"??????"
Question marks appeared on Rant Valo's head as he looked at Floriana Sabina. There was an indescribable feeling coming from her.
"What's with that look, Disciple?"
Floriana Sabina felt awkward when she saw the way Rant Valo was looking at her.
"What do you mean by you'll allow it?"
Rant Valo said nervously. He looked at her weirdly and there was a conflicted expression on his face.
He was conflicted about what to do. Should he just reject Veia since he already had Zaria in his heart or should he just brush it off?
"You can cuddle!"
Floriana Sabina's face turned red after saying forcefully.
"Why do I need your permission, though?"
Rant Valo asked her in bewilderment. There was nothing between him and Floriana Sabina anyways. And she's just his master.
"I-I…"
Floriana Sabina looked around in panic. Rant Valo was right that there was no need for him to ask for her permission. Rant Valo's personal life is not something his master should interfere with.
"I'm just kidding! Tehehehe"
Veia had been holding back her laughter for a while now. She burst into laughter when she saw that they were actually talking about permitting them from cuddling.
Tears were falling down her eyes from laughing too much.
"Liar!"
"You-!"
Rant Valo clenched his fist at Veia. He so wanted to hit her for playing with his heart like that. Floriana Sabina went even redder when she realized that Veia was just messing with them again.
"Hehehehe, I mean. Master is so cute when he's flustered!"
Veia giggled to herself as she remembered the shock and fluster in Rant Valo's face earlier.
"I thought I already said that I would refuse you!"
Rant Valo was the most embarrassed of them as he thought of how his heart was played by her twice. Once earlier and now again… She's really doing it on purpose!
"Master is so silly. Of course, you would reject me now. We barely knew each other."
When Rant Valo looked at Veia right now. There was a feeling of confidence and an odd sense of wisdom coming from her. It was very bizarre for the usual Veia.
"Veia! S, top, se, du, cing, my, di ,sci, ple!"
Floriana Sabina walked step by step and reached in front of Veia. She raised her head towards the much taller Veia. It made a very comical scene of a young girl trying to stand up for her big brother.
"It's because master… so cute…"
There was an infatuated expression in Veia's eyes as she murmured. Floriana Sabina heard it loud and clear but Rant Valo couldn't since he's not a cultivator yet.
"Stop daydreaming!"
Floriana Sabina smacked Veia in the head with a jump. She really had enough of this stupid lewd demon.
"And you! Since you seem better now, go cultivate already!"
Floriana Sabina turned around and ordered Rant Valo.
"Yes, Master."
Rant Valo had nothing more to say seeing that she wants him to cultivate. He sat down in meditation.
"..."
Rant Valo sat there for a while before opening his eyes again.
"Uh… how do I cultivate again?"
Rant Valo asked Floriana Sabina awkwardly. He just went with the flow and forgot to ask how to cultivate first.
"Follow the book!"
"Oh okay."
Rant Valo opened the book she gave him earlier and started to read the first paragraphs. After a few minutes of reading, he looked up at Floriana Sabina with a puzzled face.
"Is this really how you cultivate?"
"Hmm? Why?"
Floriana Sabina tilted her head to the side cutely.
"It says here that I should feel the luck in the air and absorb it into my Core."
Rant Valo opened the book and showed her.
"I can't read it."
Floriana Sabina took a glance at the page but she saw nothing coherent.
"You can't? Oh, you can't read?"
Rant Valo was confused at first but realization quickly came to him that Floriana Sabina couldn't read.
"Disciple, don't look down on your master! I can read a single book in 10 minutes. That book is just really really special."
Floriana Sabina puffed up her chest in a boast. Reading is a very simple thing for her.
"Really?"
Rant Valo looked at the text in the book and still saw that he could read it. There was still confusion on his face but since it's something that can cure his 'curse' then he doesn't really care about the specifics.
"But shouldn't I be taking in mana from the surroundings?"
Rant Valo asked curiously. This was his first time cultivating but it doesn't mean that he is entirely clueless on the process.
"That's where you are different, Disciple."
There was a sly grin on Floriana Sabina's face.
"I won't cultivate the Magic Path?"
Rant Valo could still remember her lessons about the Magic Path the other day. Why did she even teach him that?
"You would. I'm just not sure how different."
Floriana Sabina herself didn't know much about the subject since she couldn't read the book herself. She had only read rumors about it when she read some ancient text.
"What?"
Rant Valo was still confused.
"Just cultivate and you will see!"
There was an excited smile on Floriana Sabina's face. She wanted to see what the difference this book or rather, the cultivation manual would bring to Rant Valo.
"Okay."
Rant Valo was also curious about what is so special about the thing that will cure his 'curse'. So he fixed his posture and remembered what's written inside the book.
He closed his eyes and started to follow the cultivation manual.
Cultivation manuals are books or texts that guide a cultivator towards a Path in cultivation. Because there are infinite ways of reaching Heaven, there is also an infinite number of cultivation manuals.
Rant Valo saw nothing but emptiness when he closed his eyes. For some reason, it gave Rant Valo a very familiar feeling.
Rant Valo didn't know how he should absorb an abstract idea like 'luck' so he just imagined himself being lucky and people around him were unlucky.
A small white dot appeared in the center of the darkness. It was like a lone star in a vast universe.