Both Max and Nami looked at each other, puzzled by Leo's words. [So you're saying mages in The Revolutionaries are weaker?]
Leo nodded.
[How so?]
The organization's leader then raised her right hand, showing off her golden bracelet. "4th Layer Formation. That's where I am currently. Which is supposed to mean that I've reached the final stage of cultivation, granting me superior power against most mages. However, when I encountered a natural fire mage from the fairies' side, our battle resulted in my devastating loss.
"And since he didn't bother Insulating his cultivation, I was able to ascertain that he was still at the 3rd Layer Formation stage, which was an entire level below mine. So technically, I should've been stronger than him, correct? Well, the result begged to differ.
"I too, am a fire mage. But his fire's power outperformed mine by a lot. Dylan, who at the time was fighting a force mage, also came to the conclusion that somehow, those natural mages were able to overpower us despite having lower culti—"
[I'm sorry to interrupt.] Max held his hand up, his brows furrowed in slight confusion.
It was apparent that Leo didn't like being interrupted; after all, she was used to people being afraid to do so. However, despite her annoyance, she still waved her hand, allowing Max to say his piece.
[Did you just say that 4th Layer Formation was the final stage?]
This time, it was Leo's turn to get confused. "I did," she answered, looking at him questioningly.
Max and Nami looked at each other for a moment, as if silently signaling that they were both thinking of the same thing. So Max decided not to beat around the bush. [Do you guys not go through the Rotational Friction sub-stages?]
The creases on Leo's eyebrows deepened. "The what?"
[Rotational Friction. You know, the stage you have to go through after every layer formation and before the next ring formation? Complete with its sub-stages, namely Initial, Intermediate, and Advanced? Rotation speed and all that? No?]
Leo immediately shook her head, her eyes staring at him in a mix of shock and skepticism. "Are you telling me there's a cultivation stage that we didn't know about? And we have unknowingly skipped it?"
Max wryly smiled. [Well, not just one stage, actually. There's like, four of them. Each has three sub-stages.]
He then proceeded to explain about these apparently-hidden cultivation stages to Leo, who was looking more and more as if she had discovered the answers to the universe's greatest mysteries. Suddenly, everything made sense to her; why The Revolutionaries' mages seemed to breeze through cultivation stages more quickly than those on the fairies' side despite having limited access to mana stones; why the latter always looked to possess greater power despite having lower cultivation.
This whole time, artificial mages had only been taught to cultivate the size of their mana pools through the Ring Formation and Layer Formation stages. But that was about it; the only thing going for them was the reserves size, without the power behind their mana output. Their layers were kind of just rotating slowly, orbiting their hearts at a snail's pace.
Rotational Friction stages basically allowed a mage to deliver a lot more kick, more 'oomph', behind every technique performed. In addition, it helped them conserve mana, since even a tiny bit could already be used for a significantly more effective skill compared to if they didn't speed up their Mana Regulator's rotations.
This was what Leo and those within her organization had been missing. So, were they too late? Did they have to restart their cultivation from the beginning somehow?
"No," answered Nami. "You can still start rotations, one at a time, from first layer. However, takes long time for one layer. Maybe years, depends on amount of mana stones."
At this, Leo sighed in relief. It might take years for them to catch up to the fairies' mages, but at least now she got the answer to the question she had been struggling with for the longest time. It was a start, for sure. All she needed to do next was teach everyone in The Revolutionaries about these secret stages.
"Thank you, Max, Nami," said Leo, a genuine smile forming on her face. "I really appreciate your explanation. I will make sure you have a good time cultivating here in our HQ.
"And I haven't forgotten about your three demands. I'm going to be transferring 5000 Credits to your account, and I already had someone arrange a room for you in the southeast living quarters. This main HQ is the biggest out of all we have in the country, so the number of mages living here is not small, either. Which is why the living quarters have been divided between southeast and southwest.
"Oh, right. You also don't need to worry about the black market anymore. We have ties to many underground organizations, and even private companies. So your request will be easy to fulfill.
"And finally, you'll get about twenty kinetic mana stones for the first week so you can finish forming your first ring sooner."
