Edited by: ASaltedFish
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When Aster opened his eyes, the liquid inside the bowl was rainbow-colored. It was like this because each ingredient represented a color within the rainbow.
According to Ellery, the contents in the large bowl were enough to fill 10 test tubes. These test tubes had a special lid to keep the spiritual energy from escaping. It also regulated the temperature. Though the test tubes looked like they were made of glass, they were quite durable and were made from a material that only looked like glass. Still, there was a special stand to hold them because they couldn't stand up independently.
Once all the stabilizer tubes were filled, he could test the grade of the stabilizer using a special machine on the large desk.
Aster carefully poured the stabilizers into the tube. There was a line that told him where to stop, so he wouldn't over or underfill it.
After all the stabilizer tubes were capped and placed on the rack, Ellery told him to grab one and put it in the machine. It was simple. All he had to do was turn the machine on, insert the stabilizer tube, press start, and then it would automatically test the grade of the tube.
While waiting for the testing machine, he also turned on the stabilizer labeling machine so that it could label what grade it was. He just needed to press the button with the corresponding grade, and it would automatically label the test tube.
A minute later, the machine was done testing. It made a ding sound to let him know it was done.
[I wonder what grade it is… It should be an A grade if you did everything right.]
Aster also hoped he did it right. When he looked at the grade, the machine stated it was S-grade.
Both Aster and Ellery were shocked.
[What?! How is that… Put another tube into the testing machine just to make sure!]
If the machine was telling the truth, then he became an S-ranked guide while in a coma! Should he go get tested again?!
Aster put another test tube in the machine and sat in front of it, waiting for it to finish assessing its grade again. Just like last time, it said it was S-grade.
[I can't believe this at all! Aster, under the desk, there are some stabilizer tubes that I haven't sent out. Grab one from the box that says D-ranked.]
He did what he was told and put it in the testing machine. Just as the label said, the grade was D.
That means the grade on the stabilizers he made was actually S-grade, and it was not a mistake!
[I… I can't believe this…]
Ellery was flabbergasted and felt a bit melancholy. Before he was reborn, it took another two years to get to S-rank. He worked his ass off to upgrade his spiritual sea, and it paid off.
That's why, he was so fucking angry when he died at the hands of that bastard and his lover! He should have had a beautiful rose-colored life after awakening as a guide! After all of his suffering, like when he lost his parents and his older brother… He should have lived a good life after their sacrifice, but in the end, he died too.
And it was for a dumb reason!
No, he was alive now! The universe gave him a second chance, even if there was another soul in his body. It was better than completely dying and not knowing where his soul was going to go… Yes, this time, he would make sure he lived a good life with Aster and his future sentinel partner!
[Aster… I want you to make one more batch, and this time, put as much spiritual energy as you can into it. I want to see if S-grade is our limit! Afterward, we should definitely get retested at the Guide Association so we can get an updated badge! I might just be the youngest S-ranked guide in the whole empire…]
'I understand!'
Knowing how to make the stabilizers, this time, Aster did not need Ellery to tell him again. He was also a bit faster this time cutting the time down from 30 minutes to 20 minutes to make this batch.
When he was done and filled another 10 stabilizer tubes, he put a tube into the testing machine.
Aster and Ellery waited patiently. It felt like forever but it was only a minute when they heard the familiar ding sound.
When they checked the grade, Aster and Ellery could not believe their eyes.
Actually, Ellery was so shocked that if had control of his body, he would have run out the door, taken a lap around the house, and then come back inside to check the machine one more time.
[Another! Put another one in to make sure!]
He really couldn't believe it, even though he knew his testing machine was working properly.
Once again, the machine graded the stabilizer as SS ranked. Even though he was using A-grade plants… Aster's control was really good, so it was not surprising to be able to do this, but it was still shocking!
[And you put as much spiritual power as you could into this?]
'That's right… I can't believe it's so high… Didn't you say S-grade was already really rare?'
[Of course! And SS and SSS grades are simply legendary! Actually, there are no guides or sentinels who are SSS-rank right now, but Marshal Edros Caecius has SSS-rank potential. No one thinks he will live long enough to become SSS-rank, though. He barely achieved SS-rank recently. He's also the youngest SS-ranked sentinel, but if he can't find a guide to calm and purify his spiritual sea, he may not live very long.
[Keep in mind, there are only 5 SS-ranked sentinels right now! There's not a single SS-ranked guide either. There are only 150,000 S-ranked guides in the empire, but most of them are much older than we are. The average life span is 300 years for normal folks and 350 for lower-ranked guides and sentinels. Sentinels without a suitable guide may not even live to 100 years old. Heck, even dying at the age of 50 is not uncommon.]
Ellery and Aster were only 22 years old. The youngest guide to become S-ranked was 35 years old. That's how amazing it would be if Aster and Ellery were SS-ranked at the age of 22!
Coincidentally, Edros Caecius became SS-ranked at the age of 39! He broke the record for the youngest SS-ranked sentinel.
'So… what do we do now?'
[First, we need to check the spiritual experience of the stabilizers! I wonder what it would be like to experience an SS-ranked experience! I didn't get to see it when you were making it so hopefully I can see it now.]
To test the stabilizer's spiritual experience, all he needed to do was tap on the tube with his spiritual energy.
Just like before, he was transported back into that wooden cabin with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. This time, he felt like someone was next to him, holding him underneath the blanket to keep him warm. He could also feel that person's body heat and the softness of their skin and clothes. It felt a bit too intimate for Aster's comfort. At the same time, he yearned for this kind of comfort, one that was silent but patient.
