Lady Veronika did not disappoint him.
After thinking for a moment, she raised two slender fingers.
"Since you're being so sincere and even brought me dessert, I can offer you two options. One is very difficult, but completely reliable. The other is the most suitable, but it requires courage and determination. So, which one will you choose?"
Grey was pleasantly surprised by how things had turned out.
He knew that, thanks to Junior's special training under the guidance of several Sky-dwellers, he could rightfully be called an expert on different methods of growing stronger. He had never expected Veronika to come up with two more solutions so quickly.
Perhaps she was far more mysterious than he had imagined.
"Please, tell me the details," he asked.
Lady Veronika did not answer right away. She looked at the boy and responded with a question of her own.
"Do you know how the system that gives virtually every citizen of the Roman Empire a chance to walk the path of cultivation came into existence? What makes that system work?"
Grey answered without hesitation.
"Of course I do. It's one of the most famous legends. Hephaestus envied Prometheus's achievements, so he decided to surpass him. He created a device from orichalcum that could store divine energy. Since then, every citizen has had a chance to awaken a magic core, as long as they touch the Sphere of Origin."
Lady Veronika smiled faintly before asking another leading question.
"Do you actually believe that? How could a single blacksmith god possess such exaggerated abilities? Doesn't that sound a little too far-fetched?"
"The Magic Empire has its own patron gods as well, but they spent centuries hunting witches just to understand how to control mana..."
"So their gods are that incompetent?"
"If it were really that simple, then why haven't the Romans united all of humanity by now?"
Grey scratched the back of his head, completely bewildered.
No matter how hard he thought, he simply could not reason about the motives of the gods or the limits of their power. He lacked the necessary knowledge. Perhaps if Junior had been available, he could have come up with a reasonable answer or at least built a convincing theory. But Senior was completely helpless. Not because he was stupid, but because he was missing the crucial information that every citizen of Eridania considered common knowledge.
He had arrived in this world only a few months ago. He simply had not had enough time to truly understand it.
So what answer could he possibly give?
Noticing his reaction, Veronika did not mock him. Instead, she went straight to the point.
"The secret is very simple. Hephaestus did not create the cultivation system from scratch. He used an existing one as the foundation. Can you guess whose example he followed?"
This time, the answer came immediately.
"The Empire of the Six Pillars."
Of all the human powers he knew of, that empire was both the oldest and the most mysterious. It never sought to expand its territory and took no part in ruling the human race. Yet even the mighty Roman Empire could not take a single step onto its lands.
What did that tell him?
That the Empire of the Six Pillars possessed absolute confidence in itself.
It only took a moment of thought for the answer to become obvious. No nation could exist without ambition. The struggle for resources was the foundation of every civilization's growth. So why did humanity's oldest empire remain so restrained and refuse to involve itself in worldly conflicts?
There was only one possible answer.
Its roots ran far deeper than anyone could imagine. So deep that the petty struggles consuming everyone else simply did not matter to it.
"That's right," Veronika replied. "The cultivation method used by the Roman Empire was created by adapting the existing methods of the Empire of the Six Pillars. Only someone on the level of a god would dare interfere with their interests. Hephaestus was one of them."
She paused.
"It doesn't matter when or how, but he managed to uncover their secrets. He learned how their practitioners used their power and reshaped their method. So what is the secret?
You already know the answer. Magic core, dantian, mana essence. Any of those names will do.
Every living creature on this planet exists and interacts with the world. It is through that interaction that talent reveals itself. But not every talent is great enough to use the world's energy, which is also called mana. Most of the time, an external push is needed.
Hephaestus's talent as a blacksmith is known throughout the world. Using that talent, along with his deep understanding of humanity's path of cultivation, he created the Spheres of Origin to provide that very 'push.'
What about the other empires? They solve the problem in their own ways. In the Magic Empire, they use mana awakening potions and runes to provide that 'push.' The Empire of the Six Pillars relies on pills refined by alchemists. As a result, the abilities people obtain and the methods they cultivate differ greatly, yet they all originate from the same source.
Do you understand?"
Grey fell into deep thought.
Veronika's explanation was remarkably thorough. Far more comprehensive than anything Junior had ever told him.
"So you're saying that it doesn't matter which system I choose because the underlying principle is the same. Human talent needs a 'push' to awaken. I understand that completely. But we also have to consider the efficiency of different methods.
In theory, a carriage can roll on square wheels or even triangular ones, but round wheels work much better in practice. Cultivation is the same. A more refined and proven method will save my subordinates a great deal of effort. That's exactly what I'm aiming for."
"Not bad. Your understanding is much sharper than most people would expect," Lady Veronika praised him sincerely. She was genuinely pleased that Grey had grasped the essence so quickly.
"Now that you know all this, let me offer you two effective methods.
The first one is rather difficult. You need to refine pills. I can give you the complete recipe.
The ingredients are: the sap of fern leaves at least two meters tall, a four-leaf Omnebella flower, shavings from bamboo bark that is over ten years old, water from a well deeper than a hundred meters, ginseng that is more than twelve years old, and the blood of a Level 4 magical beast.
You can analyze the effects of each herb yourself and find substitutes that are easier to obtain. However, the real challenge lies in the refinement process.
To successfully refine these pills, you must have exceptional control over the temperature of the flame. An ordinary campfire won't do. The alchemists of the Empire of the Six Pillars use their internal energy, but you're only a cripple, and I can't help you with that..."
