"You know what is actually fun?" Siduo brought up a question. "Me figuring out my new ability."
Karni raised his hands in defeat. "Sure, sure. We can go decide some things for my Battle Armour after."
Siduo groaned.
Karni grabbed her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm only going to be figuring out the technology behind it today."
Siduo cheered. "So sketching only? Wait. If that's the case, we could do mine as well, your system should be similar to my own breastplate."
Karni paused. It would be similar, wouldn't it? His breastplate was going to connect with the headgear, and Siduo's will connect with all the limb parts. Different parts, similar concept . They'll only need to adapt to the materials.
"Alright then. Let's go see what your new Soul Ring can do."
… … …
Karni was focused with Purple Demon Eyes and Golden Insight combined, sweating. There were so many Siduos and he had trouble discerning the real from the clones. The combination of his two skills was not strong enough.
They were lucky with the Moon-Footed Cat. They found its weakness by sheer accident due to how specific it was. It was rare for a Soul Beast to not be able to do anything at all mid-air. However, its pure speed and ability to be one with the surroundings—to avoid even his senses—were absolutely terrifying.
Karni did not dare hold back against Siduo now. But she was holding back. Right now, she had the capability to overwhelm him purely by numbers. There was an eerily high level of control of each individual clone. Despite being strong in her past life, she had rarely showcased such a high level of control over her new Soul Ring. Her Martial Soul was different from her past life after all. It seemed that she had had a clone ability in the past.
In fact, Karni had to use his combinations to their extremes to be able to keep up. As of this very moment, she completely surpassed him in skill. Sure, he only needed a single hit to take out a clone, but her ability to keep producing new ones as well as her control made it difficult for Karni to keep on dodging.
He was using Shift far more than he would like. Drunken Ghost Dance was not enough for him to keep on evading such a coordinated group of clones. And that was without Siduo abusing her other Soul Skills in combination with this one.
Of course, Siduo also was not being efficient by only using clones. From what she told him, usage of her Soul Rings required more Soul Power when used through the clones.
No, the real problem Karni had was the fact that the ability came with a passive effect in the clones which made them feel like they were one with the environment. Karni's Golden Insight and Purple Demon Eyes were not functioning to their best ability, which meant Karni had to rely more on his pure intuition. Of course, Karni made sure to use this chance to sharpen his Disordered Drumstick Resonance and Resonant Spiral Staff. It was rare that he was forced into this scenario, so he had to make full use of it.
Better yet, since it was Siduo forcing him into this, it meant that his chance to practice would increase greatly in the last 4 months he still had in Shrek. Hopefully, by the time he had to go to Star Luo Continent, he would have joined the two techniques into one.
They practiced all the way until the evening. It had been a while since they forgot the passage of time while training. Karni could not help but remember their first day. Back then she really was a little devil of pure annoyance. "And then she went and fell asleep in my arms. The audacity."
"You said that out loud." Siduo looked at him with arms crossed. "How many times will I have to apologise for that? I had a-"
"Reason. Yes, yes. I know. It's a shame that you still cannot tell me the exact reason as to why."
Siduo started to sulk, and Karni chuckled. "Say, I know we don't usually do this, but I sure could go for an evening cocoa."
Siduo looked up, as if it was some deep philosophical question.
"I'm only inviting you for an evening cocoa date, Sisi. No need to think so hard about it."
Siduo smiled. "Sure. If it's a date you want, you'll get one."
Karni raised his eyebrows. "Sure. It's a date I want. We rarely stay at our bench spot in the evening."
The two headed to their regular bench spot. Their morning spot was now their evening spot. Siduo—and Karni could not believe this—brought out candles.
"Since when were you such a romantic?"
As she was lighting up the candles, she answered. "Since always. I just… held back. Besides, it's hard to be attracted to someone who looks like a child. Even now…" She looked at him.
"Still weird." Karni answered for her. "Just less. We're at least beginning to resemble our adult selves."
Siduo just nodded with a warm candle glow decorating her face. All the candles were lit, and the smell of freshly prepared warm cocoa was in the air.
