Chapter 98
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Chapter 98
It was hopeless to sneak around everywhere and presume she would never be discovered. Anton would always pick her out and some of the elders had to have found her. But maybe his concentration would lapse and she would figure out what the secret was. The strange thing was that even though she spent all her time watching, they never did anything even close to secret. There was a whole lot of running around, and strangely enough working. Working fields by hand and even dealing with strange and exotic plants. That was something only Hoyt and Anton did much of, but she couldnt see how it would help. They didnt even cultivate any plant-related techniques.
Those in Spirit Building certainly spent less time training their bodies, but Anton kept stubbornly trying to shoot a bow that didnt seem to bend. Velvet didnt know what the point was. If he couldnt do it, he couldnt do it. Everyone cultivated, of course, using the natural energy in the area to improve themselves. But the Spirit Building cultivators also spent a lot of time sparring and a strangely equal amount socializing. Mostly with each other instead of the rest of the Order as a whole, but it was still strange how they continued to grow strong so quickly.
Maybe it was all a trick. However, Velvet didnt believe theyd give up several weeks of cultivation time just to throw her off. Not when they could just remove her. Anton had never told her to stop skulking about, and she wanted to know what it meant.
She briefly considered trying to bribe him. A foolish idea. Even performing menial labor he must have more contribution points than she could imagine, given the speed at which he worked. And he had gone on grand adventures, obtaining enchanted items. Her own mission to the jungle of Ambati had no way to match that. Yet she wasnt strong enough to take something riskier.
Everyone was pulling away. Timothy had surpassed the tenth star and was properly stepping into spirit building. Catarina and Hoyt were on their way to the twelfth star, Anton clearly making progress toward the thirteenth. Even the new recruits were advancing faster than Velvet ever had. This chapter's initial release occurred on the n0vell--Bjjn site.
Finally, Velvet understood. If only she had been able to come to some other conclusion, it might help but instead she knew. It didnt matter if she was told the secret, if it was openly practiced in front of her. She couldnt do it. Anton knew that, but he wasted time with her anyway, giving false hope. It didnt make any sense. And she knew it never would.
-----
Antons eyes tracked the horizon. There was a disturbing lack of a certain skulking figure. Shed certainly been improving her stealth abilities, but not so quickly. For one thing, Anton was constantly improving his Hawk Eyes technique, and he had other techniques for various senses. No, she wasnt suddenly successfully hiding. She just wasnt around.
He hadnt felt her cultivating when he left the complex. In fact, she hadnt cultivated one bit in the last few days to the best of his knowledge. Perhaps her paranoia had reached a peak, and she would only do it when he was not around. Hed have to check.
But first, he had to replant this Screaming Root Bush. It was currently in a pot, and while it would benefit greatly from being planted in proper soil it didnt understand that. It wasnt a plant that thought in any sense of the word. It just resisted being unearthed, and created a horrible noise as it did so. The roots gripped onto the pot until Anton started to dismantle the vessel bit by bit. He protected his ears from the screaming noise with energy, a difficult task given the way it constantly shifted. It was good practice though. Dismantling the pot without harming the plant was also a useful exercise. Anton didnt know what sort of strange medicine this plant would eventually be, but it was quite a difficult one to raise.
Or he could be wrong. But he knew he was going to try to help her on his own. That was what every part of him said was the right thing to do. It was his fault, even if not his intention. A fragile girl lay broken on the floor.
He let the words come to him on their own. Its okay, he said. Youre good enough. You made it this far. He avoided saying something like on her own, though doubtless that was close to correct, despite his attempts at advice.
She didnt visibly respond to his words, but she continued to mutter to herself. Dont understand. Whats the point? Running and talking and fighting
He didnt think she could hear his answers, but maybe on some deeper level he would. So he did his best. Training with others helps, he explained. They can point out your flaws, and help you. You can do the same for them.
She repeated her thoughts, her questions. Her mind wandered randomly through ideas of insufficiency and lack of understanding. Anton continued to support her, the foolish girl, to the best of his ability.
