Amon felt much better after taking a hot bath and eating a proper full course dinner. He left his room and headed towards the guest wing small garden, enjoying tea while thinking about what happened earlier.
After an hour of gazing at the stars alone, Ning arrived and approached Amon. "If you are unoccupied, we are ready to continue."
Amon gazed back at Ning, taking in her otherworldly beauty under the moonlight. "How is Annchi?"
"She is fine now. Please, do not show her any pity and pretend none of it happened." Said Ning.
Amon stood up, walked towards Ning, and offered his arm for her so they may walk together. She ignored him and headed towards his room, where her sister and master waited for Amon.
Snickering Amon followed her; once they entered the room, they joined the two veiled ladies at the empty dining table and sat down.
They stayed quiet for a while until Annchi spoke. "Why did I start forming a second Ether core?"
Amon placed a hand under his chin. "This is a complicated topic. Let us start with the second drawback of being a noble. In your case, you are expertly cut off from anything unrelated to the Law of Water and, simultaneously, weakly connected to all laws that are associated with the Law of Water in varying degrees.
Earlier, you were introduced to the Law of Rejuvenation. The method in which it was explained to you happened to resonate strongly with you. Perhaps it is because I used Ling in the picture, I painted in your mind instead of a random person. Your 'essence' leaped at imagining your little sister at doors death from dehydration.
In the end, you perceived a profound truth profoundly connected to your law and formed a secure link through it to the Rejuvenation Law. We could have had a hundred Water Law nobles with us, and none of them would have had the same reaction you did and slipped into a state of deep comprehension."
Annchi nodded in understanding. "Is there any way to stop it from fully developing?"
Amon stood up, picked his chair, and walked around to place it next to Annchi's chair.
"Look at me. Do you know what you sounded like to me? A turtle frightened of the outside world and suffering from claustrophobia. Terrified outside and inside her shell. So here is a suggestion, why not let me cripple you completely? I will destroy your Ethereal Veins and Ether Core. We will then find you a good husband to settle down with, perhaps in a small remote village. There, all your troubles are fixed in one go.
No? Then get a hold of yourself. You are blinded by fear to the point you are unable to perceive the cultivation world you are a part of. The Profound Ether Way has always been a treacherous road. In all honesty, it does not matter if you were an ordinary cultivator, a noble or just a commoner trying to live your life peacefully. Randomly and without cause or reason, a disaster could befall you and your loved ones at any moment.
My point is, bad things will happen, no matter what you do or how careful you are. It could be because of your nobility. It could be because of your beauty. It could be because you happened to be at a location at the wrong time. You cannot control it. You cannot predict it. You can only control your response to it.
What happened to you is a splendid fortune, a sporadic event. There are others, born swimming in resources, trained, and educated by the brightest minds in our realm, and they themselves are talented individuals. Still, even when they knew and understood what they were going after. They could not develop the secondary Ether core they desired, no matter how hard they tried, they could not slip into a state of deep comprehension and accomplish what you did from a chance encounter.
Annchi, I don't know you well enough or long enough. However, I imagine, from what I have observed so far, your deepest fear and worry is not for yourself but your sisters. If it is as I believe, then, you should be grateful, you will soon have the ability to bring your sisters back from the brink of death, provided you apply yourself and study the art of healing. You are an Intelligent Race member, after all. Your capabilities depend on your intelligence and the knowledge you amassed."
Amon stood up and dragged his chair with him to where it used to be, next to Ning. "By the way, the answer to your question is no. You cannot stop it once it started. You can only reject Laws unrelated to your first law before they take root in your heart."
The group stayed silent for a while until Nuan spoke. "Does that mean she can develop laws unrelated to the Water Law?"
Amon curved his lips in annoyance. "Of course not, have you not been listening? Nevertheless, she can steal an Ether core or be bestowed an Ether core.
In the first case, she could kill a Fire Law noble, extract their Ether core using the right tool or method then incorporate it inside her heart as a secondary Ether core. After the Nine Mortal Realms, doing this would taint her and turn her into a devil.
Case two, she could be gifted an Ether core by its owner directly or indirectly, which carries no risks of corruption at any stage.
Having said that, it is not something you usually want to do if you are already a noble. It will forever block a noble from ever becoming a monarch if they allow a secondary Ether core unrelated to their primary law to take roots in their hearts."
Ning sighed. "The more you speak, the more questions I have. Why does stealing an Ether core after the Nine Mortal Realms corrupts the thief but not before? What does being a devil mean?
Why would a noble gift away their precious Ether core to someone else, killing themselves in the process?
What did you mean by 'Intelligent Race Member'?
Lastly, you said 'usually' incorporating unrelated law is not advised. When is it preferred, then?"
