempted to create an artificial mana crystal; however, my enthusiasm was promptly snuffed as it wasn't as easy as I'd had hoped.
I tried for multiple hours, I even missed breakfast altogether, something I wouldn't have realized if it weren't for Lazuli interrupting me.
"Alex." Hearing my name, my concentration was broken, causing the mana I'd gathered to rush away; clicking my tongue, I turned and glanced at Lazuli as she entered. "There is no breakfast." Seeing her stare at me with a deadpanned expression, my face twitched before I sighed. "That's all you came here to say? I know my food is good, but I'm not the only one who can cook." "Michelle can't walk. No one else can cook."
Lowering my head, I rubbed the bridge of my nose, exasperated at my wife's priority before shaking my head. "Haa, well, surely you can go without eating breakfast, I'll make dinner and lunch." Waving my hand at Lazuli, I shift my focus back to my task at hand while she approaches me, causing my focus to waver.
"Do you need to stand so close?" Forcing a smile, I side-eyed Lazuli, who was standing just a few inches to my left, only for her to open her mouth and stick out her tongue. "I'm thirsty. Let me drink you." "L-Lazuli, I'm doing something though." Lazuli proceeded to ignore my half-hearted resistance as she kneeled before me, causing me to internally groan, though I couldn't bring myself to stop her.
So for the next half an hour, I was at the mercy of Lazuli's mouth, and she wasn't merciful in the slightest; when she finally finished, she cleaned me up and fixed my pants while looking extremely satisfied. "I'm quenched." Staring at her faint smile, I closed my eyes and deeply sighed, regaining my composure from the mind-boggling pleasure.
"A-Anyway, I'm trying to focus, so could you please leave? Or at least back away?" Grabbing her shoulders, I gently pushed her back before focusing on the empty desk. "What are you doing?" "Attempting to create an artificial mana crystal." "It is not possible, Alex. I have already warned you." "No, it's not possible to do so with mana. I'm not using mana, though."
Glancing behind me, I flashed Lazuli a confident grin while she tilted her head in confusion. "How so then?" "I'm using two skills. My Will and draconic tongue." Lazuli furrowed her brows, while I focused on my task.
During the night with the mother-daughter duo, I planned to gather the atmospheric mana with my Will and then compress it using my draconic tongue, but from the numerous failed attempts, I learned it was actually better to swap them. My control over my Will wasn't good, so delicate tasks were difficult for me right now, but to simply compress something? I could do that relatively easily.
"Gather." At my words, I felt a decent chunk of my life-force get consumed, while through [Heroes Gaze] I watched the atmospheric mana funnel above the deks, gathering in a sphere-ish shape. Next, I used [Heroes Will], my Will, to surround the gathered mana and compress it.
It was going good at first, but as I got further, it got harder to compress it until eventually I slipped up, my concentration faltering for just a split-second, but it was all the mana needed to form a hole through my Will, deflating like a balloon. "Haa, frustrating." "Failed?" "Yeah. However, for the record, it's possible; I'm just not able to do it yet."
After a few more failed attempts, Lazuli left, leaving me to experiment on my own, though I kept failing. Eventually, Lazuli returned, reminding me of lunch, prompting me to go without much hesitation since I needed a break.
"Michelle, Chloe, you're finally down?" Hearing Jasmine's voice, I lifted my head from the sandwiches I was making, glancing at Michelle and Chloe, both hobbling to the table while holding their backs. "Are you two okay? You look like you're about to collapse." Everyone else seemed to mirror Yuki's concern as they watched the two slowly sit down while sighing in relief.
"Y-Yeah, we're fine." "Ugh, I wouldn't say fine, but we brought this upon ourselves." Chloe shook her head, dismissing Michelle's response while shooting me an irritated look, causing me to wave, though she just groaned before looking away.
When I finished making lunch, I sat with everyone, mostly quiet as I ate, partly because I was annoyed and partly because I was trying to think of ways to succeed. Once I finished lunch, I excused myself and returned to the workshop, where I continued my experiments, only leaving when I needed to cook dinner.
