Two days later, Su Yu slowly awoke. She could feel that her mind was now filled with far more knowledge than before—information about how to use her abilities. The excitement was almost too much to bear, and she immediately wanted to test it out. She focused hard, trying to summon a simple piece of bread… but nothing happened.
"You can't use divine power yet. How could you possibly materialize anything?" came Alaya's voice from nearby, right as Su Yu's experiment failed.
"Oh, so that's why…" Su Yu muttered, a little disappointed.
"Alright, I'll explain how to use the power in your body now," Alaya said, noticing her crestfallen expression.
"Good, let's start learning! With my brilliance, I'll definitely pick it up fast!" Su Yu replied, eyes sparkling.
Days passed in the blink of an eye. Today, the skies were perfectly clear, the sun shining on a sea of clouds, and a gentle breeze made the leaves of the forest whisper. Yet, beneath the towering [World Tree], a voice roared loud enough to shake the heavens.
"Baka! Baka! You're an even bigger idiot than Gaia!"
Gaia, who was splashing happily in a nearby stream, paused mid-play. "Ah? Is Alaya thinking about me?" she wondered aloud. After a moment's thought—and no real answer—she simply shrugged and went back to splashing. (Seriously, what's so fun about playing in water… sweat!)
The shouting had, of course, come from Alaya, who had been training Su Yu. After what felt like ages of instruction, Su Yu had managed to tap into one ten-thousandth of her divine power. By the standards of this world, that was a genius-level achievement. But to Alaya—who had never taught anyone before, and had always used her own vast power effortlessly—it was frustratingly slow.
Being both a loli in body and heart, Alaya had little patience. At first, curiosity kept her motivated, but that had worn thin.
"Alright, I've decided—you'll train in the Fantasy World. That way, your memories will grow naturally, and I can unlock your seal bit by bit. I'm honestly a genius," Alaya said, beaming with self-satisfaction.
"Fantasy World? You mean like those worlds from anime and novels?" Su Yu asked eagerly.
"Basically, yes," Alaya replied after thinking for a moment.
"But… aren't those worlds dangerous? I've only got one ten-thousandth of my power. Isn't that asking for trouble?" Having died once already, Su Yu had no desire to risk her life again. The thought of ending up in a [Dragon Ball]–type world where you could be blown up before lunch made her uneasy.
"Idiot. Those overpowered worlds don't actually exist. And don't underestimate that fraction of power—you could go just about anywhere in a fantasy setting with that," Alaya said, giving her a withering look.
Su Yu thought bitterly, I didn't even say which world I was thinking of. How does she know? Can she read minds?
"I knew it just by looking at your stupid face," Alaya said dryly.
Yup. Definitely a mind reader, Su Yu grumbled inwardly.
"Anyway, enough nonsense. Where's your book?" Alaya asked.
"My book? You mean that beat-up thing with the word 'Fantasy' written on it in some weird font anyone can read?"
"Yes. That one."
"Oh, Gaia's using it as a table stand," Su Yu realized aloud. (Before, when they were waiting for Su Yu to wake up, the two lolis had gotten tired of standing around in the weather, so they'd built a little house around a piece of white jade as its centerpiece.)
"You idiot, that's your companion sacred weapon!" Alaya yelled, leaping up to smack Su Yu on the head before bolting into the house like an arrow.
"Oww… it's just a book. Is it really that big a deal?" Su Yu whimpered, covering her head with teary eyes. (Yes—still a girl.)
While still rubbing her head, Su Yu followed after Alaya. But as she reached the doorway, she heard a tiny crying voice inside:
"Uuuuu… Lord Alaya… Master… Gaia-sama… you're all terrible! You actually put me on a table… wooo…"
"Huh?" Su Yu dashed inside.
There, she saw Alaya holding the battered book. But in its center stood a tiny girl in a green dress, with two delicate sets of transparent wings. She was only about 30 centimeters tall, facing away so Su Yu couldn't see her face. (Yes, the author is a lolicon—don't complain.)
"So cuuute!" Su Yu squealed. She shot forward almost instantly, scooping the little fairy into her hands before Alaya could react, rubbing her own face against the fairy's over and over.
"Lord Alaya, help meee…" the book spirit pleaded in a dying voice. (She'd completely given up resisting.)
"You idiot, let go of Shu Ling!" Alaya smacked Su Yu again, prying the fairy from her grasp.
"Oww… why do you always hit me…" Su Yu groaned, clutching her head again.
Safe in Alaya's hands, the little fairy brightened immediately. "Lord Alaya! I just saw the [Santu River]! It's so beautiful!"
"Sister Alaya… who's this?" Su Yu asked as she stood back up.
"This is the book spirit of your sacred weapon, the Fantasy Book. We'll call her Xiaoling [Little Spirit]," Alaya decided after a pause.
"You put so much thought into it… and the best you came up with is Xiaoling just because she's a book spirit?" Su Yu and Xiaoling complained in unison.
"I get the feeling you two are mocking me…" Alaya said dangerously.
"No, no, of course not!" they both said with identical sheepish grins—while thinking in perfect sync, She can definitely read minds.