Cultivators were tougher than the rest, but as the sun fell, rose, and fell again Anton heard her voice rasp more and more. His own throat was dry as well. He could go get water. It would only take a moment, and he would be back. Yet somehow he felt if he left her side he wouldnt get another chance.
... cant trust anyone Those exact words, and things like them, were far too common in Velvets mutterings.
Anton had little he could do to respond. You have to. It doesnt have to be me. But humans cant survive alone.
Sometimes, he almost thought she heard him. But he could never get a consistent response of any sort out of her. She didnt turn her eyes towards him and didnt react when he was in front of her.
But he waited, sitting next to her, trying to help somehow. Maybe he wasnt qualified. Maybe the Order had some solution for this, and he was just wasting his time, endangering her. But he couldnt leave now.
He wasnt sure how long it had been. More than a full day, probably two or three. It was then that something happened. It didnt seem like much, but as he waved his hand in front of her she reached up and grabbed his wrinkled wrist. She squeezed with the full power of the ninth star of Body Tempering. The bones in his wrist were close to snapping after just a moment, but he couldnt resist with energy. That could hurt her. He didnt try to dislodge her grip as her eyes finally closed. The grip only seemed to tighten after that, and Anton grit his teeth. The second full body tempering had barely been enough to make his old bones sturdy enough to resist, and it wasnt going to last forever. But what was a broken and squashed wrist anyway? As long as it wasnt too bad, he could recover it eventually. That hardly mattered. He did hope she would tire soon, but her grip seemed more likely to break her own fingers than give up.
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Chapter 98
It was hopeless to sneak around everywhere and presume she would never be discovered. Anton would always pick her out and some of the elders had to have found her. But maybe his concentration would lapse and she would figure out what the secret was. The strange thing was that even though she spent all her time watching, they never did anything even close to secret. There was a whole lot of running around, and strangely enough working. Working fields by hand and even dealing with strange and exotic plants. That was something only Hoyt and Anton did much of, but she couldnt see how it would help. They didnt even cultivate any plant-related techniques.
Those in Spirit Building certainly spent less time training their bodies, but Anton kept stubbornly trying to shoot a bow that didnt seem to bend. Velvet didnt know what the point was. If he couldnt do it, he couldnt do it. Everyone cultivated, of course, using the natural energy in the area to improve themselves. But the Spirit Building cultivators also spent a lot of time sparring and a strangely equal amount socializing. Mostly with each other instead of the rest of the Order as a whole, but it was still strange how they continued to grow strong so quickly.
Maybe it was all a trick. However, Velvet didnt believe theyd give up several weeks of cultivation time just to throw her off. Not when they could just remove her. Anton had never told her to stop skulking about, and she wanted to know what it meant.
She briefly considered trying to bribe him. A foolish idea. Even performing menial labor he must have more contribution points than she could imagine, given the speed at which he worked. And he had gone on grand adventures, obtaining enchanted items. Her own mission to the jungle of Ambati had no way to match that. Yet she wasnt strong enough to take something riskier.
Everyone was pulling away. Timothy had surpassed the tenth star and was properly stepping into spirit building. Catarina and Hoyt were on their way to the twelfth star, Anton clearly making progress toward the thirteenth. Even the new recruits were advancing faster than Velvet ever had. This chapter's initial release occurred on the n0vell--Bjjn site.
Finally, Velvet understood. If only she had been able to come to some other conclusion, it might help but instead she knew. It didnt matter if she was told the secret, if it was openly practiced in front of her. She couldnt do it. Anton knew that, but he wasted time with her anyway, giving false hope. It didnt make any sense. And she knew it never would.
-----
Antons eyes tracked the horizon. There was a disturbing lack of a certain skulking figure. Shed certainly been improving her stealth abilities, but not so quickly. For one thing, Anton was constantly improving his Hawk Eyes technique, and he had other techniques for various senses. No, she wasnt suddenly successfully hiding. She just wasnt around.
He hadnt felt her cultivating when he left the complex. In fact, she hadnt cultivated one bit in the last few days to the best of his knowledge. Perhaps her paranoia had reached a peak, and she would only do it when he was not around. Hed have to check.
