Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 267: Work of Geniuses I

Chapter 267: Work of Geniuses I

Two days went by. Gate 13 continued to be closed.

No answers were provided. There was only speculation. Protests from woodworkers began to prop up. The redwood within the Silent Forest was high in demand and luxurious. To attain such luxury, woodworkers needed to take out a loan to buy an axe powerful enough to chop through the massive tree. But now that they couldn’t enter Gate 13, the promise of the Heavenly Tower’s treasures were swept from their feet. Without qualm or reason, they were stuck with a loan they could not pay for and A-rank axes that held no utility.

Leaning on the wall, Kazi opened his eyes that morning without having slept for multiple days. David lay some feet away in a tent, sleeping. They had been working. Working, working, working, till the factory was a second home and David could sleep here. Kazi could stay awake for days on end and could sleep anywhere, no matter the environment. The dirt, a river, or a factory, it did not matter.

In this case, there was no need to sleep. When Kazi opened his eyes, it was because he had adjusted the mana in his body to go into medium-consumption-mode. It was a "technique" he created out of the blue for the projects they did for the past couple days.

What was a human? What was it made of? That was simple. The body, the mind, and the soul. From what he read on some medical textbooks when he was trying to heal Marta himself, like all things, mana/Qi was composed of particles. These particles were called Etherparticles and they were a subject of great study in this world. There were hundreds of types and so much mystery and discovery regarding Etherparticles.

The term "Ether" was scientific term for a state of mana/Qi: one, it had to hold a shape; and two, it could maintain many said shape.

Like, for example, a human.

The body contained the flow of mana/Qi. The mind controlled that flow. And the soul? The soul was the host. It defined the limits of the mind and body. It specified what type of Etherparticles were inside a person. The soul was the unknown thing that research had not come close to cracking. It was the harbor of "consciousness"; of the will of an individual.

Was the soul made of Etherparticles? Most disagreed.

Like how scientists on Earth debate over the nature of consciousness, the same do healers, fighters, scholars, and analysts on the soul in the White Abyss.

Kazi Hossain could feel it. The soul. He had seen it in Thoth. He had seen it in himself when he achieved Ascension.

Having touched that sacred place, the soul of himself and another, he burned into his core how he did it. He forced himself to remembered how to do it and to apply it.

What was this "medium-consumption-mode" then? It was a manner of feeding his soul with mana. Doctors of the White Abyss state that the stronger the soul, the stronger and healthier the person. The risk that came with touching the soul was great, however. Like Commander Cedric mentioned, the soul was very sensitive, nearly impossible to interact with for an amateur, and whether the soul was made of Etherparticles was hotly debated.

Somehow, Kazi figured out a way. Somehow, he understood the soul and touched it. Perhaps that was what it meant to be Ascended.

By feeding his soul in intricate ways, by subtly tapping at his brain and pressure points in the muscles of his soul, he kept himself awake. He was a technique he created out of pure genius and instinct; out of efficiency and resolution of his Ascension.

Alone, his trained body could sleep for up to three weeks. Doing so led to severe consequences, even for Kazi. But in a world of mana where he could tap into his soul...

"Phew."

There was not a hint of weariness in him. Kazi woke up smiling and chipper.

"Come on," Kazi said, approaching the tent and clapping his hands. "Get up. It’s time for our meeting with Prince Yuzin."

A groan echoed from inside the green tent. "In a minute..."

"Alright, no issue. I’ll have breakfast ready in my dimension."

Yawn from David. "When are we heading out?"

"Five hours."

"Then I’ll sleep."

Kazi snickered and let him be. The devices were prepped yesterday. The Raman Spectrometer in particular was fully functioning and field-tested to a small degree. They confirmed it was effective in analyzing plants and confirming quality and authenticity. A portable device in the form of a suitcase and a cable with a scanner at the end, it was easy to carry and use. The suitcase portion opened to reveal a monitor that gave all the information required. David was the one who installed the software while Kazi did the hardwire.

In addition to the Raman Spectrometer, Kazi and David prepared a soil pH meter, a moisture meter, and a drone equipped with a camera and sensors capable of capturing detailed images and data of agricultural fields. Energy efficiency was a bit of an issue. Batteries in the Bazaar were old and too large for portable usage. Kazi had David go out and buy a bunch, then personally rearrange the materials into something modern.

’Enter home.’

Blip!

He was back in his personal dimension. David typically ate breakfast at Kazi’s place. That meant Kazi had to actually make breakfast. He rolled up his black sleeves and got to work. "I’ll make an English breakfast—exceeept without the bacon."

He found a vendor that sold halal bologna at the bazaar and decided to use that as a substitute. He once worked at a five-star Michelin restaurant, he knew what he was doing. Adapting was as easy as breathing.

David arrived fifteen minutes later. He went to the bathroom, yawning.

"You know, you could just sleep here," Kazi said.

"Mm. Nah."

David was addicted to work. Always pulling all-nighters, always pushing himself. Even though Kazi’s place could house a family of seven without issue, David refused to stay. Kazi figured it was partly out of convenience and partly because Kazi’s place was made of bamboo. The structure was not modern in the slightest, lacking doors and thick white walls. Everything was light-brown and interconnected. The middle section was where the kitchen was, with the bathroom on the one end.

On the other end of the long home was the largest room with a king-sized bed chamber. Once he was finished with breakfast, Kazi yelled, "Breakfast is ready! I’ll be eating with William!"

"Okay!" David responded from the bathroom.

A plate in hand, Kazi crossed the distance between the kitchen and the final room.

William Martin lay on the king-sized bed of the largest room, asleep. He hadn’t changed a bit.

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