Grand Elder Maya chuckled. "You know who you are, and people like you aren't too interesting, are they? I suppose it's only natural that you'd skip out on studying your own kind, hm?"
Mikhail shrugged his shoulders. The history book had put more emphasis on the world as a whole rather than focusing on any singular tribe. The info he had gotten was actually from other people. People like Spencer and Roscoe, for example.
But she wasn't wrong, he knew jack shit about the human's culture outside of the general vibe and the Weekly Gatherings. So he didn't bother refuting her, and let her continue.
"So, you know where we are, and you know what we look like… But you've got no clue as to what we do."
She smiled as two cups of tea suddenly appeared between the two.
"So, would you like to learn? Or are you more interested in getting down to business?"
Mikhail's hand faltered as he reached down to the cup. He was EXTREMELY interested in getting down to business. But… He couldn't just walk around like a bumbling idiot for the foreseeable future.
He sighed as he picked the cup off the ground.
"I'll be patient," he said with resignation.
"Good!"
"So, to make things nice and simple… We humans are artists."
"I feel like that's a little too simple… Could you elaborate?"
"Well… We see beauty everywhere we look. We put our passion into everything we do. There are those who make art out of organizing things, you know, like the merchants who make art out of their stall's displays…"
"And there are those who make art out of their clothes, and those who make art out of their homes. And there are even those who make art out of their combat styles, choreographing every move until they are satisfied."
Mikhail furrowed his brows.
"And the other races don't do that?"
"Of course they do, young Mikhail. It is just that we are known for it, the same way Goblins are known for their crazy contraptions."
A light of understanding seemed to flash across Mikhail's eyes as he understood what Grand Elder Maya meant. Humans were known for their artistry… Which likely meant that they were the best of the best in that regard.
It wasn't that the other Pnuema weren't artists too, it was just that humans were the best artists…
Mikhail thought back to his days in college, and couldn't help but agree. He had always thought it was interesting how other people put their all into their studies, even in subjects he particularly abhorred like chemistry.
"I think I get it," Mikhail said as he took a swig of his tea, appreciating the smooth taste as it went down.
"Indeed… More importantly about us humans, though, are the rules I've set in place!"
Mikhail raised his eyebrow as he put his cup back down.
That was… Quite the change in tone.
"Here in the human tribe I have but a few humble rules… The first, and most important, is that you must always be productive to the best of your abilities!"
"The second is to not bother me with trivial matters!"
"And the last rule is to follow the rules of your district's clan head."
Mikhail looked at her with an incredulous expression. Was that all? But no matter how long he looked at her like that, she only smiled.
"Uh… Alright then. How do I know which district I'm in, though?"
A large rolled up map appeared out of thin air, dropping onto his lap.
"That's how. Everyone has one in their home, but it slipped my mind to give one to you. It marks out the districts and also marks the location of each clan leader's home. Take a look at it later and ask your district's clan head about his rules."
Mikhail nodded, tucking the map behind him. Just in case his tea happened to spill.
"So, with your naturalization basically complete with that brief discussion of ours, it's time to get back to that one topic we were on two weeks ago. Namely, how to fix this issue between you and your Cerebral Core."
"There are three options."
"You can focus on enlarging your Cerebral Core, allowing you to gain control of your Spirit's features once you've passed a certain threshold."
"You can bring your body up to the level of your Spiritual Pressure."
"Or, you can try your luck and awaken the Water or Wind Elements. Both of these elements, upon awakening, will alter the qualities of your Spiritual Aether. And, once they do so, the innate features your spirit will gain should remedy these issues."
Mikhail grimaced…
"Given my luck, I'll have to pass on that last option…"
Mikhail then thought about the other two options.
When thinking about expanding his Cerebral Core, Mikhail thought about how he was helpless against his orc doppelganger. He thought of how being able to summon weapons out of thin air like Yagnar and the rest would have prevented such a hopeless and farcical looking fight.
And when thinking about strengthening his body, he thought about how helpful it would have been, simply to be stronger than his opponent was.
Both sides had their pros and cons, but ultimately, there was a much more important factor to be considered. One that he did not know.
"Between those first two options… Which one is faster?"
"That mostly depends on you… But on average, refining one's body is a much faster endeavor. Though, if it's speed you're worried about, awakening an element could prove to be far faster than either, and by a very large margin at that."
"But it's luck based, isn't it?"
She shrugged her shoulders, pivoting her hand from side to side. A silent gesture that meant "Sort of."
"And that's why I'll stick to strengthening my body."
"Not a bad choice… After all, regardless of which option you chose, you would still need to leave the Initial Metamorphosis Realm and enter the Early Metamorphosis Realm."
Mikhail's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh, that reminds me of a question I've had! How come the orcs referred to the mortal realm as its own realm?"