Shen stepped into the room. It was tiny, barely large enough for the small table and two chairs in the center. The furniture was made of white wood, a nice contrast to the black metal everything was made of.
"Sit," Alyphan commanded as he sat on one of the chairs. Shen obeyed. "I was told you just came out from a newly integrated world and are ignorant of almost everything in the Alliance. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
A silvery metal cube with golden edges materialized on his gloved hands. He placed it on the table.
"This is an info cube, an information-injection device," Alyphan said. "They aren't overly expensive, but not too widespread either. Inject mana into it, and it'll push all the information you need to join a drow squad."
Shen raised an eyebrow. "I'm a cultivator. I can't use mana."
"I was not told that, but I was given this tool for children." Something that looked like a crystal pen, filled with black runes, materialized on his hand. He touched the cube with one end and kept holding it. The black runes lit up. "I'll supply the mana. Touch the mind bridge."
Shen didn't hesitate. Those objects had only enough mana to be E-rank or so. Even if they were a trap to let the drow temporarily enter his mind, he felt confident he could cut the man off.
More importantly, he didn't believe it was a trap. The B-ranks could've crushed and controlled him already. They didn't need this farce.
The moment he touched the mind bridge, information flooded into his mind. It was nowhere as delicate as the antidron or the system, more like a punch for the latters' massage, but his mind could take it.
The worst part was how slow it was. Only minutes later did he finish absorbing knowledge of the drow language, including contextual usage and combat signs. It also had a dictionary written in English. He had no idea how that was possible, but here they were.
Alyphan put the objects away. "Tell the system to stop translating Syron for you." Shen did as told, then heard the man speak the drow language for the first time. "Were you told why you must learn our language?"
It was weird to hear another language after so long. The system somehow knew the Eternal Language and translated everything for him. And while he had learned English, he only used it to read and write, not speak or listen.
Shen didn't have an easy time understanding the man. The information in his mind hadn't been delivered like the system had done when informing him of the Alliance's rules. It didn't automatically become his. Instead, it was as if he had memorized a book without ever taking the time to try to understand any of it.
His learning ability let him quickly make connections and find what he was looking for, so he got the drow's words. However, it required a lot of focus. Fortunately, the man had apparently expected it because he had spoken much slower than before.
On top of that, Shen's mind was still slower than usual due to giving up blood essence. Not as weakened as his body, but still not much faster than it was when he reached E-rank.
"No," Shen started replying but realized he had spoken in the Eternal Language. "No," he repeated in Syron, then searched for the words and grammatical rules to continue, "No one tell me. But I can... guess... reason. System translation... slow. This better for quick battle."
"No one told you. You can guess the reason," Alyphan corrected. "The system translation is slow. This is better for a fast-paced battle. We will now speak progressively slower until you're used to the language."
The drow words didn't make sense. They should speak progressively faster, no? In his confusion, he noticed the man's right eyebrow had frozen a little raised and even bent. That was an obvious hint.
Shen quickly searched through the information in his head. That gesture either meant the sixth word in the last sentence he had said should have the meaning reversed or that Shen should kill the prisoner. In that case, "slower" became "faster," as expected.
The "kill the prisoner" bit left the cultivator confused. He quickly looked through the material in his head and noticed there was always a lot of context about the gestures—
"Wait/Always/Your-mother!" he said. "Syron/Toilet/Pee is/instrument/chair too/forever/white-horse complex/gray!"
He had meant to say, "Wait! Syron is too complex!" The exact words could've meant many other things, depending on the context.
He delved deeper into his knowledge and realized many words didn't have an opposite. The opposite was spoken by adding a gesture, voice level, or intonation. The same word written on paper could change meaning depending on where the pen pressed deeper.
In fact, there were dozens of ways of speaking or writing the same thing depending on multiple factors, from simple to subtle ones, and when mixed together, things got way too complicated.