The two sat under a blanket, since it was right in the middle of Spring right now. A joint blanket, each surrounded by the simple pleasure of company of the one person who meant the world to them.
All that could be heard was the sipping of cocoa, rustling of the blanket when one of them moved, a deep breath every now and then, warm and silent candles, and crackling of the fire.
Wait a minute. Crackling fire?
Karni's ears twitched and focused. He turned to look sideways behind Siduo.
"What're you looking at?" Siduo got curious and turned that way as well.
Some small distance away was a little bit of orange light. It was accompanied by soft whispers. Karni focused only a little more and could hear the words. His expression became somewhat comical, as if he couldn't really believe what he was hearing.
"Well? Out with it." Siduo looked at him.
Karni just chuckled and activated Vision Bestowal. Perhaps he should just call it "Bestowal", since he didn't just share his vision anymore these days. Sound, feeling, vision and level of perception was all shared.
She listened to what he shared with her.
… … …
"No. That is not enough. You're getting one more steak."
A sigh of defeat answered back. "Fine, fine." The person took the food. Clearly enjoying the taste despite seeming not to want it.
"So? From 10 to 10? What would you give it?"
"I have so much choice." The voice answered sarcastically. "I'll give you a 'makes me feel happy' out of 10."
The other person did not answer. The girl was probably embarrassed. After a while, she finally cleared her throat. "Well, same time tomorrow? You can't say no. Your body needs this."
The youth laughed. "It's the first time I feel glad for having a Martial Soul detrimental to my body."
"In a few years, your body will be strong and healthy due to my tasty food. What will you do then?"
"Then I'll just have to find another excuse to eat your cooking."
… … …
Karni and Siduo watched, hidden in the bush—yes, they moved because they were curious. The two looked at each other, more surprise in their eyes now that they confirmed their suspicions.
"Who would have thought? The Immortal, Xu Yucheng himself and the Grill Master Wen Bao." Karni felt giddy, like looking at something he shouldn't look at.
Ever since Wen Bao joined Siduo's team she became known as the Grill Master among the first-year group.
"I'm surprised." Siduo answered. "But I'm also not. The two kicked it off immediately when I forced them to join me. Wen Bao took it on herself to feed him when she saw how pale he always was."
"His complexion does actually look better." Karni observed. "Ah, young love."
Siduo nudged him in the ribs. "Then what are we?"
Karni thought about it. "Well, you are a granny, so we're just weir- Aaaah!"
He was kicked out of the bush, into the open, just as Wen Bao was feeding Xu Yucheng with her fork.
The three stared at each other. Karni's immediate reaction was simple: he Shifted Siduo out into the open as well.
She didn't even realise it. She was still giggling to herself until she opened her eyes to see her surroundings had changed. That shut her up.
The four stared at each other. Wen Bao slowly—very, very slowly—pushed her food into Xu Yucheng's mouth—which The Immortal actually took, even if a bit absentmindedly.
"Now then." Karni said. "Sorry to disturb you. You lovebirds can continue." He promptly Shifted himself and Siduo out, back to their bench.
Karni and Siduo stared at each other, then both burst out into laughter… mostly to forget the embarrassment they just experienced and caused. A coping mechanism.
They were about to pack the empty cups of cocoa and go, but the rustling of the bushes around them made them stop.
Two people out of breath ran out. The Immortal and the Grill Master themselves.
Xu Yucheng caught his breath. "Please don't tell this to anyone."
Siduo looked at the guy. "If you give me a good reason."
Xu Yucheng was taken aback. He furrowed his brows, thinking. Wen Bao answered before he could say anything. "Because we don't want people to bother us about this. We just want to… enjoy each other's company." The girl blushed.
Siduo smiled. "I would not have accepted any other answer."
"Now, now." Karni knocked on Siduo's head. "Stop messing with them."
He turned to the couple. "Our usual date spot happens to be nearby, that's why we happened to hear you. It's a good spot, not many people come around here."
Wen Bao nodded. "We know. I asked Siduo for advice about it."
"So you knew?" Karni looked at Siduo.
"I didn't know who she was going out with. I just suggested the spot. I also suggested the evening since I knew we aren't here at this time… usually."
