Murai heard her right and couldn't help but ask. “What do you mean by that? Do you think us is us? If it weren't for some outside factor far above our heads, you would remain dead like you should be, right?”
“Nothing worse, to be honest,” Lisa said. “You don't have to hear what I have to say, but you certainly should take my opinion. It is a good start.” Lisa observed him closely; her words inclined Murai to think of something else A deep-rooted problem that was upsetting and unkempt.
“Tell me what you want to say. At this point—if you remain silent—what is your purpose? I bet none, so what was even your life before this? So meaningless, like your body.”
He spoke to her with utter indifference, and before Lisa even had a chance to respond, he continued.
“I simply had no opportunity to work around what I wanted. What's your excuse? You speak and act as if you are so high and mighty, while you aren't even that important. I am not used to this life, so deal with it as I do, stop pretending to be something that you aren't, or wish to be, but never will.” Murai excused himself, more than anything else.
Lisa squeezed her energy flesh, appearing frustrated lime her clutched fists. The glow of her body increased, and her size became more... sublime. “What did you say? What was my life like in the past!? What about yours?!” she shouted straight to his face, creating arguments that didn't seem to make sense.
“Yea? Pasts go; new pasts appear. Right, you are. My life was in the past; so was yours. Forget it. Move on and take a breath, or you in the future will regret it. I am telling you that for my sake.”
Lisa furrowed her nonexistent brows, demoralized by his words more than his personality. But... he was right in some sense. What could she do? She sulked for the dozenth time, and without a choice, decided to ignore her pride. It might be useless in this situation, but giving him the sweet agreement was unlikely. She would never acknowledge it, so she followed what she thought was fitting.
“I know for a fact that magic is within your heart. It is yet to reach much success with your... Beast Core, right? It is wild. I suppose that is right to assume it is not very high as well, yes.” She said, observing him closely while knowing the basic pictures of his progression.
“And?”
“You have enough magic in your body to be very high, yet you are trying too large things with too expansive a head. No wonder you are feeling troubled. You don't play by the rules of the game. Simple as that. Magic should be gradual,” she said without a speck of politeness and forgot she couldn't magic, nor give him any examples. Words should suffice. “You should do appropriate training and not some meaningless Shaping that revolves around advanced Mana Blades. No matter what is in your head, beginner mages are beginners. Blessed are the same even with their heads. Especially yours, as I see your struggles.” Lisa spoke the truth that she knew was correct.
His memories included not-so-distant memories, giving her everything Murai had done so far in the Battleworld, including the majority of the messages of the Will of the Battleworld, his tactics, improvements, abilities, and so on. It was precisely what she needed as the Life Companion set up by this world, while the rest of his depth was far above her head.
Life companions held these connecting and steady reasons, acting with two minds. Blessed were a bit different. Some companions were like lifelong friends, others were closer to a significant other, lover, or a vigorous helpful pet or mount. Lisa was neither. She didn't want to be anything for him but someone. Anything would do. Just not...regular Life Companion.
She watched his possibilities after viewing his barebone memory fragments. Watching more was dangerous since they involved a longer history than one simple life, which shook her spirit in many ways. There was undeniable power and vastness in him, and it wasn't hiding. Murai intentionally showed her his weight.
His current life as a duck didn't do much but raised her brows, causing her awareness to understand one simple reason. She already guessed it, but getting an overall picture of Anatidae Panacea was enough for her to change. These were crazy demonic beasts with magical properties under Anatidaes. Their reputations stagger the normalcy, creating something other than Divine Beasts. They were close to Dragons in some cases, though it was often said to be an exaggeration.
Lisa didn't believe in that. She knew there were some specks of truth in everything.
A species of this kind wasn't normal in this world. She was in the same boat, so she wondered what to do
First, she started by visualizing and remembering Murai's Shaping, which seemed to be more experienced than possible. That resolved around different lives that almost shattered her sense of reason.
Anatidae Panacea was the source of his troubles, and even her frustration revolved around it, which she was showing without hesitation. Although she wasn't a demonic beast herself, Lisa knew what true demonic beasts were, be it of magical aptitude or demonic origin. They had different feelings about magic. Different starts and characters. She should look for that difference and help him out, yet... something in her was stopping it.
