The crew were working hard in their own ways as they took it upon themselves to grow stronger in the absence of Null, Void, and Ego.
The newest members had traveled back to their home planets under the guidance of the only Transcendent of the group, Barter's Ruler.
They were to find their place on their respective planets and grow in power as a result.
Barter's Ruler had done so on his own planet and was elevated to the next level with the help of Null's specially made greed.
The younger members had it easier as they were reforged by the spiritual energy Null gave them; they would have a simpler time advancing as their bodies and spirits were boosted to the maximum limit.
The only thing they had to work on was their mentality and origin of their power.
To do that, only they themselves could walk towards the right path and reorient their powers based on their own individualities.
---
On planet Mamon, Klein had successfully returned to his home which had thankfully remained safe during the passage of time.
"Villagers of Meita Village! Our golden child has returned to us!"
His father would not allow him to return without the full recognition he deserved.
Cheers resounded in the village, and they began the preparation of a banquet to celebrate.
They had carefully portioned out the vases that contained the spirit ale and wine over the period Null and the crew had left and grew stronger because of them.
Unlike before where the village was too careful to venture outwards, they had grown to become a fully fledged protected village that gained the attention of other colonies such as the City of Meidiora.
Talented youths were picked to join the ranks of the larger city and the overall strength of the village skyrocketed.
They had plenty to eat thanks to the farms and reared beasts, so they could focus more on learning more about the mofei and more knowledge-based studies.
It was needless to say that the once humble village was lacking in the knowledge department; they had not only focused on survival, but they even forsaken the study of beasts.
After the events of the beast tide, the village was introduced to the making of equipment by Klein and the other craftsman of the village that followed him.
It was seen that the bodies of the beasts could be used in more ways than food and fertilizer.
With a little bit of training, the villagers had crafted sturdier and sharper armors and weapons with the ability to channel mofei through them.
The pig beasts that Theef had brought back were also a boon to their development as they provided a stable food source and helped the few who could use it develop the practice of mind mofei manipulation.
After the welcome back had simmered down as night soon fell over the land, the people retreated back into their homes and Klein walked back with his mother and father to a large domicile that was built above the bunker.
"This is our house?!"
He had noticed that the previous earthen houses were replaced by brand new wooden houses and the pig pens were enlarged, but only now did he realize the scale of buildings that the village had reached.
"We got help from outsiders on architecture, so naturally we couldn't have the village head live in a dingy mud hut," Meior smiled as he explained.
There was plenty of forest surrounding the village and their was yet to be clear paths drawn in the land thanks to the beasts that inhabited them, however they could still harvest some natural resources with the proper group.
Meior typically led the hunting and gathering parties simply because he was the strongest in the village.
Even after losing an arm, he could manipulate better than ever before.
He had uncovered more behind the secrets of manipulation as he had to rely on it more than ever.
They soon entered the mansion-like house and Klein was met with a modern looking abode just lacking electricity.
Speaking of the life changing element, Klein was ready to talk with his father about the matter of mofei being classified as a Grade One magic to the outside.
"And this is the device that measures the level and category of energy it reads."
It was the first time that an Imeni was introduced to such technology, so Meior and Meira were astonished at its function.
"Woah! It really did light up once I manipulated an earth pick. I wonder if it's the same for each element," Meior was having a blast as he manipulated more for the device while Meira watched on the sidelines.
"Haha! Even I was eager to try it out after seeing it work. But Dad, I was meaning to ask you more about the meibeasts that gave birth to us."
"Oh," Meior was still fidgeting with the device, "What did you have in mind?"
Not expecting such a response to his sudden question, Klein continued, "I was just wondering more about my bloodline and role on this planet."
"Oh? Will thinking that deeply about matters ultimately benefit you?"
Again, his father spoke eerily causing Klein to wonder just what happened while he was away.
"I believe that getting to the source of my powers will ultimately benefit me, yes."
"I've never spoken about this to you aside from the day you were born. The Makra— the divine beasts that existed in the days of yore— are our ancestors, our protectors.
He continued, "I believe they're still out there somewhere outside of our domain where they continue to exist separate from our meager ordeals."
'No wonder he has been so different compared to before. He considers the Makra as divine figures,' Klein knew that he had to dig deeper into this new information to gain more from it.
"How do you know so much? What about your parents— my grandparents?"
"I was a special case. The beast traits that were usually dormant showed in myself while both of my parents had no clue what to make of it. In the end, it turned out that there were some informed members of the city that knew what our bloodline carried and shunned me."
"Our eyes are special. They show us reality as how special it is. And with your external manipulation, it seems that we can manipulate reality as we see fit."
'Hmm. Manipulating reality as I see fit. That seems to resonate with my individuality.'
"Thank you, Dad. Next, I'd like to discuss the advanced mofei that you haven't taught me about yet."
"Ah yes. Advanced mofei. It takes a bit of time to master, but upon reaching the sufficient level new elements become present."
"Not to sound unappreciative, but I've already seen many spectacles from my crewmates. I just want your experience on the matter."
"Way to bum your old man out Klein," Meior put on a pained facade, "How about you tell me about what you know about the advanced mofei."
It was still a bit hard for Klein to manipulate the advanced mofei, but thanks to Null and Theef's explanations and demonstrations, he could use the basic mofei to shift into their advanced forms.
It all began with his hands.
He could manipulate water and air together to chill it into ice.
He could manipulate earth and fire together to meld into lava.
He could manipulate air and earth together to statically charge into lightning.
The more the elements shifted in his palm he put a name to them, "Ice, lava, lightning, mud, poison. The elements can interact to propel themselves into their advanced forms."
"That's a neat trick and all, but how do you think those without multiple attunements manipulate advanced versions of mofei?"
Klein was put in thought.
He contemplated the feeling of the mofei that came about from his elemental combination and noticed how the advanced mofei was still based on the basic mofei in nature.
Taking ice mofei for example, the normal blue fluid mofei that made up water became rigid and lighter in color.
He had to find the way to manipulate the mofei's form to become like the advanced version without utilizing any of the other elements to become a proper advanced manipulator.
"Looks like I'm in for a bout of experimentation!"
Meior and Meira smiled at their son's conviction; children his age were not even able to manipulate at all much less manipulate advanced elements.