Opening the door, Elias was greeted by the sight of his mother, Yui, standing in the hallway.
She was dressed in a simple white robe, her long black hair falling loosely around her shoulders. Her expression was warm and caring, her dark eyes filled with love and affection.
"Hi, my little sunshine," she said, pulling Elias into a gentle hug. "Would you like to come to the market with me? It's been a while since we had spent any time together—"
Her gaze fell on his arm, which was wrapped in a bandage. Her smile faltered, and her eyes widened with concern. "What happened to your arm?!"
Elias shrugged, his tone cold. "It's nothing."
"Did someone bully you?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly with worry.
Elias remained silent, his expression unreadable.
Yui's face fell, and she sighed deeply. "Elias... You still haven't forgiven me, have you?"
He didn't respond, just stared at her with a distant look in his eyes.
Yui's shoulders slumped slightly. "Yeah...I deserve this, I am sorry. Truly. But maybe this can make things a bit better?" She reached into her robe and pulled out a small box, extending it toward him with a hopeful look.
Elias took the box, his expression still guarded. "What is this?"
"It's the manifestation I promised you," she said, her voice soft but filled with hope.
Elias carefully opened the box, revealing a small, glowing brown flame encased in a glass bottle. He lifted the bottle and examined it closely, his eyes narrowing in concentration.
"This is a Rank 1 Haze Projection," he said after a moment.
Yui's smile widened at his reaction. "Yes, that's right. I know it's not much, but I heard it's quite rare and valuable. Although the mirage created by this manifestation is intangible, rumors say that once it ascends, it can become a powerful illusionist manifestation."
Elias was momentarily speechless. He had just acquired a similar manifestation himself, and now his mother had given him another one. Among the numerous manifestations, being given two of the same copy was a coincidence that was almost too much to believe. But after a brief pause, he accepted it with a warm smile.
"How did you come by this?" Elias asked, slipping the bottle into his pocket.
"Oh, there are traveling merchants who just arrived in town with some intriguing items. I bought it from them. How about we go check together if there's any formula to ascend it when you reach rank 2?" Yui explained, her eyes twinkling with excitement.
"Traveling merchant ...?"
Traveling merchants sometimes stopped by the town to exchange goods from other regions. It was impossible to predict when they would arrive, and their wares were often limited.
Elias's smile broadened as he wrapped his arms around Yui in a heartfelt hug. "I really appreciate it. Thank you, Mom. It is true that we haven't spent time together."
Yui's face lit up with joy at the gesture. "I'm so glad you like it! So, can you tell me what happened to your arm?"
After thinking a moment, Elias decided what he would do.
With a sad expression, he shook his head. "It's nothing. I just had a minor accident. I got hurt while trying to climb a... hum tree?"
Frowing a bit, she stared at Elias' neat bandages on his arm and asked, "How come nobody told me when you were treated then? I especially told every servant to notify me if there was something..."
With a sudden panicked expression, he was silent for a moment. "Because... hum, I ... I asked Ray to help me do it?"
"But he would have told-"
"Mom, I want to go to the market and see what those merchants have. Can you take me?" Elias interrupted her.
Yui expression darkened for a moment before returning to normal. She smiled and nodded. "...Okay, let's go."
As they left the mansion, Elias was internally satisfied. He obviously could have come up with a much better and more credible lie. But why would he?
He could have told the truth, but there would be a chance Ray would forcefully take back all his material and manifestations.
He could've also lied, but then again, it wouldn't have maximized his gains and would not have turned his mother against Ray.
So, after a moment of thinking, he wondered, why not have the benefits of both side?
By subtly implying that Ray was the cause, he made sure to tell a half-baked lie so his mother would get suspicious, effectively making her doubt Ray's words and actions.
On the other hand, as long as he did not confirm it, his mother had no way of knowing the truth, meaning that Ray could only try his best to prove his innocence while not being able to take back the resources he gave since if Elias suddenly told the truth despite him lying, it would be a huge loss for him.
Ultimately, he had the benefit of telling the truth while experiencing none of its inconvenience.
.
.
.
Under the winter's cold, the snow fell quietly, covering the world in a blanket of white.
Elias and Yui walked through the bustling streets of White River town. The air was filled with the sounds of people haggling on stalls and the smells of exotic spices.
Elias and Yui walked among the crowd, their eyes scanning the various displayed goods. There were countless stalls selling all kinds of products, from mundane items like clothes and tools to more exotic items like ranked materials and manifestations.
