The small human didn't seem normal; as soon as he appeared within the palace dome, completely naked, I immediately inspected him both physically and mentally. His appearance is that of a normal human, but he possesses a strange energy that fills his body and hinders my mana vision. His mind, on the other hand, is unreachable.
At first, I thought it was due to the absence of mana in his body and mind, that my Mental Inquisitor ability had no effect, but it seems that's not the case.
"It's as if his mind isn't here, but that's not possible."
At least my guards had the decency to provide him with some rags.
After introducing himself, the human sat down again and asked, "So, Queen Saphir Marble, you seem to know that I'm a human, but what are you, a golem?"
"Golem?"
"Yes, that's what we call beings like you in my world."
"Does your world also have Earthborn?"
"No, it's more like a myth found in some literary and fictional works," he replied.
"Well, I don't know about your world, but here, a Golem is just a pathetic construct created by weak and cowardly mages who hide in their laboratories while their creations destroy everything and everyone. So, no, neither I nor anyone of my people is a golem," I responded dryly, but couldn't help muttering under my breath, "Although some are as dumb as one."
The human seemed to have heard it but acknowledged with a wry smile.
We fell into silence for a while. I intended to wait until he felt comfortable speaking again.
I could see the moment determination appeared in his eyes. Then he stood up, looked me in the eyes, and said, "I want to propose an agreement, Queen Marble."
"What kind of agreement?" I asked, intrigued.
"I want access to the knowledge of everything related to mana, books, teachers, everything you have. I also want resources to strengthen myself, such as these restraint stones." He pointed to the floor and walls.
"Hmm, regarding the stones, that won't be a problem, but the knowledge will come at a high cost. A very high cost," I said as I approached a bit. He was short; the top of his head barely reached my shoulders.
I looked down on him to test his resolve. My rune of the Truth told me he was being sincere, but sincerity wouldn't be enough. An agreement of this nature couldn't be made with a weak person, no matter the reward offered.
I fueled my mana core, releasing the pressure from my runes. It didn't seem to affect him, but that didn't matter. I went ahead and questioned him in an authoritative manner.
"And what could a mere human like you offer to this queen, who can match all the mana knowledge of the Earthborn?"
Still, he met my gaze without wavering and responded, "It's quite simple. I offer you a new source of power." He extended his palm into the air and turned to a wall.
"A power capable of strengthening the body to the absolute peak!" His hand began to emit a faint greenish light.
"I offer you, Saphir Marble, ruler of the Earthborn, the power of Qi!"
He clenched his fist and, in a combat stance, punched the wall.
*BOOM!*
*CRACK!*
The ground trembled, and the wall shattered like glass. The restraint stones on the wall were embedded in a rock-like steel material. Even though the human specifically aimed for this sturdier part, the force of the impact was so great that it turned many obsidian stones into dust.
He withdrew his hand from the crater in the wall, completely unharmed, and the dust still emitted the same glow as before.
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"...!" My eyes widened when understanding dawned.
"The force of that blow is something that could be done by any veteran warrior focused on strengthening, but only if not in a restrictive place like this."
"The question is, to perform a blow of that magnitude, a certain amount of mana would be required. It wouldn't be a significant expenditure if you had good mana control, but no matter how well you control your mana, you would still spend some."
"He didn't spend anything! The energy is still there! This Qi can allow you to fight physically for hours. I wouldn't have to worry about being defenseless when I'm out of mana; I wouldn't even need to stop fighting!"
"This is madness," I spoke to myself.
"Madness...? This is SPARTA!" *BOOM* He shouted and hit the wall once again, but this time with a kick.
I raised an eyebrow at that, and he lowered his head in regret.
"Sorry, always wanted to say that."
"You know, that speech about Qi was a bit exciting. It gave you an air of a wandering master and knowledgeable person, but now you just look like a fool."
"Hahaha," he suddenly burst into laughter.
"What's so funny?" I asked, arms crossed.