Karni turned back to the embarrassed couple. "You guys were just unlucky. We really aren't here usually. We'll let you have the evenings here from now on."
Xu Yucheng and Wen Bao looked at each other then turned back to Karni and Siduo. "Thank you."
The group of four said goodbye, each couple going their own way. Siduo seemed satisfied and Karni felt refreshed. It was a nice end to the evening. Thoughts of the future were tucked away in a corner to be forgotten about for today.
… … …
The morning was slightly miserable, as both remembered that time was, in fact, running out for them. They had more than just their abilities to adjust to by the end of the semester.
This was exactly their mission at this very moment: Shrek Orphanage. They needed to prepare for Karni's departure.
In the last two months, their establishment, or more accurately, their partnership with the Tie Family and the Shrek Orphanage had smoothly continued. But the two were not confident about the business being able to continue should Karni leave. Karni was the lead designer of 90 percent of the projects!
The two already made a deal that Karni would teach Siduo as much as possible, as well as get an apprentice from the orphanage to keep it going. If not upgrades, the apprentice could at least make sidegrades. This situation also made them realise that they would not always be here to help the project grow. Siduo would also get an apprentice for similar reasons.
They went toward the Shrek Orphanage and stumbled upon an unlikely person. Luo Guixing. The guy rarely went outside of the academy. He seemed a bit lost.
Karni called out to him. "Luo Guixing?"
The guy turned toward them. They weren't sure if his face was that of surprise or annoyance. Or both.
"What're you doing here?" Karni asked further.
Luo Guixing sighed. "Neither of you happened to see Liu Liu here, right?"
"Liu Liu?" Karni looked at Siduo, then saw a side grin. One she did when she used to tease him. Oh no.
"Ohohoho? Hoho? Hohohoho?" Siduo started giggling like a child.
"Shut it Wu Siduo." Luo Guixing stared with attempted malice. "She owes me a damn rematch and is hiding!"
"Mm, mm. Suuuuure. A rematch."
Luo Guixing almost exploded, but Siduo continued to talk. "You have no chance of beating her. Face it already."
Opposite to the explosion Karni expected, that statement made Luo Guixing… wither. The proud and calculating Luo Guixing was feeling down because of such a thing?
"There's nothing you can do." Siduo patted Luo Guixing's shoulder. "She counters your Martial Soul perfectly. On the other hand, it makes her able to move freely inside your field. She'd be a good partner-"
"I will not be her partner." Luo Guixing seemed to seethe with rage. Ah. Overreactions. Hormones. Puberty. Karni could relate.
It was a one-sided obsession about a person he could not beat. Speaking of, why did Liu Liu counter him that way? He never knew-
Karni blinked, a memory of the old representative battle coming back to him. Liu Liu easily eliminated Luo Guixing.
Siduo obviously knew more. She was the leader of that team for the whole first semester. He remembered her telling him about some tensions when she first forced them to join her, as well as later telling him happily she beat them up until they were able to cooperate, but that was the extent of it. They didn't say more, because back then, it would defeat the point of the whole battle between Battle Armours.
Siduo finally spoke. "Well, you're not going to find her here. I saw her a few streets down 10 minutes ago."
"You did? Which way?"
Siduo pointed and Luo Guixing went right away, thanking her with renewed vigour.
"Did you have to lie to him?" Karni raised an eyebrow.
"Well, we can't reveal the Shrek Orphanage to him. Liu Liu is probably inside. She decided to help our project in favour of being able to visit the place again, remember?"
"Not the point. You could've just told him… I don't know, something else."
"Eh, as long as you don't tell on me."
Karni chuckled. "Making me the accomplice, eh? Forget it. Let's go in."
Siduo walked with him as they entered a barrier most people wouldn't even notice. "What do you mean 'forget it'? You gonna tell on me?"
Karni rolled his eyes. "No. I just don't feel like discussing this Luo Guixing thing."
"Luo Guixing? You didn't bring him in, right?" Liu Liu showed up in the orphanage hallway.
The two turned to look at her at the same time. Karni sighed. "No. He was searching for you outside and Sisi lied him away. Anyway, I'm going to find Director Shishi. You two talk it out first."