At that moment, Grey had to summon every ounce of his willpower to stop himself from silently cursing Lady Veronika for being so merciless.
He knew perfectly well that he was a pitiful cripple. She really did not have to remind him.
Still, he had to admit that her knowledge was astonishing. An ordinary person simply could not possess information like this. With every conversation they had, Grey felt that Lady Veronika's identity became even more unfathomable.
Could she be a fugitive from the Empire of the Six Pillars?
It didn't seem likely.
Grey had heard that their people were known for their black hair and narrow eyes, much like the Asians from his previous life. Veronika did not fit that description. Then where else could she have obtained such highly confidential knowledge?
Wait. He had gotten distracted again.
As valuable as her method was, he simply had no way to use it.
Every single ingredient was difficult to obtain. Finding suitable substitutes would take a great deal of time. But even that was not the biggest problem. With Junior's help and enough money, that obstacle could still be overcome.
The real issue was something else.
Precise control over the flame.
In theory, he could raise the temperature by using steam engines as a heat source. But achieving rapid cooling without the use of magic... that had been nearly impossible even in his previous world, let alone here.
No matter how hard Grey racked his brain, he could not come up with a single workable solution.
Even so, he had no intention of giving up. He memorized every detail, planning to discuss it with Junior later.
Grey looked at Lady Veronika.
She was clearly enjoying his predicament as she leisurely finished her pie. Her pearly eyes narrowed slightly, while her full, inviting lips curved into a smile.
Taking a deep breath, he asked, "What about the second method?"
"Hehe, the second method is much simpler. The only question is whether you'll dare to use it."
"I need to hear it before I can decide," Grey replied flatly. By now, most of his earlier enthusiasm had already faded.
"It's simple. Do you know about ritual magic?"
"The kind of magic that lets you pray directly to the gods?" Grey asked in disbelief.
Just yesterday, he would not have been able to answer so quickly. But that morning, Lily and Cheryl had mentioned a ritual they planned to use to absorb the essence of a magical beast, so he did not make a fool of himself.
Quickly gathering his thoughts, he recalled everything he knew about ritual magic.
"Ritual magic is a system of ceremonies that allows a person to ask a higher being for help, whether it's a god, a demon, or any other powerful existence.
It is used for many different purposes: protection, gaining knowledge, attracting good fortune, healing, or strengthening one's own power.
A ritual requires an altar, a sacrifice, and the goodwill of the entity being summoned."
Veronika's eyes gleamed.
"Exactly. You should already understand where I'm going with this.
Just as the Sphere of Origin can give a person the 'push' needed to begin cultivation through divine power, a god can provide that same 'push' directly.
But you forgot one thing.
It's always best to call upon a well-known entity. You wouldn't want to summon some random demon who not only refuses to help, but also uses your life as the sacrifice, would you?
That's why the wording of the ritual is so important."
"And how is that supposed to help me?" Grey asked in frustration. "Even if I could attract the attention of a specific friendly god, I still wouldn't be able to gather even the minimum sacrifice needed for that god to help one person, let alone an entire group of teenagers."
"That's your problem. I'm only giving you options. Whether you use them or not is entirely your decision," Lady Veronika replied calmly.
Grey took a deep breath.
She was absolutely right. There was no such thing as a free lunch. The fact that Lady Veronika was willing to share her knowledge with him could already be considered an act of goodwill.
"Then which powerful being would you recommend I pray to?"
Although he already knew he was unlikely to use this method because of Junior Grey's questionable past, any piece of information could prove useful.
Knowledge was power.
As someone from a highly advanced civilization, Grey had always believed in that principle. So he listened to Lady Veronika with full attention, hoping to learn something from her.
"Isn't it obvious?" she asked as she leaned back on the couch. "Have you forgotten the name of our establishment?"
Grey's eyes went wide.
"It can't be..."
"That's right. We are under the protection of the goddess of beauty and love, Venus, who is also known as Aphrodite..."
"..."
"What are you so surprised about?" Lady Veronika let out a soft laugh. "Pratos is the perfect place to gain new believers. It's not only evil and weak beings who are interested in them. Even the orthodox gods are. The Roman Empire, which stands under the protection of Olympus, actively recruits followers. Opening a 'Temple of Love' helps spread the faith."
"But this is territory controlled by the Magic Empire," Grey objected weakly. "They have the Church of the One God, supported by the angels. Doesn't that create a conflict of interests? We could be killed for violating their beliefs."
Lady Veronika dismissed his concern with a wave of her hand.
"This is only the frontier. They don't care about what happens beyond Loss Pass. Thorn's Cloaca is nothing more than a distant outpost whose only purpose is to warn them of approaching danger."
"Even so..." Grey still found her explanation hard to accept.
"Don't think about it. You're far too young and too weak to take part in that game. You should be thinking about how to win the goddess's favor instead.
Ahahaha. You're a handsome boy, after all. Who knows? Maybe she'll like your appearance enough that you won't even need a sacrifice..."
The more Lady Veronika spoke, the colder Grey felt.
He knew Junior's past, as well as his strained relationship with the gods of Olympus.
Just imagining that they had ended up right in the middle of enemy territory sent a chill down his spine. Weren't they practically asking to be killed? And what if someone recognized him as the "Child of Darkness"? Wouldn't they burn him at the stake just like Hope's mother?
"Hehe... Then could you teach me the ritual?"
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