Turia used her mana to inspect the young lad in front of her.
She noticed instantly, that the nano machines in Theodore's left forearm were completely missing!
Curiosity overwhelmed her!
What kind of innate mana ability was awoken within Theodore?
Depending on its capability, she could learn a great deal from it!
While one could shape mana into spells, none were as potent as innate mana abilities!
Just her own had revolutionized the world.
This human in front of her was a body cultivator and so she knew that their pursuits were similar.
Both of them intended to refine their body and change their existence.
"I am Theodore. Thank you, for inviting me here."
At Theodore's words, Duunim and Turia both smiled.
He was humble and polite!
She remembered that Theodore most likely had no real idea about how special he really was.
Would he still act so humble if he knew?
"Seeing how this place became a mess, how about we move inside the manor. Duunim, could you please show our guest to his room?"
"Melissa, you may attend your duties. "
"Of course, madam!"
Duunim bowed slightly and turned to take Theodore towards the mansion.
Before getting too far though, Theodore turned back around and pointed at the little lord in his "cage".
"What happens to him now?"
An eerie smile blossomed on Turia's face.
"Re-education!"
A collective shudder went through Theodore, Duunim and Melissa.
To Theodore, Turia was unfathomable and violent, despite her beauty.
She swore just as bad as the little lord did and her strength too was monstrous.
This would be one activity he would be glad to miss out on, even though he would probably get some satisfaction from seeing the "little lord" reprimanded.
The group left and only Turia and the little lord remained.
"Is it not time to drop the act? What exactly was it that you saw?"
There was no reply only a stream of mana that contained the little lord's memories of Theodore's awakening.
She took them in and examined them in shock!
This little one struggled so hard to be born!
He barely managed to only take enough of the mana that Theodore was emitting.
To make matters worse, Theodore's mana had prevented the little one from contacting anyone.
Helpless and starving, he watched as Theodore suffered from seemingly unimaginable agony in his sleep.
Then his nano machinery simply disappeared on the spot.
She repeatedly examined this part of the little one's memory over and over.
She found not a single clue, that the laws of the divine Dao of space were used when the nano machine parts disappeared!
The mystery deepened when Theodore awoke and his interface confirmed horrible injuries that did not exist.
This was it!
What she had been patiently waiting for had appeared!
A mystery that once solved would widen her horizons and perhaps lead her to discover the way forward!
She looked at the incapacitated little lord.
He had truly done all he could. It was not his fault that events unfolded as they had.
His personality was accidentally starved of the mana it needed to properly form.
In his desperate attempt to follow his purpose and evolve sentience he had turned to the only path left to him.
He was truly convinced that finding the faults of cultivators and pointing them out was his purpose in life!
The little lord did this out of the genuine desire to help them and was misunderstood by everyone, including herself initially.
The little one's tenacity and will to cling to life impressed her.
She decided to let him off and left without letting him out of his cage.
A little timeout could sometimes do wonders.
She gazed up at her mansion.
It had been twenty years since she had spent a night there and now she finally had a guest!
Finding the window to her room she used [Space] and instantly moved her body inside.
After a shower, she changed her outfit into a casual black tracksuit underneath a white lab coat and tied her long hair into a ponytail.
There was so much to be done!
While this was happening, Theodore had followed Duunim inside the lavish mansion.
As he had expected, the interior was no less extravagant than the exterior!
When they had stepped inside, Theodore saw that the floor was made of white marble.
The polished stone held veins of inlaid gold, that traveled the floor in intricate patterns.
The ceiling was high up and illuminated by grand chandeliers.
As they passed through the long corridors, the household staff bowed respectfully at Duunim, as he passed them by.
Theodore was led towards a courtyard that was open to the sky but could not be accessed from the outside.
It sat at the heart of the mansion and contained a little pound around a stonework pavilion.
The Pavilion contained ample room and comfortable, yet classy, furniture had been prepared by the staff.
After Theodore and Duunim took a seat, a maid begun serving them tea.
Theodore felt immensely pressured by this environment alone!
The lavish wealth and strength of the guards could not be underestimated and he took a moment, to sort his thoughts:
'This whole day has gone completely insane!'
'What the hell happened to me to have met this woman?'
'The little lord and Duunim both said that she arranged for a lot of what has happened.'
'It sounds fishy already!'
'I wonder what she's really after and why she needs me for it!'
'I shouldn't fully trust her, or anyone here for that matter!'
While Theodore was lost in his thoughts, Duunim on the other hand was thoroughly enjoying the tea in front of him.
After a few minutes, they were joined by Turia, who now had changed her outfit and sat down across from Theodore.
Theodore had to try hard not to laugh at first when he saw her!
The casual tracksuit and lab coat together, made for a truly odd combination.
While her outfit may have appeared somewhat casual, her topaz eyes soon betrayed an unbridled curiosity, aimed at Theodore.
She was giving him her undivided attention.
The highest compliment for a machine cultivator.
She said nothing at first, her eyes coming to rest on Theodore's left arm.
Her eyes narrowed. She could not help but voice her surprise.
"So it is true after all…. Astonishing!"
"I had heard Duunim's report about your left arm but found it hard to believe... no offence, Duunim."
"None taken, madam"
"The inter-spacial manifold, implanted inside your left arm, has completely vanished!"
"But upon further examination, it would appear as never having been installed in the first place!"
"But we know that this is impossible."
"How fascinating!"
She was completely engrossed in the mystery in front of her, completely forgetting Duunim and Theodore's presence.
This was genuinely unexpected for her! What had happened here?
Turia was completely certain, that [Space] had nothing to do with it.
She knew a great deal about [Space] and saw none of the telltale signs that the synthesized version of her ability left behind.
This was a good puzzle indeed!
Theodore although fearless, began feeling a bit annoyed by being ignored.
As if she sensed it, Turia addressed him in a very solemn manner:
"Before I tell you why you are here, know this."
"I do not mean you any harm."
"In fact, your existence represents the most precious opportunity for me."
"I'm not gonna lie Theodore, you can most likely help me more than I can help you."
"If you are willing to help me out, I will try my best to help you in return."
"I don't like tooting my own horn but you will most likely never find a better teacher, knowledgeable about mana anywhere else."
"So here is my offer. I will explain to you everything I know, nothing held back. No secrets."
"In return, you help me change the world forever and make history."
"What do you think, Theodore?"