Even talking to someone taller or shorter than you, or sitting or standing up, or how far you were from someone, could change the meaning.
"What the fuck?" he spoke in perfect Eternal Language.
"Only speak in Syron," Alyphan commanded. "Our language was created to deliver information as fast as possible. Its contextual changes are based on statistical usage of many words and sentences in specific situations. Whatever is most spoken or critical to be said faster is given priority over everything else. It feels complex now, but practice will make it second nature. You were a commoner before the integration, correct?
"Yes," was all Shen trusted himself to say in Syron.
"Then your mind is underutilized beyond your wildest imagination. I was told the Maiden trained you in combat. Think of everything you can do. Do you think it would be possible without a D-rank mind and D-tier learning ability?"
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Shen wasn't thrilled about his personal information being spread without his consent, like his learning ability, but he guessed it was the same for all drow.
"No."
"So, believe me, you'll learn Syron fast enough," the drow continued his sales pitch while using two elbow gestures to revert the meaning of 'big' and 'slower.' Those were even words that existed, without the need for the signs, too. "We'll start small (big), as I am doing. Simple meaning without context, with the eventual physical sign and intonation. Things will go much faster (slower) once I can get past the system translation speed to speak, and you can talk as fast as possible."
To be fair, limiting things like that did make it considerably easier. "I see," Shen said. "Will it take long?"
"Your mind is fast; I am not exaggerating. Having all information available also greatly accelerates the process. If you hadn't donated blood essence, up to an hour. As you are, maybe two to four hours."
Those were drow hours, which roughly translated to six times Earth hours. So, Alyphan was saying it would've taken him up to six Earth hours if he hadn't donated blood essence and half a day to an entire Earth day because he had.
"I understand. Please, teach me."
"I already am teaching you. Practice will lead to perfection. Let us keep talking. Try to form bigger sentences. You already became good enough that I don't need to correct you. What do you enjoy talking about?"
"Training, cultivation, Paths, and combat."
The drow smiled for the first time. Shen assumed he also had emotional control, so he purposefully showed his approval.
"That is perfect; you'll use many words related to battle. I also find it very interesting. I was tier 4 at D-rank, but I heard stories about tier 1 training. Also, the Maiden is known for being a Sulyfor purist. Tell me all about your experiences."
"Tiers? Sulyfor?" Shen asked instead. "What are those?"
He almost regretted asking because Alyphan used a lot of meaning-changing body signs. "Ah, typical Sulyfor Method. You were not even told how hard your training was. To sum it up, drow training is determined by their evaluated potential, which is tiered. You're tier 1, the best. You received the hardest training because Sulyfor, a long dead drow, believed someone's potential can only be fully squeezed out under pressure. The Sulyfor Method is considered the best one but is also the one with the most casualties. Most mentors stop before death even if the result is subpar, but the Maiden was trained by a purist and became a purist herself. There's only making it or dying. Wear your survival with even more pride as being classified by the Triarchy as having good instincts for a D-rank. Now, speak."
Shen raised an eyebrow. They even knew about that? Where was this hidden drow communication network, and how did he join?
"I guess I'll get access to your information source after I'm good enough with Syron?" he asked.
The man barely twitched his nose. It was both a "yes," a "stop wasting my time," and a "you should be doing something else."
The cultivator sighed, and started telling the drow all about his training.
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Shen swung his spear at Alyphan, who slapped it away with ease while saying "sky."
That slap, the way it was delivered, the moment it touched his spear, and their relative positions changed the word's meaning to, "I left my right side open on purpose, but instead of taking the obvious bait, you properly evaluated a better avenue of approach. I approve of it."
Shen stepped back and prepared to continue.
They were in a large cubic room about thirty yards wide. They had moved there a couple of Earth hours after the lesson started. As Shen shared his experiences with the Maiden, Alyphan theorized that he would learn even faster if he could rest his mind by fighting.
The drow had been right, which told Shen he was a battle addict.