And of course, she'd be giving him crystal quality stones, so twenty should be more than enough to boost his cultivation. That was, if he relied on those resources, which in reality, he didn't. But he would still keep that secret to himself.
"Oh," Leo paused after getting up from the chair. Their talk had been concluded and she was ready to leave the room. "I heard you were able to hide your cultivation, though you kept saying it wasn't Insulation. Was it Nami?"
Max nodded, not finding it necessary to hide that fact anymore.
"Then feel free to conceal your Mana Regulator that way. I'll deal with anyone from the crew if they keep bothering you about it."
[Thank you, Leo. Oh, and before you go, can you tell me one more thing?]
"What is it?"
[I'm guessing you're planning on overthrowing the fairies, correct?]
Leo took a moment to weigh her words before answering. "I'm still not sure how exactly we're gonna go about it, but yeah that's one way to put it. Why?"
[When that happens, can I tag along?]
Leo tilted her head, intrigued by his request. "You've got any specific target in mind?"
Max stole a glance at Nami, who immediately understood what he was hinting at—the fairy dust. [I just need access to The Gatemaker.]
Leo's eyebrows shot up. "You wanna go to The Ancient Ruins?!"
Nodding, Max quickly continued. [I can't tell you the reason why, though, if that's what you're wondering.]
Cupping her chin, it took a few seconds before Leo gave her reply. "If by then you have become strong enough to defend yourself, then by all means."
The redheaded woman then informed him where he could find his room before making her exit, leaving Max alone with Nami. It also seemed like all the members of the crew had retreated into their rooms.
Max got up from the chair. 'Shall we check out our room then?' he asked Nami.
– – –
It was a three by two meter sized room, with a single metal-framed bed, a small dresser, and a bedside table. For most people, this might look like a claustrophobic, prison-like room. But for the not-so-homeless-anymore Max, it was heaven.
Not that he ever complained living on the streets, since he hadn't had any desire for a house, anyway. Still, it was just a nice feeling to be able to lay his body on a mattress and not have cardboard being the only thing separating him and the cold, hard asphalt.
He immediately tossed his shoes to a corner and plopped onto the bed, one arm resting atop his forehead. He stared at the ceiling, letting his mind replay everything that had happened since his little run at Daryl's Magic Barrell. Saying 'a lot of things happened' would be an understatement.
That day had officially transformed his entire life. Never in his dull life had he ever imagined meeting a fairy, becoming a mage, encountering other mages, robbing the literal central bank of the country, and the leader of The Revolutionaries dropping bombshell after bombshell in front of his face, all within the span of one day. It was a miracle his brain had been able to keep up with all of that without malfunctioning or something.
The gray view of the ceiling was suddenly obstructed by the white, flying form of his new friend. Nami hovered right above his face, looking down at his tired eyes. There was a warm smile blooming on her pink lips, her long hair hung loosely from her head. 'I still can't believe I have been freed from that wooden chest, and am now friends with a human. Today has been the wildest day of my life.'
It would appear both of them were on the same wavelength.
'Thank you,' Nami added.
One side of Max's mouth curled up in a smirk as he replied with, 'Nah, I've got to thank you as well.'
There was a slight glint of teasing on her eyes as she was seen chuckling. 'For what? Turning you immortal?'
Max rolled his eyes. 'Well, I can't say I'm feeling super thrilled about being immortal. I'm just feeling grateful for, you know, making a new friend. And I guess, it's not so bad to face a few unexpected events and have new people coming into your life, especially if they're the good kind. I've always thought that I would never get interested or emotionally invested in anything anymore, but I admit that today has been quite fun.'
Nami flew and landed on his chest. She sat down, her legs straight and her hands propping her body behind her back. Her wings hung lazily, their bottom parts laying on Max's hoodie. 'Get stronger, go to The Ancient Ruins, find fairy dust, and finally, become mortal again. That's the plan, right?'
Max closed his eyes as he slowly drifted to sleep. He conveyed his answer before completely slipping into the land of dreams. 'That's the plan.'