He went off, and the two girls were left alone.
Siduo looked at Liu Liu, suddenly grinning. "Say… You're a manufacturer, right?"
Liu Liu nodded.
"You're going to be my apprentice from now on. You know. As a favour."
Liu Liu looked confused. "Am I going to have to learn your research?"
Siduo nodded happily.
"Forget it. I already learned most of it. This was literally the deal, remember?"
Siduo caught by surprise. Her blackmail was falling apart. "We didn't ask you to learn our research though."
"Well, it felt like I'd be more productive if I do. Though I mostly looked at yours. I have trouble understanding Karni's. I never had a knack for Spiritual Power and anatomy of human body."
"That's literally perfect." Siduo jumped in happiness, remembering to use Luo Guixing as blackmail should Liu Liu refuse to learn more. "Come with me, show me what you know! I want to see if you've done everything the right way!"
… … …
Karni walked through the stretching hallways. This orphanage had always amazed him. On one hand, it felt like a labyrinth; on the other, it was impossible to get lost due to the unique designs of both rooms and hallways. It was made child-friendly in all possible ways.
Going through an innermost part of the orphanage, close to the director's room, he turned and looked at a wall. Yes. A wall. A beautiful, ornate wall, but definitely a wall. He sensed nothing behind it.
Yet always. Always, ever since he came out of his isolated training, this very wall had always called out to him when he went to the director's office. He only ever told Siduo. It gave him a similar sense to that 1 to 12 Battle Hall room in the Tang Sect, but Karni couldn't actually sense anything real.
He used to think it was the Sounds of Future again—as he called them. His flashes of the future of his surroundings. This was the first case when he was sure that wasn't it. The reason he knew was Siduo herself. She felt something behind the wall as well, but to his surprise, she was just as clueless as him. It was curious, but beyond anything he could do right now.
So he went on, reaching the director's office. He knocked.
"Karni, enter."
He entered, not surprised that she knew it was him. She always watched over the orphanage.
"What brings you here?" She didn't look at him, writing something on a Soul Computer instead. Always busy as a director.
"I need an apprentice."
She stopped and looked up at him.
He sighed. "I'm going to Star Luo Continent at the end of the semester as an exchange student. Not by my own free will mind you. As the lead designer of our project-"
She raised her hand. "I understand. Give me 10 minutes. I'm guessing you'll need Spiritual Types."
Karni nodded.
"Do you want me to choose, or should I bring them to you for your own evaluation?"
"I'll choose them myself. If you could bring me anyone spiritually capable, I'd be thankful."
The director nodded and disappeared. 10 minutes later she came to him and led him to the field. Only three people were here. Unfortunate. He was hoping for more to choose from.
She walked in front of the orphans with a soft smile. "You have probably heard of Val Karni. He has recently started developing a project to help many of your less fortunate friends."
The three nodded affirmatively.
"Good. Today, you'll get the chance to join this project if you impress Val Karni here."
Karni noticed the looks in the children change. Their eyes were determined. They were filled with pride. The pride of Shrek existed even here. He was genuinely impressed. They seemed to be proud of who they were. It was rare to see orphanages in the world where someone was proud to be one. No. This was probably the only one ever. And it was all thanks to Shrek.
The director left, leaving the kids alone with Karni. They looked expectantly at him. Karni cleared his throat. "The 'test' will be simple. Show me your Martial Souls and explain them. Unless any of you have experience in designing?"
Each kid shook their head. It made sense. The orphanage did not force the children into anything. Most of the kids with Martial Souls focused on cultivation, since the orphanage provided resources, while those with poorer aptitudes opted for professions. The orphanage did not have the same resources of the academy, even if it did belong to it. It was the most it could do for thousands of children.
"Now then, start with your Soul Rings."
Each of them had a single ring. Only the sole girl, who stood in the middle, had a single Yellow Soul Ring, the other two had a White one.
Karni looked to the rightmost one from his side. They youngest, looked to be about Wu Jianyu's age. "Introduce yourself."