Anatidae bodies were bloodline-filled vessels of many ancient and demonic powers, filled with many variables that she couldn't perceive yet. With Murai in this... beginning stage, she was rather clueless
Their cores had a different flow, and so did their blood vessels and body in general. Magical beasts were imbued with mana itself, growing into Beast Core aspects of their Bloodline that slowly rose like their mana. It was etched into them. Almost like Laws.
Under such a reputation, besides unusual uneasiness, misgivings, and trouble in control, it was similar to Mana Cores. It could eat up mana materials wildly, bewitchingly feeling like an endless gluttony.
Accumulation of power over time was the definition of the cores. One needed to absorb the mana of the world or take the materials in many forms, pushing it into the core. Owning it, in a sense.
That was the first step for any mage, who depicted the Shapers. It usually started with a simple gathering of worldly mana and the surroundings, guiding it into the core and making it stronger. Murai understood this step was within the perception of Mana Replenishment, giving his core supply of worldly mana.
He wasn't usually comfortable with beginner-level learning. He skipped it way too many times already, but now? He held a different beginning. A change like never before.
Without waiting for his suspended words, Lisa continued. “I can see you have a few beginning abilities, so the primary reason I am even talking is simple. I want to teach you the basics that any being in the Battleworld has to know, ignoring the factors of the mighty Blessed or other things that are different,” she argued an inch from his face, pointing her finger towards his eyes.
Murai silently observed her, hearing her out just because he could before his next dive.
“Good that you are listening. The Battleworld and its mysteries are linking mana and magic to be quite generous. Many high-class mages could grow out of nowhere, yet never reach the peak. Why? Some things are not meant to be. On the other hand, Blessed are wielders of the World's Will, but it is more of a question of whose Blessed are you. Some Gods take their privilege from above, thinking of them as their players with benefits, rules, truces, or painful consequences. The Ruler of it all is Lordis, God of Battle.”
“Lordis?” Murai wondered.
“Blessed are people, pets, beasts, demons, or simple beings that have the Will of the Battleworld's direct Blessing. It makes us more potent in these links and readings. But for some, this blessing may be a disaster instead. Your case is like that since it makes you very awkward because of this... life. Anatidaes are savage. Too savage in their Bloodline. So, with that being said, I think you should train in your abilities and not waste time on something you shouldn't train with. It's a waste to go far. Basics are better.”
She ended her long talk, crossing her hands around her chest in a self-assured manner.
“Here I thought you would tell me something valuable. I am disappointed,” Murai sighed, “you are opposing yourself a bit too much in some senses. How are Blessed weak? How am I weak? With memories intact, why care about some troubles? Squeeze it tight and move it up until it would work. That's what I've done even as a pebble or a leaf?!”
“Leaf?” Lisa frowned. “I hope that was a figure of speech.”
He ignored her. “Memories are helpful, so when the world acts along with it, Blessed growls like monsters. I don't need to see reasons. They have their memories in the highest order. For me, Shaping is my specialty. Feeling mana isn't something hard when you know about it, though forcing it into this body is a matter of practice or squeezes. It will take just a bit longer. Thats it. For the last thing, how long do you think I live as a mana-wielding duck, hm?” Murai quacked at her. Lisa could answer but remained silent as she was thinking.
“Less than a day, you piece of work,” Murai answered for her. “Have you ever heard of a beginner mage making mana blades like I do? It is like a flex, shake it all up, and get the hang of it quicker and by force. It doesn't bite back for now, but it if does, I will bite back more.”
Lisa opened her mouth, but Murai snapped her beak at her.
“I doubt you get it, so don't make things difficult for the sake of your common sense. I have mine. I know magic very well, so be quiet, and if you can, follow me toward the bottom of this Celestial Pool and stop spouting nonsense. Rules of this world? Fine. Tell them. I spoke of the boundaries before, so let's get them when we can.” Murai explained his logic, and whether Lisa took it to heart was secondary.
He wasn't one to not listen, but the teller had to make sense first. He wasn't willing, nor did he need to change his view for someone else. Her problems might be hers, however, depicting her experience and her ideas.
But Murai had done this living numerous times, regardless of difficult decisions, settings, and voices that caused it all. It could be worse. Always. Getting used to it and moving on was one of his starting ideals.
Lisa frowned after hearing his will and quacks the same. She understood him in every way, knowing that he was honest, but she was too. Her knowledge of this world came from a former Level 85 Morgoth Succubus, but it's not like she knew everything or was almighty in her previous life. It was the second time on her road to power, and the one that almost cultivated her desires.
