Before I know it, I find my arms being held by my master. His grip is like iron as he holds on to me. I struggle against his hand, but it feels like a rock. I am sure this is the exact amount of force that is needed to hold me, without harming me. My master tends to be precise in these things.
"I will stop holding you if you do not suddenly jump at me like that." He speaks. "We can't have you hurting yourself like that now. Deal?"
As I relent, the man loosens his grip on my arm.
"How thorough is your destruction this time?" I ask the man. It is not the first time he has pulled off something like this. The last time he pulled off something like this was when I had just become his disciple. The destruction ended up with only three formations of mine left behind. It was supposed to mark a new beginning for me, at least according to my master.
"Well, I have destroyed all of the formations that you have provided to the legion. The ones in active use I have replaced with better quality formations.", he replies. "Right now the only piece of your work in the continent is your sword. Well, I guess the formation that you have built for the temporary fort also counts. Good job on that, by the way."
"I am surprised you have not destroyed that as well.", I reply to the man, feeling a sense of irritation in my heart. Years of work were destroyed in a few days.
"Well, I was hoping to do that. The only thing is that the environment is too volatile there. Me doing anything there will end up sparking a conflict that we all are better off without. Both the Snowwinders and the Snow tribe have been pissed off with my presence this time.", he replies. "Anyways, knowing the track record of those forts, it will be gone by the end of the season."
"You bastard.", is all I can reply to this. "At least be a bit more regretful about it. You destroyed formations I have been working on for years."
"Well, now that is over, I think it is time for the third thing. Frankly, it is the most important thing right now. It is related to your cultivation, about which you have been asking so impatiently. ", he speaks, clearly choosing to ignore my last statement. "What do you know about the foundation stage?"
"I can't say I know much about it. The basic purpose of the foundation stage is to build a foundation in our mana core.", I speak. "This happens by making use of foundation slabs. These slabs, when integrated, will become a part of the mana core, allowing it to store more mana. At the same time, it allows you to increase the durability of your mana core. This is important for the stage beyond. I don't know why, though."
"Well, you know quite a bit about this stage then.", he speaks. "In my path, the foundation stage is the same as with the elven path. The only difference is that there is one more step to the process known as foundation linking." He speaks. "Once you create a foundation slab and it becomes a part of your mana core, you can make use of the fusion spell. It will allow you to create a link between your mana core and a formation of your choice. This formation will become your core after this."
"A spell?" I ask my master that. Spells are too simple to play any role in something as complex as cultivation.
"Well, yeah a spell.", he continues. "On top of that, the spell is pretty simple as well, considering the task that it has to do. You won't struggle long with it. I would say it is about as complex as a class eight spell. As for what is going to be your core, here you go."
Saying that the man throws the sword at me. Well, it must have been in his spatial storage. He just retrieved it and threw it at me so quickly that I could not sense it.
Catching it, I see it is my sword. My most important creation. It was the one that led me to my present discipleship. My master took me in after seeing that sword only.
It is a pretty basic longsword. The design of the sword is almost indistinguishable from a sword that you can find in the legion. The only thing that would differentiate it is the fact that it is made up of bone. A vampire grunt's bones, to be precise. It is familiar to me in such a fundamental way that I can feel myself relax. Just touching it is enough to send a bolt of alertness into me. Looks like its magic is still working at least. Along with my sword, he has three notebooks in his hand now.
"The first notebook I have with me here is a record of all the formations that I have used to craft this airship.", he says. "I know that it is a bit larger than the notes that I usually provide you with, but you are going to need it in this case. It is a record of how you are supposed to use these formations and a few of my ideas on how you are supposed to upgrade it."
Well, that is a serious understatement, as a class eight formation would have a tenth of those notes. My master's notes are more detailed than normal, so they already tend to be much bigger compared to usual. Any other formation master would only need about half of the notes that he takes to describe a formation.
"The second notebook contains all of my notes on the class six formation that I have left for you here." he says. "You can make use of it perfectly to complete the formation."
He hands the second book to me. It is double the size of my first notebook. I can feel the weight of the book drag me down.
"This notebook contains everything that you need to know about the fusion spell. Make sure to keep this one as safe as possible. The fusion spell is something that only you are meant to read. Burn the book when you have memorised it.", he says.
The book this time is the size of the notebook that he gave me for the class eight spell. Thank god, because with how excited I am for it, I don't want to spend too long figuring it out.
