Inala’s original plan was to use his contribution—in successfully closing the shelter’s entrance—to request Granny Oyo’s help. When the elites arrive to rescue the students, they would obviously reward him.
But, things went above his expectations when Bora Tusk made an appearance and rewarded him with an Elixir. That forced him to swiftly change his plans.
There was no guarantee that a plan might work on Sumatra unless one was aware of all variables. Therefore, the moment there was the slightest change, one would need to quickly incorporate that change into their plans.
That was Inala’s motto once he realised he was being reincarnated into this treacherous world. So, once he gained an Elixir, his plans adapted accordingly.
Not for a moment did he plan to consume it. After all, he was afflicted by the Fragment Disease. Even if he raised his Prana values, it would plummet over time. Prana was a fusion of the energies of the Soul, Mind, and Body.
In his case, his body was a mess. Therefore, every time his bones crack, his Prana would be permanently consumed to repair the damage. Without Prana, even the expansion and contraction of his lungs when he breathed was enough to shatter his ribcage and kill him.
Hence, consuming the Elixir at this point was useless. His first priority would be to get used to Prana and train in it. As his Prana values increase by training and plummet through bone damage, he would gain experience in preserving his Prana.
Resha had enough experience—thanks to his past life—to preserve his Prana when his bones crack. Therefore, he had the confidence to maintain his Prana values without any loss after consuming the Elixir.
Inala had made the plan keeping all this in mind. Thankfully, he succeeded. His knowledge of the Sumatra Chronicles was only theoretical. He knew the effects of the various Skills but had no idea how they functioned.
In the novel, all it was mentioned was that the Toxin Refinement Skill turned a toxin into a tonic. That gave zero knowledge about the actual process. Now, he possessed the Skill, and with it came the relevant knowledge.
As long as he studied it, he would be able to fill up his lacking practical knowledge. In the long run, that would help him survive with greater success.
Since his transaction with Resha was completed, Inala got up and groaned in pain while he walked towards Grehha. The latter had crawled out of the roll of Mud Vipers by now.
Seeing his approach, Grehha flashed an amicable smile, “Share the rewards with me, will you?”
“I sold it to Resha.” Saying so, Inala crouched to pick up a Mud Viper.
Grehha caught his hand, preventing him from carrying the Mud Viper, “That’s mine.”
“I knocked this one out,” Inala said, not budging an inch.
“You claimed full contribution in closing the entrance. In that vein of thought, I’m claiming these three Mud Vipers.” Grehha still maintained his amicable smile.
“Let go…” Inala grumbled.
“You let go,” Grehha laughed.
The duo stared at each other for a few seconds before Inala proposed, “I’ll give you two litres of Mud Viper Tonic.”
“You gained that method from Resha, huh?” Grehha’s smile widened in response, “Teach it to me…”
“You know I can’t,” Inala acted like he was helpless, “I haven’t reached high enough proficiency in the Mystic Bone Art to inscribe information in a piece of bone.” 𝒐𝑽𝑙𝒩xt.𝗇𝓔t
Through the Mystic Bone Art, a Mammoth Clansmen could inscribe a vast sea of knowledge within a small piece of bone. Resha had done that to give Inala the Skills of Toxin Refinement and Elixir Condensation.
Moreover, once the transfer of knowledge was completed, the information within the bone sphere vanished automatically. That needed an even higher application of Mystic Bone Art than simply inscribing information into a piece of bone.
Obviously, Inala could do neither of that. He could only shrug in response, “If you want it that badly, you can ask the source to teach it to you.”
“Haha,” Grehha laughed wryly. That would be a death sentence. Orakha tried to forcefully acquaint with Resha and ended up being captured by the Mud Vipers. He was probably dead by now. Grehha intended to surpass the regressor, but this was too early to do so.
Only something like an Elixir gave one the right to deal with the regressor, and that only at this early in the game. In the future, Resha would drink Elixirs like it was water.
Grehha had no tools or ability in his arsenal that gave him an edge over Resha. So, transacting with the regressor was impossible. If he was careless and triggered the latter, he might be killed instead. In the end, he had to give in to Inala’s demands, “Give me ten litres.”
“I’ll give you four,” Inala argued.
“I won’t go below eight.” Grehha increased the strength in his grip, “We could be here all day. I don’t mind.”
“Fine, eight litres it is.” Inala relented in the end. He didn’t have a choice. One litre of the Mud Viper Tonic increased Prana by ten, not to mention suppressing the effects of the Fragment Disease.
It will take forever to refine eight litres. Even if Grehha cooperated, they only had three alive Mud Vipers in their possession. It was apparent Grehha intended to rely on Inala to raise his Prana values safely.
“I’ll visit you every time my Mud Vipers refill their venom sack.” Saying so, Grehha dragged his two Mud Vipers and exited the shelter.
‘It seems he has a plan regarding them.’ Inala thought. He had no idea about what went on in Grehha’s mind though. Sumatra Chronicles was as detailed as possible. Even after spending six years pondering about ‘What if?’ scenarios in the novel setting during his daydreaming sessions, Inala had only mapped out some methods that he felt would grant him an advantage if he were to ever be in that world, something all ardent readers did.
Grehha might have figured out a method of his own too. ‘That’s a definite possibility. There was a reason us six were picked for this.’
Once he exited the shelter, Inala noticed a massive pile of Mud Viper corpses on the open grounds in the academy. The pile reached a height surpassing a hundred metres.
The cultivators were working on compressing them into massive meatballs, each forty to fifty metres in diameter. They would be fed to the Empyrean Tusk.
The Empyrean Tusk wasn’t just a Pranic Beast, its body was an entire ecosystem, with its own food generation. The food generated by the Empyrean Tusk in its belly was what the Mammoth Clansmen consumed.
They consumed only that, for this food perfectly complimented their Mystic Bone Art. It was stated that the ancestor of the Mammoth Clan could communicate with the Empyrean Tusks. And jointly, they created the Mystic Bone Art.
From then on, the descendants of the Mammoth Clan lived on the Empyrean Tusks in a symbiotic relationship with each other.
‘There’s a lot to take in. I really am in Sumatra.’ Inala stared up and observed massive floating planets far up in the sky. No one knew what lay in there. There didn’t exist any Pranic Beast in Sumatra Continent capable of flight, neither were cultivators.
Therefore, the secrets of those celestial bodies observable from throughout Sumatra Continent remained a mystery, until the end of the novel. ‘Fucking author. I was looking forward to the arc where Resha would explore those worlds.’
Inala climbed the tallest building in the academy and stared out from there, able to see the head of his Empyrean Tusk, partially covered by clouds. Slowly, heavy steps, one after another, with its body remaining perfectly horizontal throughout the motion to the extent the Mammoth Clan oftentimes forgot they were on a moving Pranic Beast.
He stared at the forest beyond the Empyrean Tusk. Lush greenery, covered with mounds, and Mud Vipers scuttling within in the billions. Danger existed everywhere. That was Sumatra. He was finally able to take in the splendour of a cultivation world. Despite its treacherous nature, it allowed him to live his dream…
As a cultivator!