But she failed. Do it again, and nothing should be left.
Lisa knew that magic was a rather complicated topic across the Skies, so she wasn't nagging him about his experience or views. She hoped he would at least get her ideas, but no. He was a stubborn old fool, which did catch some of her respect. His right was his privilege. It was also true that he had been with mana for less than a day, and Shaping the Mana Blades under his circumstances wasn't a common thing even amongst Blessed.
As she was thinking of this topic or his meaningful words that countered hers, Murai dived back into the water.
Flapping his little legs, he went deeper this time, but couldn't manage more than thirty seconds. Seven meters deep, he felt the suffocating pressure of this pool as well as deep warmth. He didn't even reach the first Mana Crystal that was closing on his reach, glistering under his sight.
How bad was his breath? Was half a minute good for a Child? It amounted to only fifteen seconds of descending before ascending. That was very little time to discover anything. He reached the surface, and his breath was gone. Going down or up had its ups and downs. Ascending was faster thanks to his feathers. Going down harder. At least, he figured that diving was possible in this body...well, whether or not that made him happy wasn't important.
Lisa didn't take part in his diving sessions. She was still looking and thinking about his previous words, looking and the Celestial Pool like a researcher, or painter at a complex painting. She saw his attempts to reach the glowing crystals more than well, albeit most of them were only that. Attempts.
They weren't the source of Murai's curiosity, but his desire. They were rather deep for him to catch, so he used them as a simple goal in his training to get better. He was failing, thought that didn't mean he was upset by his lack of ability. He was enjoying himself to some extent.
In a couple dozen more attempts, Murai finally reached the closest crystal that was a dozen meters away from the surface. That happened just for a moment.
He scanned a handful-sized mineral of azure color, emitting a fluctuation of mana, and colorful glint. Unlike the surface, his vision of the water was clear. The Mana Crystal under his eyes was a crystallization of mana. He was familiar with such ideas, but it was looking rather average. He will have to ask Lisa how the grading and values of these things went in this world. He couldn't point to his past as a reference for prices or worth.
Pictures were in his head, but names and prices for these kinds of things could vary from world to world. New terminology and new ideas were inevitable to come. Murai didn't find it as bad as dealing with the rest.
I was right, it is...a Mana Crystal. Not good; not terrible. This should mean there will be more interesting things since this much wouldn't make a Celestial Pool. Could there be Mana Essences? If there is this... What about other treasures? Murai thought in excitement, looking around a dozen crystals of various sizes, but same glint.
What now, when he reached the first? He couldn't do much with it, since his breath was too short. He did this for the sake of a proper look and curiosity. Nothing more.
Mana Detection inside the Celestial Pool worked the same as outside. It hardly made sense to him to sense anything when rich mana was in every droplet of water. He couldn't feel the quality of the mana. Everything overwhelmed him the same.
Swimming back to the surface, he watched Lisa floating in the air, bored. “Have you seen something new this time?” She asked, unbothered by his splashing swings as he gasped for breath.
“Shut up,” he quacked in annoyance. “These are wondrous effects of the adventure. Also, some Mana Crystals are down.”
“No shit, Hisagi Murai. This is a Celestial Pool. If nothing would be below, I would question it more.” She dismissed his words and mood.
“Yeah? Some are almost half as big as my body, filled with mana ambiance and denser flow. Why not get it? Maybe I could eat it?” Murai wondered, and before giving any attention to Lisa's stupefied expression, he dived back under the water.
In the past dives, he was getting better at using his body. There were steady improvements in his breath, which reached about thirty-four seconds long. Considering he started it about an hour ago, this improvement wasn't bad when one considered his increased descent and ascending.
Flapping his legs and wings, Murai reached the glowing crystal once again. He didn't stop. With the speed behind his swings, he hit it with his beak in an attempt to break it from the stone.
Beak's Fury you mothercrystal! he shouted in his mind, shattering less than a speck of the glowing crystal with this hit. Hoh! It's tougher than I thought. That, or my attacks are very weak under the water. Ducks shouldn't have such an advantage, since they are not fish. Right, let's not forget the logic. It isn't as if I have magic, eat like a dragon, and... who knows what else.