"Make sure that you don't lose any of these books. I am going to be quite busy once we return to the hexmountain this time. Replacing it is going to be a pain. Anyways, I don't think you will be at the hexmountain long enough for me to write up a new one anyway.", he speaks. "This mission of yours wasn't supposed to be this chaotic. Anyway, I guess that I should mention that the head office is not particularly happy this time. In their eyes, you abandoned your scholars in a volatile environment. "
"Well, what exactly was I supposed to have done differently? It is not like I could have fought against Cloak.", I reply, feeling the annoyance return to my voice. My master was the one that put me in that damn place.
"Well, the head office is out for blood this time. They were expecting one less problem to deal with when they agreed to my deal. Not only do they still have to deal with the snowwinders, now the snow tribe has also been thrown into the mix." he says. "Anyways, it is my fault. Things weren't supposed to be this chaotic. Once you return to the hexmountain, I am sure that these guys are going to throw you into a pretty annoying mission. I can already guess what it is going to be. That is why I am making all the preparations for you right now. That means that you will have to understand the fusion spell by the time that we reach the hexmountain."
"How the fuck am I supposed to do that?" I ask. "It will take me a month to just read through the entire thing and memorize it."
"You just need to study the basics of the spell. The things that you absolutely cannot do wrong. That is about ten pages only. I am sure you can manage after that without me." the man replies.
"Fine.", is my reply to this.
As he speaks, he sits down on the ground.
"Firstly, I am going to be pretty busy from now on. I have to study this "tattoo" magic of the tattoo tribe. The less that you mention it to the head office, the better though. If you are not careful, you will end up having to deal with the scholars. You don't want to deal with a bunch of curious scholars. Their curiosity is worse than yours.", he says. "Secondly, you are going to take over piloting this ship in a couple of days as I start my study. Do not disturb me during this time. If you have any doubt about the fusion spell, keep it with you until I come out of the storage room. Whatever you do, don't enter the storage room when I'm busy."
"Are you sure that you will be leaving that room of yours then? I know how you get when you have something interesting in front of you." I ask.
"I will make sure to come out once every couple of days. How does that sound?" he replies. "I am not even sure if you will have any doubts. My notes do tend to be pretty clear."
That is quite an understatement. Even a baby could learn the spell with the detail my master explains them in.
"Well, what exactly am I supposed to do when pirates are going to come knocking?", I ask him. "It is not like this ship has any defenses and we will reach the Soldar Plains soon enough."
"Oh, right, I did forget about that.", he replies. "I will give you two class seven cannons. That should be enough for you to manage anybody coming at you. You will have to install it yourself, though. It will allow you to get used to the formation base of this ship. I think I should have left the process of how to do that in the notebook."
"Wasn't I supposed to focus on learning the fusion spell?" I ask the man.
"Well, I know you kid. You will get distracted while you do that. This will ensure that you do not end up wasting too much time in the process." he replies, his voice taking on a grave tone all of a sudden. "Before I leave, though, I have to ask how exactly you ended up injuring yourself like this. Which forbidden technique did you use and where did you learn it."
"I don't know any forbidden art, master.", I reply, my back slick with sweat for some reason. "I had a chance of learning one with the legion, but I came under you before I could learn it. I have learned magic from only the legion. There is no other source."
"I know, I have a list of everything you have learned at the legion. If you people want to hide something from me, I don't mind it. I draw the line at forbidden techniques. Those I can't accept.", he says. "The damage to your soul is serious. Your soul as a sage will make sure you have no lasting damage but that won't be the case every time."
"I swear on the shura that I don't know any forbidden art. The legion has a single forbidden art, and I left before I could learn it." I reply, my voice beginning to quiver. As I speak to the man, it feels like he has grown tenfold. Why is this man getting angry at me. I think as my body begins to shiver.
"Well, then, we will have to figure out what has happened to you. Such damage to the soul doesn't happen just like that." he speaks. His presence becomes normal as I can breathe a sigh of relief. "You don't worry about that. The domain of souls is beyond you. Leave it for now."
"Yes, master.", I reply. As I turn to leave.
"Well, I would still caution you to be careful, brat. You will recover this time, but such damage to the soul is no laughing matter." my master speaks, more to himself than to me. "Maybe I should go and have a chat with the legion about this. They are involved in this somehow. I am sure about that."