But first, he had to replant this Screaming Root Bush. It was currently in a pot, and while it would benefit greatly from being planted in proper soil it didnt understand that. It wasnt a plant that thought in any sense of the word. It just resisted being unearthed, and created a horrible noise as it did so. The roots gripped onto the pot until Anton started to dismantle the vessel bit by bit. He protected his ears from the screaming noise with energy, a difficult task given the way it constantly shifted. It was good practice though. Dismantling the pot without harming the plant was also a useful exercise. Anton didnt know what sort of strange medicine this plant would eventually be, but it was quite a difficult one to raise.
Or he could be wrong. But he knew he was going to try to help her on his own. That was what every part of him said was the right thing to do. It was his fault, even if not his intention. A fragile girl lay broken on the floor.
He let the words come to him on their own. Its okay, he said. Youre good enough. You made it this far. He avoided saying something like on her own, though doubtless that was close to correct, despite his attempts at advice.
She didnt visibly respond to his words, but she continued to mutter to herself. Dont understand. Whats the point? Running and talking and fighting
He didnt think she could hear his answers, but maybe on some deeper level he would. So he did his best. Training with others helps, he explained. They can point out your flaws, and help you. You can do the same for them.
She repeated her thoughts, her questions. Her mind wandered randomly through ideas of insufficiency and lack of understanding. Anton continued to support her, the foolish girl, to the best of his ability.
Cultivators were tougher than the rest, but as the sun fell, rose, and fell again Anton heard her voice rasp more and more. His own throat was dry as well. He could go get water. It would only take a moment, and he would be back. Yet somehow he felt if he left her side he wouldnt get another chance.
... cant trust anyone Those exact words, and things like them, were far too common in Velvets mutterings.
Anton had little he could do to respond. You have to. It doesnt have to be me. But humans cant survive alone.
Sometimes, he almost thought she heard him. But he could never get a consistent response of any sort out of her. She didnt turn her eyes towards him and didnt react when he was in front of her.
But he waited, sitting next to her, trying to help somehow. Maybe he wasnt qualified. Maybe the Order had some solution for this, and he was just wasting his time, endangering her. But he couldnt leave now.
He wasnt sure how long it had been. More than a full day, probably two or three. It was then that something happened. It didnt seem like much, but as he waved his hand in front of her she reached up and grabbed his wrinkled wrist. She squeezed with the full power of the ninth star of Body Tempering. The bones in his wrist were close to snapping after just a moment, but he couldnt resist with energy. That could hurt her. He didnt try to dislodge her grip as her eyes finally closed. The grip only seemed to tighten after that, and Anton grit his teeth. The second full body tempering had barely been enough to make his old bones sturdy enough to resist, and it wasnt going to last forever. But what was a broken and squashed wrist anyway? As long as it wasnt too bad, he could recover it eventually. That hardly mattered. He did hope she would tire soon, but her grip seemed more likely to break her own fingers than give up.
Chapter 98It was hopeless to sneak around everywhere and presume she would never be discovered. Anton would always pick her out and some of the elders had to have found her. But maybe his concentration would lapse and she would figure out what the secret was. The strange thing was that even though she spent all her time watching, they never did anything even close to secret. There was a whole lot of running around, and strangely enough working. Working fields by hand and even dealing with strange and exotic plants. That was something only Hoyt and Anton did much of, but she couldnt see how it would help. They didnt even cultivate any plant-related techniques.Those in Spirit Building certainly spent less time training their bodies, but Anton kept stubbornly trying to shoot a bow that didnt seem to bend. Velvet didnt know what the point was. If he couldnt do it, he couldnt do it. Everyone cultivated, of course, using the natural energy in the area to improve themselves. But the Spirit Building cultivators also spent a lot of time sparring and a strangely equal amount socializing. Mostly with each other instead of the rest of the Order as a whole, but it was still strange how they continued to grow strong so quickly.Maybe it was all a trick. However, Velvet didnt believe theyd give up several weeks of cultivation time just to throw her off. Not when they could just remove her. Anton had never told her to stop skulking about, and she wanted to know what it meant.She briefly considered trying to bribe him. A foolish idea. Even performing menial labor he must