Murai picked up the small shard of the crystal with his beak before going back to the surface. Lisa looked at the surface with much more vigor, since eating the things growing in these pools weren't made for eating. Well, some would do it, but wouldn't it be a shame? She also had her doubts about going deep into this Celestial Pool, but who was she to tell him that?
Well, he has that Eater Status so maybe he will eat it? He is an Anatidae too. I have no idea what they eat. A lot of things, from what I've heard before. Well, let's hope he won't crack his head over this problem. They are still valuable materials. Whatever that even means, he shouldn't think of eating it, She thought, floating towards the approaching Murai.
Splashing water revealed a wet, soft, and light brown duck with most of its feathers. A lowing shard in its beak looked like a piece of art.
“You managed to get some of that?” Lisa said, shocked and getting closer.
“Sure I did, but such a tiny piece is barely something good like a chip,” Murai uttered, and before paying it more attention, gnawed on the crystal with his teeth. It was so hard that he couldn't crush it at all, leaving only small marks on it with his teeth, which was already impressive.
“Don't eat it, you lunatic!” Lisa smacked his beak once again, dissipating her left hand alone. The other swayed in small cracks before becoming glowing smoke. She barely cared about it.
“I was curious if I could eat it. That's all. Ideas come from tries. Failure comes from knowing when one stops. Victories come from ideas between losses and those who give up. Come on, catch it and store it somewhere. Anywhere,” Murai flung the shard to Lisa, who caught it with panic. She was a damned soul form, so who did he think he was tossing it at?
Lisa's body glowed, turning serene and denser around her both palms. She caught this thing shard the size of her palm, albeit with some difficulty when she scarcely used her physicality. It could destabilize her body, face, and her whole appearance. This shard wasn't big, but for her, everything was Mana inside this piece was small.
Called Mana Shard, it should be either at Grade E or F of palm's width. If Murai chopped a bigger piece, it could be palm-sized in height, increasing the quantity and quality of mana. Many things about these sort of mana materials worked with Grades and sizes. Mana Shards weren't anything special, but if one saw a very peculiar Mana Crystal, mining it for Shards would be extravagant.
There were those at thumb size, finger size, palm width or height, or whole fists, palms, or arms. It went exponentially, giving Shards a very neat collection, as mining these Crystals could be very hard sometimes.
“Wait!” Lisa shouted before he went back into the water, holding the Shard as if it were a baby. “What are you planning with this?”
Are you curious? Murai thought for her sake, giving her a simple look with half of his face under the water.
“Yes, I am. Don't be a fool. Why are you doing this? These things can be used for a lot of things, and it's worth some money, but how much is it worth for you? Are you some crafter? Seller? Do you have some connection to put this to good use? Let me tell you, using this for internal breathing is the only thing I can tell you. Nothing else.”
“Is it? You don't say. If it is worth that much, I will seek them out much more. Thanks,” Murai replied, not giving her anything better. He dived into the water, cleaving it and smacking the crystal once again with Beak's Fury.
The crystal didn't shake, but that didn't stop him from forcing another Fury before the third. His combo of attacks caused a couple of cracks to spread, and a few more Shards formed. Murai picked them with his beak before swimming back to the surface.
Like this, Lisa began storing the incoming Shards height above, in the only flat land there was. Much to her unwillingness, it was on the wall that Murai used to jump into this cave. Though she didn't hate the prospect of having these Mana Shards, she hated the aspect of forced working.
These treasures could be used for a lot of things. Mainly, they were a good treasure and tool because mages could absorb the mana within them to improve themselves. Some nations, races, or civilizations even used them as core currency. After all, Shards were a natural occurrence, unlike the Will of the Battleworld.
Such materials could go for various prices, but it depended on the sellers and buyers, or mining itself. Mana Crystals were known as part of Magic Ores. There were many of them with various elements and styles. These held very pure mana thanks to the Celestial Pool. Perhaps if this pool would be ice cold, they would turn to a different kind of Crystal.
Human kingdoms would buy these Shards with gold. Elves would buy it with other mana-infused materials or any kind of treasure, or gold, too, if possible. Dwarfs would haggle with some materials, tools, or services. Overall, mana was important for any kind of power, so any treasure was worth some haggle.
In enough quantity or quality, they could change the status of mages, youths, or even established armies. Improvements in any way were good news. Thus, any kind of rich mana materials were highly sought out.