However, what was most noticeable was the large number of traveling merchants. They were easily identifiable by their strange clothing and accents.
One particular merchant caught Elias's attention. He was a tall, thin man with dark skin and a bushy beard. His clothes were colorful and ornate, and he wore a wide-brimmed hat decorated with feathers.
This peculiar merchant was selling something unusual. It was living aether beasts.
Multiple cages were stacked on top of each other, and inside, small aether beasts were trapped. There were very diverse species, from dog-sized insects to a strange mix of birds and cats.
"These are all aether beasts, and they are all rank 1! All of them are cheap and easy to raise or breed! The chances of having a manifestation are very high, too!" the merchant shouted, his voice carrying over the din of the crowd.
Elias's eyes narrowed as he studied the caged beasts. Each cage had a small sign attached to it, listing the beast's species, price, and potential looted manifestation if slayed.
Any cultivator knew this: When an aether beast is born, it has a special ability called a "manifestation."
Manifestations are a key part of the beast's strength and identity. To obtain most manifestations, a cultivator must first defeat the aether beast. Only after the beast has been killed is there a chance that its manifestation will drop as a reward.
In some cases, certain manifestations can only be obtained through repeated efforts of killing a single species of aether beast. In gaming terms, it would be "farm till it drops"
The difficulty of acquiring a manifestation depends on the beast's rank. Precisely, the higher the beast's rank, the harder it is to obtain its manifestation. While higher-ranked beasts have more powerful or higher-ranked manifestations, making them highly desirable, these manifestations are also much more difficult to acquire.
Yui's gaze fell on a small cage containing a giant cockroach with eyes similar to silver disks. She let out a small gasp, her eyes widening in surprise. "Elias, look! This is a Fog-Eyed Cockroach!"
Elias's gaze shifted to the cage, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Indeed, it is," he answered as he looked closer.
The cockroach was about the size of a small dog, its body covered in a hard exoskeleton. Its eyes were indeed silver, and they seemed to glow faintly in the dim light of the cage.
The sign attached to the cage read:
Name: Fog-Eyed Cockroach.
Rank: 1
Price: 3 awakening stones.
Potential manifestations: Rank 1 See fog, Rank 1 Roachlings armor."
Elias's eyes narrowed slightly at the price. Usually, normal people would pay their expenses in precious metals such as gold or silver. However, when the price was written in awakening stones, it meant that it was meant for cultivators.
Awakening stones are not only used to awaken apertures but also as a currency for cultivators. However, the price of a single awakening stone would vary depending on the region.
Elias soon lost interest in living aether beasts. Training or breeding them was a hassle, and most cultivators considered them living "loot boxes." If one was lucky, they would obtain a manifestation from it once they killed it. It was pretty much a gamble.
Obviously, a cultivator in need of a manifestation could directly buy it at a higher price if they truly wanted it.
Elias then turned his attention to Yui, who was still looking at the Fog-Eyed Cockroach with a warm smile.
"Mom... can I have please some money? I want to buy something," Elias said.
"Sure, sweetie. Here, take this. But don't spend it all at once, okay?" Yui replied, handing him a small pouch filled with silver coins.
"... I want awakening stones."
Yui raised an eyebrow, her expression puzzled. "Awakening stones? Why do you need awakening stones? Don't tell me you want to awaken yourself. You know it is strictly forbidden by the clan."
"I want to buy a manifestation or something by myself. I am big enough now," Elias explained. "Also, I don't want to awaken this early either since it could impact my talent."
Hearing this, Yui's expression turned dark.
'Elias' talent...' After a brief moment of hesitation, Yui eventually sighed and nodded. "Okay, I will give you a few awakening stones. But you have to promise me not to awaken your aperture, okay?"
"I promise."
"Good," Yui said, handing him a small pouch with 3 awakening stones. "Make sure to use them wisely, okay? Here, take my pin. Merchants are not allowed to sell you anything ranked without this. Don't lose it." she said, taking a small cloud-shaped pin and giving it to him.
It was one of the rules the merchants had to comply if they wanted to do business in the town. To control the population and the spreading of awakening stones, the clan had initiated a rule where only clan members with this pin could buy anything ranked.
"Thank you, Mom! I love you so much," Elias said, taking the pouch and pin as he ran into the crowd.
"I will be waiting here, be careful okay? If you get lost, ask a clan member; they will surely help!" she shouted after him.