After I returned once more, I left around twelve pm and slept with Vanye.
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It was the next day, early morning, and I was back in the workshop, desiring to succeed, but after the six-hundredth failure, I leaned against the desk, my nails digging into the wood as I was but a moment away from snapping it in two. However, thanks to my trait, I regained my composure after a few seconds; I was still very much irritated, but it wasn't clouding my mind.
Plopping into a chair, I closed my eyes, focusing upon my heart and brain, sending my consciousness to the oldest beings I knew. When I opened my eyes, I was no longer in the workshop but in a world with an endless ocean.
"Oh, Master! Master, you're here!" Hearing Trina, I quickly turned around, spotting her dashing to me, causing me to faintly smile as she grabbed my hand, leading across the endless ocean until we eventually arrived at a small island, where Zartha was calmly lying atop a pool chair.
"Sis, look, it's Master!" In response to Trina, Zartha lifted the sunglasses, staring at me with that same, cold, indifferent gaze that held no warmth. "Tired from all your failures?" "Haa, do you have to remind me?" "Master, let's play!" "Yeah, sure, I need a break." I hadn't come here to play, but honestly, it didn't sound so bad; maybe her child-like energy would be able to infect me.
Given how different time flows in here than outside, the hours I spent playing with Trina were probably no more than half an hour. When I separated from Trina, feeling refreshed, I returned to Zartha, standing beside her as she lay continuously.
Squatting, I raised my hand and poked her breast, causing her to remove her glasses and stare at me. "I see your impulses took over." "Ugh, I regret it now. I know it's your face, but you're staring at me as if I'm a perverted trash that needs to be killed." As I looked at Zartha, I couldn't help but instinctively shiver; her gaze and expression looked sinister.
"Well, you did poke my chest without asking me." "Haa, fair. But can't you at least try to smile?" Rolling her eyes, Zartha sat upright and forced a smile, which looked more sadistic than genuine, causing me to rapidly shake my head. "No, never mind. Don't ever smile again… How could your father make such a sexy woman with a face like that? He's a weird man." I just softly shook my head in disappointment as I looked at Zartha, causing her face to twitch aggressively.
"For the record, Master, it wasn't my idea; we were born around our purpose. Trina is cheerful and energetic because she embodies our power. I'm like 'this' because I'm the knowledge. It is also why she resides in your heart and me in your brain." "Makes sense, I can also guess where you store all that knowledge." Rubbing my chin, I poked Zartha's chest while she blankly looked at me, causing me to faintly chuckle.
"Anyway, what did you come to me for, Master?" As Zartha shifted the topic, I briefly explained my problem; I didn't need to go into detail since she could watch the world through my eyes. "I see. Your idea is sound; by all logic, it should be possible." "That's what I think as well, but I can't ever compress the mana enough to the point where it creates a mana crystal." "Well, that is because you lack control of your will, Master."
I wasn't surprised at her response since even I could've guessed that. "Yeah, I figured." "For someone who only learned how to control their will a few months ago, your control is impressive, Master. However, if you wish to achieve your goal, I suggest you meditate." "Meditate?"
"Yes. Will is formed around your mind; the stronger, calmer, and less distracted mind will have better control of their Will." "So meditate, huh? Alright, I can do that. I've done it before, so it should be easy. Thanks, Zartha."
Tapping my chin, I rose to my feet while flashing Zartha a smile before turning, intending to leave, only to stop. "Wait, Zartha, since I can touch you, having, you know, should be possible, right? You said it wasn't possible." Raising an eyebrow, I looked at Zartha, who averted her gaze and manifested a book from the air.
"Y-You were still dealing with Lavender's death, so I didn't want you to use me as an outlet; it would've affected your growth… Besides, it'll be hard with Trina around." Looking at Zartha, I faintly smirked and waved at her. "Well, one of these days." With that, I left their personal dimensions and opened my eyes, returning to the workshop, still sitting down.