Mana Crystals in the Celestial pool weren't bad, but very thought indeed. If one mined this thing without chopping its pieces off, it would be much more valuable. Murai knew it, but he was satisfied with Shards alone. He was putting a lot into this mining that he called training.
Such materials grew with enough time and special circumstances. Morghalis Volcano should be the one responsible, or the origin of this Pool was that?
Shards were part of the Crystals, but there were many other depictions of mana-infused things. Essences were the most dominant, as it was one of the truths of mana that made them special.
These in Lisa's hands were small chips of a much larger piece. Most often, these Crystals were found in veins, looking like dirty gems the size of a person, or bits or large waves. Caves were ideal for their growth, as they were accumulation and then crystallization of mana in various visions. Those could be droplets, vapor, elements, or simple density or feeling of mana. Even without this Celestial Pool, it was possible to find them anywhere.
They would just grow longer, taking years or more in caves. As large ores underground, that was something different. It would take generations, years, or longer to let them grow in their effects.
As for the demonic races interested in these things, they wouldn't bother too much about buying. It was a useless concept. Fighting over such treasures, or chances was much better. Dying or gaining rewards from the killed foes was the epitome of many powerful fools. Some buying reeked of Order, giving clarity to something unnatural for others.
Such was the life in the Battleworld, which wasn't far from knowing Chaos itself.
Also, it wasn't as if the River of Manaflow could ever disappear. It would always flow like it ever did. Struggles for resources or mining were just a byproduct of what mana created and what man invented. A mage understood and worked with the rest of this byproduct, or aftermath, or they might be directly responsible for that.
A few more hours of diving later, and retrieving many more Mana Shards, Murai hadn't rested for more than a few minutes at a time. He had already chopped half of the crystal off, and he couldn't help but curse how tough it was. Much to his disappointment, he regained his lost vigor with a new message, thinking that his work was worth it.
The Will of the Battleworld descended to his soul, notifying him of his hard-earned rewards.
[You are quite something, dear Citizen. Mining underneath a Celestial Pool at Level 5. What an interesting waste of time, or turn of Order]
[Alas! What is worth it is worth it. Your Beak's Fury grew in power, and thanks to the underwater tactics, it increased in power]
[HENCE! Beak's Fury: Level Up]
[The body of the Anatidae Panacea went through rigorous diving into the Celestial Pool, which isn't safe for the majority of the beasts for a long amount of hours. Be glad you are a little Anatidae, Citizen]
[Because of that, a Bloodline Power has awakened!]
[It is a special case of characteristic ability regarding your sub-species and species itself. In this case, it is species one, depicting something that Anatidaes invented. You've unlocked the base visions to its variants]
[Called Diving Sphere, ducks aren't exceptional divers. That's just common sense. They are no fish either. The ancestors of the Anatidae species experienced a lot of trials, hunts, and errors, battling Gods to become free, gathering magic, friends, and family, and fighting bloody battles in the Surface or the Depths. The oceans, which we often call part of the Depths, are deep and boundless. Some Anatidaes live in some capacity under these lands of water, hiding like fish. At least some of them do, right after coming up with easier underwater movement]
[Diving Sphere]
[It is a method of traversing and making mana envelop Anatidae body. It's an ability that was solely researched and created by this species. None had it like that, albeit some species or mages came up with respective copies. So much for being original]
[On their own, they can't do many things underwater, but with this, some Anatidaes created their underwater ecosystems. Be it in the ocean, lakes, or rivers of the Battleworld, this ability allows them to swim and live under the water at great capacity]
[Species Ability: Grade C]
[Level 1]
[Thanks to the effective work of your mana that empowers Beak's Fury and the environment that went against your sense, the following abilities are strengthened]
[Mana Detection: Level up]
[Mana Shaping: Level up]
[Attribute: Will +1]
Murai heard it all, and couldn't help but nod in silence, noticing the change in the flow. From the wall and water, an intangible push of force enveloped his body, giving him a push, blessings, and Boosts that straightened his abilities or granted him something new.
“Worth it,” he quacked, feeling that this power coming from this world was a peculiar one. He slowly began to comprehend and notice it more and more. There was no way to stop it, so he was taking it like a snack.
He realized this had been happening ever since he got his first attributes. These waves were his little blessings. Blessings after hard work and accomplishment. This didn't come for free. Nothing ever came free.