The theory that mages could grant someone Qi could explain the high number of Feathers, but it also gave him a few questions to ponder.
'If I can sense Qi, could my Qi be sensed as well?'
This was a game-changing question. If his Qi could be easily sensed the way he sensed the Feather's Qi, his secret would be revealed without him knowing it. But Leonard felt that the Feather didn't catch on to his secret. If the Feather had a Class, however—if it were someone with a Class—the story would be different.
The victims carried the two men while the Feather walked behind him. Robert followed; despite not being tied up, he didn't bother running. Leonard didn't follow them to wherever they were going. They most likely went to a station where criminals are held. Growing up, Leonard had heard painful tales about such stations; most feared the station like a plague. Whatever fate awaited the three was something no one could wish upon themselves.
Leonard went to the library. He went through the same process as last time before entering; this time, the contents of the paper were different. Once he entered, he got a book on the principles of Qi. He stayed in the library for about two hours. Unlike last time, he didn't pay a fee for accessing the library. He mainly studied a law called the States of Qi.
The book didn't go into detail, but the main point was that Qi had two main states: positive Qi and negative Qi. Each person who can use Qi has the same amount of negative and positive Qi. Only when one reaches Rank 4 does the negative Qi increase in number; only at Rank 6 do the two Qis stabilize. This Qi cannot be shared with another person. If a person who has a Class gives a normal person such Qi, they would die instantly, as they would receive positive Qi without any negative Qi to stabilize them. It would lead to the body experiencing extreme heat before the body melts like a candle.
For someone like Leonard, he had an even number of positive and negative Qi, but he had a third Qi: Materialistic Qi. This Qi was what gives his saber shape and solidifies it. The Materialistic Qi doesn't have to be in equal quantities as the negative and positive Qi; if anything, as of right now, it was the lowest amount of Qi in his body. That was why he could only use his saber for ten minutes because of his low amount of Materialistic Qi.
There was also Amplifying Qi. This Qi provided a physical boost to someone's body and was one of the Qis that could be shared via spells cast by a Mage, Berserker, or Necromancer. This Qi didn't cause any damage to the receiver, granted only a Mage cast the spell; a Berserker casting such a spell is the same as a curse, while a Necromancer can only cast such spells on those enslaved. Qi had many states, but the two main ones were positive and negative; the rest were mostly made as a byproduct of the two states.
Amplifying Qi could explain the Feather possessing Qi. The book never explained whether Qi could be sensed by other Classes. This filled Leonard with disappointment, as he was the most curious regarding this, but still, he was satisfied with the information he learned. Amplifying Qi could also explain how his body had extra power and energy compared to the average man; despite being tired a few hours ago, his body was now close to being normal. Before he left the library, he looked for a book which taught swordsmanship. He wasn't confident in his ability to teach himself such a skill; to his misfortune, such a book wasn't found.
He left the library without borrowing any books. He didn't go home but went to a local market where stands filled with groceries and such were placed. This market was close to the station. The area was lively, with people screaming at the top of their lungs trying to promote their stands. Children could be seen playing around. Compared to other parts of the area, the crime rate here was low; this was mainly due to the station. With it being close, Feathers were also close, and no one wanted to mess with the Feathers.
The market was a twenty-minute walk from where Leonard stayed. By the time Leonard reached here, his body had recovered from his fatigue and could go for another workout. He went to a nearby stand; there, he saw an elderly woman and a young lady his age selling fruits.
"Morning," Leonard said to the elderly woman, then gave the younger one a wave.
"Morning, Leonard," the elderly woman replied, while the younger one returned Leonard's wave.
Leonard lives in the state of Britannia, which could also be called a country. He lived in the Industrial Province in the Industrial District, named after the province, which happened to be where most royalty are found; as such, it was deemed the capital of Britannia. The Reaper was known only in some areas; not all areas knew of this tale. That was especially so for Leonard, as he was less known than the Reaper outside of the Industrial District. He was sure not many would know of the Reaper, let alone him.
The places where Leonard could freely visit could be called the slums, while the places he couldn't visit could be called the Royal Crests—a place where royalty lived, which started from Lady Melissa's house. The division between the rich and the poor was something Leonard and the rest of the people knew of.
"Is that—"
"It is."
"My Lord..."
"Did someone do something wrong?"
Leonard could hear whispers spreading. Everyone was looking at a certain young lady accompanied by a middle-aged man. The lady was wearing a thick leather coat with a long black dress. Her hair was brown, but not the common brown; it gave off a feeling of royalty with how it looked. It had a flower ornament on it. Her eyes were brown; her gaze made one lower themselves.
Seeing the lady, everyone—including Leonard—had a thought:
'Why was someone of royalty here?'