"Haha, haa, nothing, I just thought you sounded like my sister. Lately, she's been calling me an idiot quite frequently." He sighed while scratching his head.
"She seems to be a wise woman," I replied cynically.
He looked at me, somewhat surprised by my joke.
"Puff, hahaha, she would certainly like to be!"
After composing ourselves, we returned to a serious gaze. This time, I took the initiative.
"The kingdom of Holyrock agrees to support you on the condition that you provide, not only this Qi but also the knowledge of how to use it. You must also swear never to harm the kingdom of Holyrock or share anything related to the mana knowledge of our people with other nations, whether they are allies or not."
"You must also swear not to share anything related to Qi with anyone, person, nation, or scrap of paper that has not been previously authorized by me. Finally, this agreement will have a provisional validity of ten years, subject to future changes with the consent of both parties." When I finished, he had a silly smile on his face.
"Sounds good. Where do I sign?"
===
After Teseu and the queen finished discussing the details of the contract clauses, the queen led him out of the dungeon.
They ascended a spiral stone staircase, illuminated by strange black candles with white flames, mounted on a triple candlestick on the wall.
They passed through several floors, each with a corridor full of cells, all embedded with restraint obsidian stones. However, as they ascended, the cells had fewer and fewer of these stones.
At the top of the staircase, there was a small corridor that ended in a sturdy double metal gate. Two heavily armed guards stood at attention in front of the gate, completely still, looking more like statues than guards.
*Clang* *Clang*
Upon noticing their queen's presence, the guards uncrossed their spears, clearing the way, and then struck the ground twice. Their eyes began to glow in a yellow-amber hue as the gate trembled and began to open.
Two more guards waited on the other side. Teseu seemed impressed with everything; it was understandable since this was the first time he could truly see anything. When they brought him in, he was handcuffed, gagged, blindfolded, and placed in a sort of box.
A large room awaited him on the other side of the gate. It was empty except for a stone counter on the left wall, where an old man appeared to be seated in a chair behind the counter.
He was made of a type of ferrous stone, different from the queen's white marble and the other guards. His skin resembled metallic rock, with some parts corroded by rust. However, his beard and hair were almost completely rusted but still appeared smooth and well-kept.
The old man sat firmly upright, but his eyes were closed. He was clearly asleep. The queen turned to Teseu and said, "Old Methrin is an elder of our people, one of the few who saw the founding hero himself, more than 300 years ago, and he's still alive. So, be respectful and keep your mouth shut."
When they reached the counter, the queen lightly tapped her foot on the ground, and the old man opened his eyes.
"I see you're getting along well with the human invader, little Sephir~," his voice was like that of a grandfather speaking to his granddaughter.
"Grandpa, I've told you to leave this job to someone else. You should enjoy your free time with other things. If you don't find a replacement soon, I'll hire one myself." The queen had a rather serious expression, which seemed to warm the old man's heart.
"Ho ho, I apologize, my queen," he bowed slightly. "I should find a successor at some point, but please allow this old man to work as he always has. There's nothing to do with so much free time, anyway."
"Hump, so be it," she huffed and moved on to the main topic. "I'm taking this human out of the dungeon. He will sign a soul pact, which promises to be very beneficial to our nation. So, please erase all records of him being here. I don't want rumors spreading that he was treated like a prisoner." The old man nodded in understanding.
With a wave of the old man's hand, a metal-covered book and a metallic pen, also on the other side of the counter, floated from the shelf.
The old man flipped through the book and seemed to find what he was looking for. He tore out a page, and as he read it, the pen began to write on another page in the book. When he finished, the old man waved his hand again, and everything returned to where it was before.
"Here you go, I copied your records as being an insistent metamorphic light butterfly, so you don't have to worry," said the old man, handing the paper to the queen.
The queen extended her hand, and the paper flew to her. "Thank you," she said and turned to leave.
They climbed another staircase, and for the first time, Teseu could see the sunlight in this new world. It was warm, pleasant, and very blue.