The kid nodded—nervous but determined. "I am Hao He." His first Soul Ring, White, shone. Karni observed closely, but did not notice much. He brought out his own Martial Soul, activating Golden Insight. The kids gasped at the same time as they saw Karni's Soul Ring configuration. 3 Purples, 1 Black.
Karni was shocked at what he saw. "Hooo? You're controlling their breath as well as your own. Is your Martial Soul your breath? Control more than auxiliary, right?"
The kid nodded furiously, eyes shining as Karni analysed his Martial Soul so accurately. Breath. What an odd Martial Soul. "Good. Hao He. Next."
The kid was slightly sullen, thinking he got rejected as Karni moved on.
Karni patted the kid's head. "Hao He, don't worry. I need to see everyone's Martial Soul to judge the situation."
The kid turned cheerful again and smiled. "Then you must choose me. I am most unique here!"
Karni chuckled. Children were so direct. They never knew how to hold back. As the youngest one, he couldn't have been a Soul Master for long. It was an impressive Martial Soul.
Karni turned to the girl, who was 9-year-old, and nodded.
The girl breathed deeply; her hands shook slightly. She seemed to be the nervous type. Or was there something else to it? That did not look like normal shaking when one was nervous, it looked more like a warmup.
"I am Xu An. My Martial Soul is the harp." She declared confidently as her Martial Soul appeared. The harp was at least twice her size.
Karni's eyes shined. The girl activated her first Soul Ring and released soothing music with her playing. A Support Type, Karni judged.
Karni activated his own third Soul Ring. "Follow my lead. Let's see what you got."
Karni played a rhythm he usually used when designing. One of calmness and focus.
The girl followed with the harp. As it was, people with musical instruments for their Martial Souls always had a good ear regarding music and harmony.
The girl slowly stopped playing, eyes widening. "How do you create that melody with only a staff?"
"My Martial Soul, instead of playing, controls sound itself. Or soundwaves. Are you familiar with them."
The girl thought. "They produce sound, no?"
Karni chuckled. "Yes, and no. They are Sound itself. They are the theory behind Sound. Your goal as a Soul Master with an instrument will be to master the Sound, not just the instrument."
"I… okay." She seemed a bit frustrated, as if she was supposed to show something amazing, not be schooled about it.
Karni nodded. "Well done. Now then, last one."
The third orphan. A bit of an overweight boy a bit older than the other two. 10 or 11 perhaps? He breathed in deeply, forgot to introduce himself and just summoned his Martial Soul. A single piece of white chalk appeared.
He activated his first Soul Ring and drew a quick stickman on a tiny blackboard he brought along. The stickman jumped to life and started running around.
Karni nodded, whistling. "And your name."
"O! A, umm…" The kid looked downwards.
"Did… you forget it?"
The other two kids chuckled, while the boy turned a bit red. He moved his head and started writing on the board again. His name: Qin Ming.
Karni looked at him. "Do you have a speech disability?" It was an honest question.
The boy nodded vigorously.
"In that case, I'm sorry for joking that you forgot your name." Karni took the boy's hand.
Qin Ming shook his head, then started writing again. It said: "No worries, I'm used to it."
Karni's heart ached suddenly. Being used to something like that was probably not easy. Perhaps the Martial Soul being Chalk was a blessing. It seemed to be a summoning type.
"All of you are quite excellent." Karni could not be happier. He was disappointed when he saw only three, yet these three were all talented.
"Now then, who to choose…" He looked at them. The kids tensed up.
After 10 seconds of silence, he continued. "This is what we're gonna do. Xu An, take out your harp and play the melody you followed before. Hao He, your breath. Adjust it to her rhythm, then adjust it to Qin Ming as well. All three of you are to breathe as one. Qin Ming. Adjust to the tempo, feel the breath, and let the two guide you as you draw. You can draw whatever you want, but preferably some geometric shape. Can you do that?"
The three kids looked at each other and nodded.
Xu An was the first to start. The melody played rhythmically, though it was sloppy at times to Karni's ears. Then the Breath of Hao He joined, and the melody stabilised. The Breath went farther and connected to Qin Ming as well, though Karni noticed a problem.