When he snapped back into reality, Ellery was silent.
'Ellery? Is everything okay?'
After a long silence, Ellery finally said what was on his mind, [Why was your spiritual experience different from mine… Is it because you have a different soul? Wait a minute, who did you call when we were making stabilizers?]
'I called Lune. Was I not supposed to?'
[Well… You were supposed to, but… Wait… Since we have different quantum beasts and two different souls, of course, we have two different spiritual seas! We must test out and see if calling out Sol would change the spiritual experience for the stabilizers. If not, this would be troublesome because my customers buy my stabilizers made with Sol. Oh, make them A-ranked stabilizers. Do you remember how much you put in for S-ranked? Do 20% less than that.]
'That makes sense, let's try it out.'
For the third batch of stabilizers, he followed the same steps and then brought out Sol. They still had enough spiritual energy, so it took no time at all to make the third batch of stabilizers.
When he was done, he popped a tube into the machine and waited. Hopefully, he was able to make it an A-grade stabilizer…
After waiting another minute, the machine told him the stabilizer tube was A-grade.
[Perfect! Now let's test the spiritual experience to make sure it's just like mine.]
Aster grabbed the tube from the machine and closed his eyes, allowing his spiritual energy to probe the stabilizer tubes. Just like the experience he had when he opened the door, he experienced it once again. Since they were now a higher rank, the passion fruit and mango scent and taste were much stronger than before. He could also feel the sand in between his toes as well as hear seagulls roaming around the beach for food. In the distance, he could see dolphins jumping out of the water, catching the waves. He could even hear people talking and laughing. It wasn't annoying, it just felt like he was on vacation at a popular destination.
Even though he was an introvert, he didn't seem to mind this spiritual experience. There was nobody next to him, so it didn't feel suffocating. Maybe it was because Ellery liked to be around people, but he could never be that close with others… Still, it had a different kind of loneliness than what Aster's spiritual experience was like.
'Hmm… so comfortable and warm. Yet, I can feel a bit of your loneliness. Just like mine.'
It was a lot warmer than his spiritual experience, but somehow, they gave similar vibes. There was a lot more he experienced this time around too.
Ellery thought Aster's assessment was quite accurate.
[I was right… Depending on which quantum beast you make the stabilizers with, it will influence which spiritual experience people will have. Well, it's a relief that you can make both. Don't sell the ones you made with Lune for now. Not until we can get tested at the Guide Association… I've never heard about this before though, so we might have to get protection too…
[I'm a bit worried, though. Maybe we should hold off on getting tested until we can guarantee our safety.]
Ellery made a really good point. From what they both read on the Starnet, there were no cases of someone having two quantum beasts. Aster's presence in Ellery's body actually made Ellery's spiritual rank increase by a whole two ranks.
'I understand, I will be sure to listen to you.'
Aster was a foreign soul. He didn't understand the ways of this society, nor did he understand the full gravity of the situation. If Ellery said it was serious, then he could only agree with and listen to him.
He hasn't been in this world very long so he could only continue to trust Ellery. Thankfully though, Ellery was right. It was best for them to be cautious.
*****
The Imperial Military Academy gave him one week to catch up as much as he could with the content. He did his best but he had Ellery with him who remembered everything he needed to remember. He just had Ellery give him a rundown of the stuff he learned in the past three years. He's been slowly reviewing step by step with Ellery's help.
In the meantime, Ellery also taught Aster how to take care of the garden, how to sell and ship off their stabilizers and plants, and helped Aster buy some new clothes to call his own.
Ellery's style was not bad. It was actually really stylish, and he kept up with current fashion trends. What Aster wanted, though, were more comfortable clothes to wear around the house because Ellery didn't have a lot of comfortable clothes. It was mostly just style and no comfort.
On their first day together at the academy, Ellery annoyingly grumbled about the uniform. Since it was supposed to simulate how they would be wearing uniforms in the military, they couldn't customize their outfits or anything like that. Those who violated the dress code were punished. If they got three strikes, they would be kicked out of the academy.
[Before I died, I vowed if I had a second chance at life, I would never go back to the military. Now, we might have to go for our safety. I really don't want to, though.]
'Makes sense. I don't want to go either. I won't be able to stay at home by myself.'
Even if their reasons were different, the outcome was similar.
What Ellery originally wanted to do was to work at the nearby Guide Association clinic. For guides who did not want to work in the military, they would work at these clinics along with making stabilizers or cultivating the ingredients for them. The clinics had stable incomes and had a lot of social benefits.
Now he wasn't so sure. Especially because he and Aster were a bit special. He didn't want to do something that would put them both in danger.
Stabilizers were not complete cures for corrupted spiritual seas. Guides could not only purify spiritual seas, but they could also reinforce them so the corruption wouldn't be as bad the next time. However, if a sentinel didn't get guided, they would constantly have corruption in their spiritual sea that would get worse the longer it remained. Stabilizers only offered temporary relief. Even if a sentinel only has average compatibility with a guide, getting guided by them was better than using stabilizers for the rest of their life. If they ran out of stabilizers in critical moments and they had never been guided in person, they could die.
That's why, sentinels needed to be guided by guides. Guides were important to keep the sentinels alive, which in turn, protected the empire from high-level Ineks. And that protection allowed normal people to keep society running.
Anyway, since Ellery and Aster were still not sure what they wanted to do after graduating, they were a bit anxious; but there wasn't much they could do except think about it. They called a public hovercar and made their way to the military academy.
Who knew they would run into trouble before they could even walk into the building…