Chapter 1923: A Rejected Cultivation Method
Chapter 1923: A Rejected Cultivation Method
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“Aquarina, you have to understand that’s just her mindset, I guess. She’s a bug after all, and we’re mammals. It’s like dealing with a completely different species.”
“But she’s a spirit!” Aquarina protested.
“She lived as a bug for hundreds of thousands of years and merged with that bug’s soul, so go figure,” I said with a shrug.
“I would appreciate if you didn’t make such rude remarks about my being,” Armageddon sighed. “But I suppose it’s only fair after I’ve done the same to you. So let’s call a truce, shall we? Constant conflict is exhausting. I’ve spent these months reflecting on many things and strengthening my resolve. I’ve realized this is an opportunity, and I will do everything in my power to seize it. I will fight for you if needed, Sylph—not merely as a comrade, but as your Familiar. How have you progressed with your Cultivation Method, by the way?”
“In two hours? I’ve barely done anything yet!” I replied.
“Ah, well, that’s too bad. You’re really slow, huh?” she observed.
“Slow?! You’re the one with the extreme time dilation…” I sighed. “Well, whatever the case… if twenty-four hours outside equals two years here, then in fifty days the treasure will finally blossom?”
“Yes,” Armageddon confirmed. “Why? Do you need materials that urgently?”
“For my cauldron? Yes,” I nodded. “We have three months to gather everything and build it. Ninety days outside would be one hundred eighty years here. How many things do you think could be ready in that time?”
“A couple,” she answered. “I will notify you when they’re ready for extraction so you can retrieve a piece of each one. Ah, how about you give this to her? To make up for our differences—a gift that might help her manage her disparate energies more properly and effectively.”
Armageddon suddenly manifested a scroll in her hands and passed it to Aquarina. The scroll glowed with intricate runes. Alice analyzed its composition and confirmed it was harmless—just a scroll containing knowledge and a cultivation method formula that Armageddon had apparently created on the spot.
“W-What is this? Some kind of trap?” Aquarina demanded.
“It’s a Divine Cultivation Method I created specifically for you! It is called the Raging Oceans and Calm Seas Sutra. It serves as a Body, Soul, Spirit, and Mind Cultivation Method while also functioning as a Meditation Technique. If you master it fully, it will help you control your emotions far better and even weaponize your rage and calmness to achieve unprecedented power. Your Divine Pathways are in chaos because you’re still mortal. You possess three Divinity Sparks, yet they feel hollow and weak without a proper Cultivation Method to nurture them. This will solve that problem… for now. You’re meant to transition to other methods once you master this one,” Armageddon explained.
“Tsk! And why would I ever accept anything from you?!” Aquarina snapped, fingers tightening as if ready to tear the scroll apart.
I quickly snatched it from her hand.
“Aquarina, don’t do that. These are the real deal,” I said with a sigh. “If you don’t want it, I’ll keep it until you need it.”
“As if I would ever need that thing…” Aquarina muttered.
“Hey, you said you were going to be nice. You even apologized…” I reminded her.
“A-Ah… sorry…” Aquarina exhaled heavily. “Maybe I still have anger issues. So annoying.”
“That Method will allow you to cultivate your anger into power and grant you greater mastery over your emotions,” Armageddon added. “But the choice is yours.”
“Well, let’s leave it at that, okay?” I said. “No more fighting for now… And Aquarina, let’s just try to get along with the ant. She’s the same as Ignatius and Beelzebub now.”
“I wouldn’t say those two ever truly became humbled or much weaker, but this giant ant hasn’t gone through any of that yet…” Aquarina pointed out. “Maybe you should have limited her power.”
“Well, I needed a divine ally, and she can even create more divine allies,” I explained. “The gods who blessed us have been conspicuously absent, so we literally had nothing.”
“I guess so… Ugh, it’s so hot here. It was nice, I suppose, but I think we should head back outside,” Aquarina said. “I don’t want to waste any more time in here.”
“Hmm, okay,” I agreed. “Let’s go back home then!”
“Yeah, let’s go. I don’t want to be around this thing anymore,” Aquarina groaned. “It’s enough to drive someone mad…”
Aquarina stepped through the portal I opened for her first. I turned back to Armageddon. The name still felt so ominous—I still couldn’t quite get used to it—but whatever.
“All right, keep up the good work, Armageddon,” I said. “I’ll be leaving for now. And it would be better if… well, you know, if you ever want to come outside, I’ll have to force you into a smaller, cuter form.”
“What?” She looked genuinely confused. “What do you even mean by th— Aaagh!”
With a thought, I grasped her existence and molded her form with my hands, shrinking her into a cat-sized red ant queen complete with a pair of large, fiery red wings.
“Like this. Yeah, this looks like a spirit that wouldn’t seem harmful or intimidating to people!” I nodded, satisfied.
“Uuggh! Why?!” Armageddon wailed. “I-I had no idea you could do this to meeeee!”
“Well, when Aquarina said you needed to learn some humility, she wasn’t wrong. So I thought of this great idea,” I said with a smile. “You don’t need to oversee your divine realm or the treasures twenty-four seven, right? Then I might call you out to join us as a spirit every now and then. I hope you’re prepared for small adventures. Don’t worry—you’re going to love it once we get to the good parts of exploration and adventuring, I promise! Exploring dungeons together, discovering new places, meeting new people… that’s what makes life worth living!”
“Uuuggh! No! I detest that! I want to remain inside my divine realm until the time comes to confront the gods!” she groaned. “I must prepare obsessively until we can finally trample over them and… and…!”
“I know you’re obsessed, but constantly fixating on it won’t do your mind any good, you know?” I asked gently. “You’ve got to relax sometimes. Chill out. And I’ll help you chill out and experience new things from a fresh perspective. It’ll be fun, I swear! Pinky promise.”
“Uuuggh, why are you being so irritating today, Sylph?” she grumbled, crossing her six arms. “Do whatever you want… it’s not like I can stop you! I am hopeless…”
“Aw, don’t act sad now,” I giggled. “About the Cultivation Method… do you think I could learn the one you made for Aquarina?”
I really didn’t want it to go to waste.
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