have more contribution points than she could imagine, given the speed at which he worked. And he had gone on grand adventures, obtaining enchanted items. Her own mission to the jungle of Ambati had no way to match that. Yet she wasnt strong enough to take something riskier. Everyone was pulling away. Timothy had surpassed the tenth star and was properly stepping into spirit building. Catarina and Hoyt were on their way to the twelfth star, Anton clearly making progress toward the thirteenth. Even the new recruits were advancing faster than Velvet ever had. This chapter's initial release occurred on the n0vell--Bjjn site.Finally, Velvet understood. If only she had been able to come to some other conclusion, it might help but instead she knew. It didnt matter if she was told the secret, if it was openly practiced in front of her. She couldnt do it. Anton knew that, but he wasted time with her anyway, giving false hope. It didnt make any sense. And she knew it never would.-----Antons eyes tracked the horizon. There was a disturbing lack of a certain skulking figure. Shed certainly been improving her stealth abilities, but not so quickly. For one thing, Anton was constantly improving his Hawk Eyes technique, and he had other techniques for various senses. No, she wasnt suddenly successfully hiding. She just wasnt around.He hadnt felt her cultivating when he left the complex. In fact, she hadnt cultivated one bit in the last few days to the best of his knowledge. Perhaps her paranoia had reached a peak, and she would only do it when he was not around. Hed have to check.But first, he had to replant this Screaming Root Bush. It was currently in a pot, and while it would benefit greatly from being planted in proper soil it didnt understand that. It wasnt a plant that thought in any sense of the word. It just resisted being unearthed, and created a horrible noise as it did so. The roots gripped onto the pot until Anton started to dismantle the vessel bit by bit. He protected his ears from the screaming noise with energy, a difficult task given the way it constantly shifted. It was good practice though. Dismantling the pot without harming the plant was also a useful exercise. Anton didnt know what sort of strange medicine this plant would eventually be, but it was quite a difficult one to raise.Or he could be wrong. But he knew he was going to try to help her on his own. That was what every part of him said was the right thing to do. It was his fault, even if not his intention. A fragile girl lay broken on the floor.He let the words come to him on their own. Its okay, he said. Youre good enough. You made it this far. He avoided saying something like on her own, though doubtless that was close to correct, despite his attempts at advice.She didnt visibly respond to his words, but she continued to mutter to herself. Dont understand. Whats the point? Running and talking and fightingHe didnt think she could hear his answers, but maybe on some deeper level he would. So he did his best. Training with others helps, he explained. They can point out your flaws, and help you. You can do the same for them.She repeated her thoughts, her questions. Her mind wandered randomly through ideas of insufficiency and lack of understanding. Anton continued to support her, the foolish girl, to the best of his ability.Cultivators were tougher than the rest, but as the sun fell, rose, and fell again Anton heard her voice rasp more and more. His own throat was dry as well. He could go get water. It would only take a moment, and he would be back. Yet somehow he felt if he left her side he wouldnt get another chance. ... cant trust anyone Those exact words, and things like them, were far too common in Velvets mutterings.Anton had little he could do to respond. You have to. It doesnt have to be me. But humans cant survive alone.Sometimes, he almost thought she heard him. But he could never get a consistent response of any sort out of her. She didnt turn her eyes towards him and didnt react when he was in front of her.But he waited, sitting next to her, trying to help somehow. Maybe he wasnt qualified. Maybe the Order had some solution for this, and he was just wasting his time, endangering her. But he couldnt leave now.He wasnt sure how long it had been. More than a full day, probably two or three. It was then that something happened. It didnt seem like much, but as he waved his hand in front of her she reached up and grabbed his wrinkled wrist. She squeezed with the full power of the ninth star of Body Tempering. The bones in his wrist were close to snapping after just a moment, but he couldnt resist with energy. That could hurt her. He didnt try to dislodge her grip as her eyes finally closed. The grip only seemed to tighten after that, and Anton grit his teeth. The second full body tempering had barely been enough to make his old bones sturdy enough to resist, and it wasnt going to last forever. But what was a broken and squashed wrist anyway? As long as it wasnt too bad, he could recover it eventually. That hardly mattered. He did hope she would tire soon, but her grip seemed more likely to break her own fingers than give up.