"I once fucked the Maiden," Alyphan said while Shen rushed at the man. "She's a swallower."
That broke Shen's concentration entirely. His form and attack fell apart as he couldn't believe what he was hearing. His emotional control kept his astonishment low, but the sheer psychological shock was beyond his control.
"Ah," the drow said with a sneer. "One of the weaknesses of the Sulyfor Method. You placed your mentor on a pedestal. The Maiden is good at what she does, but she's only drow, just like you. Respect her power and abilities, but don't think of her as an untouchable goddess. For the record, drow don't mate until we reach B-rank. Our sexual drive is firmly locked by our indoctrination. We can't waste time in pleasurable escapism while our race's continued existence is at stake. B-ranks have already done their part and can take a few minutes of furlough if they want."
Shen was still dumbfounded, but for a different reason. He did not see the Maiden as a goddess. Instead, he only respected her and her abilities, as Alyphan had said he should.
However, the man's words made him search deep into his heart, and he found jealousy.
He wasn't in love with the Maiden, he could tell. He hated too many things she had done to him, and their bad history couldn't be erased so easily. No, he wanted something different.
Shen wanted to dominate the Maiden physically in all senses. Not hurt her—never hurt anyone he wanted to get intimate with!—but establish his dominance over her by simply being stronger and defeating her in combat. He wanted both recognition and having her willingly submit to him as an intimate partner.
He had never seen himself as someone with such a fetish but wasn't surprised to find he was like that. He was a battle junkie, wasn't he? And a fight was all about triumphing over his enemies.
Being told he was so below her had hurt.
He only noticed it all now because his emotional control didn't mean personal omniscience. He had previously reviewed all his feelings, but sometimes, a new one arose. Not because they were beyond his reach but simply because he wanted it to happen.
Shen still left thinking about some parts of himself for "later." And he could still lie to himself. He had almost-but-not-really-unconsciously done so about his feelings towards the Maiden until something made him face them.
That is what shocked him about Alyphan's words.
Now, he had a decision to make: what to do with that new feeling, that new perspective about himself, that new realization?
He wouldn't allow himself to get taunted; that would be stupid. Fighting physically for the Maiden against a "competitor" or "offender" after her dismissal would be even dumber.
However, even if she never acknowledged him, that new, dominant part of himself wanted to feel he was good enough to be accepted, either by the Maiden or any other person he felt passionate about.
As for whether he would consummate any such attraction? Probably, if they really fit each other and their Paths didn't get at odds. He hadn't consciously thought about it, but he was a wandering cultivator. He could do whatever he saw fit with himself now.
So that led to the question: was he currently doing his best to think of himself as worthy of anyone? In the past, he had concluded he couldn't always give his all without getting exhausted. But considering his past resting periods, expected ones in the future, exhaustion levels, and goals, was he learning as fast as he could?
No, he wasn't.
So, Shen ran his qi over his body, pulled, and pushed. He personally fixed himself. He was still 20% weaker than at his peak, but there were no longer any temporary extra weaknesses.
"Thank you for the lesson," he said. "I think I should give my all to be sure I can understand Syron even when focusing on battle. Can I?"
Alyphan smiled for the second time. "We would get there eventually, but feel free to try it now if you're good enough."
Shen laughed self-mockingly. The taunt was too obvious. "I was read like a book, wasn't I?"
The Maiden had been right. His problems and considerations were that of a child to someone as strong and probably as old as her and this drow. His brain was also very close to a drow's, especially after consuming Pure Yin-Yang Water. Except when it came to the martial part of this Path, they might know his mind better than he did.
The drow laughed back. "To the last cell of your existence. I told you the Sulyfor Method is the best, didn't I? I'm not a purist or specialist, but I can easily make any D-rank play to my tune."
"Well, screw you too," Shen spat in perfect Syron and attacked.
Alyphan only laughed louder as he easily deflected Shen's attacks.
They kept fighting and talking for hours.