"Hao He," Karni said, his voice in harmony with the melody playing so as not to disturb them. "You only coordinate, you do not control them right now. Hold back." Indeed, the kid's instincts as a Control System Soul Master kicked in and he tried to control them at first. At Karni's warning, he quickly became aware of it and fixed the mistake.
Qin Ming could now breathe with the rhythm. He took his Chalk and started drawing. A dodecahedron—a complex shape for one so young to draw freehand with chalk on a tiny blackboard.
Yet it worked. Karni's eyes shined. His instincts were correct. These kids together would be much better than any single apprentice. In fact, right now, he felt like the potential of these when joined might be a good deal higher than his own. He felt chills.
"Great. You can stop. All three of you are to join the project and become my disciples. That is, if you wish, of course."
All three made big nods, as if afraid Karni would miss them. They got a chance to directly help the orphanage which treated them so well. They were more than willing to help.
"Perfect," Karni smiled brightly. "In that case, come with me. Today I'm going to show you around a bit, you'll see the research you will have to learn as well as what you are actually going to be doing."
He led them to the edge of the orphanage where the Tie Family workshop currently stood. It was a decently large sized room filled with components. There was one other room attached to it which led to Tie Kexin's office. Karni took them to meet her first.
Tie Kexin welcomed them with open arms. "Three students Karni? Ambitious, aren't we?"
Karni chuckled. "They will be a team. I almost wonder whether the director chose these three on purpose. She probably did."
"You don't expect them to learn everything in 4 months, do you?" Tie Kexin looked at him with suspicion.
"Gods no! That would be inhumane. Sisi will take over for me as the lead designer for that one year. I'll tell her all the important information. They are here for when me nor Sisi are available for an extended period of time… She did come to tell you, right?"
Tie Kexin nodded. "She already chose an apprentice as well. Liu Liu, if you believe it."
"Oh?" Karni thought. "I actually do believe it. Liu Liu should be the perfect fit. How did Siduo get her to agree though?"
"Something about a boy." Tie Kexin waved it off while Karni immediately understood.
He cleared his throat. "Well, Tie Kexin. These are Hao He, Xu An and Qin Ming. They're probably going to be the future of the project."
Tie Kexin smiled. "You can call me Big Sister Kexin. I'm the leader of the project here."
The three kids were rather shy, but they nodded. After some more introductions, Karni took them away to the actual workshop.
In here stood a mechanical human about twice the size of a real human. It was not a mecha. "This is how you will learn about the theory. A larger model will be easier for you to understand than a tiny one, due to all the detail used in the process of creating a prosthetic."
He moved on to an even larger area. An actual Mecha was in here. "And to really get a feel for the human body, this mecha here was specifically designed to imitate it. In the coming months when I am still here, you will learn under me and Wu Siduo on how to control it." Karni grinned, seeing the kids' eyes turn gold from excitement. What could be more fun than learning about Mecha Engineering than through piloting a mecha?
… … …
Hao He, Xu An and Qin Ming were chatting furiously after Karni left. The hot topic was of course the mecha. They spent the least amount of time in that room, yet it stayed in their memory the most. All of them were full of motivation. It was really a dream come true.
"Besides, teacher said it resembles controls of the human body, right? It's not just any normal mecha!" Hao He seemed most excited.
Qin Ming was nodding while drawing something. He turned the blackboard with the mecha drawn in great detail. Karni would be shocked to see such an accurate picture. The boy pointed to a few bits which particularly resembled a human.
Xu An was nodding while looking at the picture. "You could be an artist! It's almost like I am in the room!"
"A mecha?" A fourth person suddenly joined. A girl infamous for her nagging. "You guys get to learn mecha piloting?! That's not fair!"
"Of course it is," Xu An stood proud. "We were personally approved by our teacher."
The girl didn't listen. She ran back to one of the common rooms and started yelling. "Hear this! Hao He, Xu An and even Qin Ming are getting private lessons in mechas!"
"What?" One kid yelled, and an ensemble of similar questions followed. In a matter of seconds, the trio was surrounded.
"That's not fair, that's not fair." The sentiment was in a great majority.
"Great." Xu An slapped her head. "Our first day as apprentices and we already have to explain ourselves to Teacher Val."