Snickering, Amon caressed Ning's head, causing her to frown and knock his hand away. "Tell you what. I will only answer one question; the rest you should figure out on your own. If you do, not only will it help your cultivation, but I will also reward you.
Now, sentient, living beings are primarily broken down into two categories: The Intelligent Races and the Wise Races. The most significant difference between the two is how they perceive the world around them.
An Intelligent Race cultivator, noble or not, must observe the world and navigate it intelligently by accumulating knowledge, which in turn guides them towards profound comprehension. A Wise Race member, alternatively, operates on instincts.
One needs to learn what is fire, the other doesn't, and understands it intuitively if it is in their nature. Both sides have their own advantages and disadvantages. It is never black or white, but many shades of gray."
Amon stood up and walked towards his room's door, holding it open for the ladies to leave him alone. "I have kept my part of our deal and extended a hand of friendship towards the three of you. Now, it is your turn. Once we are done helping Ling, it will be your turn to deliver your part and extend your hand back to me. Goodnight."
The three stood up, leaving Amon's room. Annchi stopped right next to him, and whispered 'Thank you' before moving along, Nuan fired one last question at Amon as they were leaving.
"Umm, how many Ether cores can a noble have?" Said Nuan.
Amon shrugged. "How many chambers does their heart have? No more, not counting their primary core since it grows in the wall between all the heart chambers."
***
Days passed peacefully. Amon, followed by Ling, visited the platform behind the city every day, spending the early hours trying to locate the repair runes set. At lunchtime, he and Ling would join Yao Gui, learning more about the region from Gui.
Seven other nations surround their smaller Cai Countdom, which is in the continent of Vicia. It appears the humans on the continent are aware of the existence of different races, but they are nowhere to be found on Vicia. As for other continents on the planet, Gui appeared to be clueless.
The continent of Vicia is home to numerous human settlements and organizations, with several regions being marked as a deadly no go zones for different reasons, from powerful beasts to poisonous swamps. Gui also explained to Amon, that Vicia as a whole, has a capital, a principal city where an elected Prince rule over the rest of the continent, and all nations answer to him, even their powerful Count Cai does.
Diving deeper in the structure of Cai Countdom, Amon learned, the county's capital city, located four weeks away from Lilium city by carriage, is called Green Hill city due to its geological location. It was not just the Count home, but also home to several prominent clans and sects, the main branch of the Yao family being one of them.
After lunch, Amon would spend the rest of his day designing and drawing the runes he needs to help Ling. It was a delicate, time-consuming art that requires extreme, zealous precision and accuracy. To Amon's surprise, he discovered he became ambidextrous, equally capable of drawing runes with either hand without making a mistake.
At night time he would receive his dinner in his room, accompanied by a small chest sent by Annchi containing Chipped crystals. Amon did not question where and how she was getting them every day; he was happy for the freebies being delivered right to him. He learned his lesson, though. He would only absorb them on his bed, anticipating to be knocked out cold by his heart.
To Amon's dismay, his heart seems to horde energy and not allow him to cultivate it until Amon provided a satisfactory amount of it. His heart then will do the same process as before ending it by knocking Amon out cold.
***
Amon's room, night time.
"May I come in?"
"Yes." Said Amon.
Annchi walked inside to find Amon, busy drawing. She stood behind him silently and waited for him to stop on his own.
Amon put down his brush and stood up. Turning around, he saw the veiled lady extending a small cloth bag to him. He did not pay attention to it but instead focused on her eyes, exposing extreme fatigue.
He took the small bag from her hand and inspected it content. Three brilliant Flawed crystals shined blue light at Amon's face. "Perfect. How far did they set you back?"
Annchi gazed at the crystals in Amon's hand as he was taking them out. "They tapped me back to the fifth level of the Sky Realm from the seventh."
Amon nodded. "Not bad for your first time. With practice, you should be able to pull it off with a level for three crystals, even more, is possible. Nobles usually create crystals like these to absorb them right back for different purposes. It lowers their cultivation each time even if they do it correctly, but the benefits are desirable, such as considerable improvement in Source control.
You know, few will do this for their children, let alone their little sister, they would have long abandoned her to her fate. Hopefully, I won't need these three, and I will return them to you. They won't bring you back to the seventh level, but it will diminish your losses. No promises though, I will burn the three of them if I must."
Annchi nodded. "I did not hand them over to you, expecting them to be returned. Do what you must. When will you start?"
"When you are ready. You will be powering the central rune yourself. These crystals are meant for the 'oh shit' runes. You also need to have a discussion with your family about this, your father included. What I plan to do to Ling is not medical in nature, it will be bloody, and she will probably never forget the pain I will be inflicting on her. Ling must be fully aware that this procedure has a good chance of claiming her life, regardless of all my preparations." Said Amon.
"You have never done it before, have you?" Said Annchi.
"Nope."