Fatima spent the entire night explaining the gun’s 13th function. After that, she started explaining the theories and the process of activating it in the proper way. However, after I listened to all of it, I quickly realized why Fatima flatly replied “No” when I asked for a clue.
“… The methods are completely different…”
To activate the 13th Form in the normal way, you would need to first insert a sliver of your soul into the gun’s core. Then, after that, you would need to mold that into a semi-conscious will. That “will” would then become the gun’s “soul” and earn the right to become a Mechanical Lifeform.
“It’s like creating a Nascent Soul in the cultivation stories I’ve read…”
I felt tired just imagining the process for that. After all, I’m no cultivator and had absolutely no idea how to split off a small part of my soul to use in the said process. Much less how to nurture it into becoming a conscious entity.
“(Now you know why I said it’s different, right?)”
At her words, I couldn’t help but nod.
With the normal method, as soon as the “soul” state was achieved, the gun’s final form would be completely unlocked, making it possible to even “appraise” the gun and find its name and race. However, Fatima was now the current “soul” of the gun. Despite that, the gun still didn’t completely transition to its 13th form.
“Do we need to tune your soul to match the gun’s wavelength or something?”
I was basically spouting bullsh*t right now since, even if that were true, I have absolutely no idea how to implement it. However, Fatima’s reaction was surprising.
“(… That… That’s it! Will, you’re a genius! Right! If the soul isn’t made to fit the gun, then just mold the current soul to fit it!)”
“Hello? Miss Fatima? Are you sure about what you’re saying…? I don’t know a thing about soul manipulation. At most, I could enter the soulscape, and that’s it.”
“(Don’t worry, I can do the rest myself. Though, for that, I might need to use more energy, so you better sleep now to recover what you lost earlier.)”
Hearing her mention the word “sleep”, I turned to the horizon, starting to change colors and welcoming a new day.
“… I guess it’s a little too late for that.”
“(… Yeah. Sorry for taking up your entire night.)”
“It’s fine, Master. It’s not like it’s the first time this happened.” 𝒷𝓭ℴ𝓋𝓵.𝒸ℴ𝓶
“(…! You little~! Wait until I finish the activation, and you’ll get the punishment you deserve for teasing me!)”
I smiled the sweetest I could muster and spoke words that contained all of my emotions mixed together.
“Alright… I can wait.”
Fatima’s face turned into an awkward smile as she glanced at my face. As if flying in the air, she moved right before my eyes and extended her hands as if to touch my cheeks. I didn’t feel anything as her hands stopped on my face, but I could still feel the concern and love that she was pouring into her words.
“(Don’t worry, Will. This process is relatively safe, so there’s no risk at all. At most, two days; that’s all the time I would need.)”
“…”
I guess she really is my mentor; she even managed to figure out what I was worried about.
After that, she returned to the gun, albeit reluctantly, and started the process that she was talking about. I couldn’t feel anything different other than the core energies releasing faint traces, even though I was not using them.
I picked up the gun and stared at it for a few moments before hanging it over my back and heading down to our room. There, as expected, a tragic scene unfolded.
It wasn’t as bad as last time, but the three drunk ladies turned into zombies once more. The sour scent was slightly cleared up already, as Fina was almost done cleaning up after the mess the three made.
As I was about to move to buy another “anti-hangover” potion, Fina stopped me and said.
“If they use potions to fight against hangovers all the time, then they would never be able to build tolerance against them.”
Tolerance? That’s never a good thing, at least with regard to your health. Being able to drink more alcohol before you get “drunk” doesn’t prove you’re stronger; it’s more like your body became weaker in fighting against it.
Well, building up “tolerance” might not be a good idea, but since we don’t have anything scheduled for the day anyway, I decided to let the girls take the day off. They could just squirm on their beds the entire day without worrying about anything.
“Then I will…”
Having nothing to do is great, but it’s boring. In the end, I asked Minerva and Hekate to accompany me shopping. The things we’re buying weren’t for me, but for all the girls.
“Where are we heading to, Sir Will?”
Minerva asked right after we left the inn, prompting me to glance at her with a wry smile.
“I told you before that you can drop the sir… But well, I guess it’s your choice in the end. We’re going to the flea market.”
I was running out of “little trinkets” after all, so looking at the market here should give me some gains at least.
With the two of them, I started walking along the main road, looking at the shops that line both sides of the street.
“Ah, right…”
I recalled something and looked at Minerva and Hekate. Although they weren’t saying anything about it, I found that their clothes were the same as when we first met.
“… Let’s go there first.”
I turned to the right and entered a clothing store. The two behind me were stunned and confused, since the store was for women and I’m a man, but I ignored their reactions and just tapped the bell over the counter.
*Ding!*
“Yes, yes~! Coming~!”
An energetic, “feminine” voice echoed as a large man appeared… Wait, it’s not a man, but a woman, definitely. She looked not even remotely human, but she’s definitely a tamer. How intriguing…
“Oh! What a cute little darling~! Are you looking for clothes for these two…?”
The giant gori—I mean, the woman asked with a curious gaze pointed at the two behind me. After scanning them from head to toe, she quickly nodded her head and clapped her hands.
“Girls~! We’ve got customers~!”
As soon as her voice reverberated inside the shop, several more footsteps echoed loudly, rushing down to the entrance where we were. They… were all her daughters, I presume, as they largely resemble each other.
I just pushed the backs of the two girls, who were staring at me with teary eyes, before sitting down on a bench inside the shop. I opened a newspaper and started reading the news while listening to the shrill screams of the girls.
A couple of hours later, they finally came out. The two were holding large bags with a “lot” of clothes packed inside. It was no longer at the level of one or two sets, but I could guess there were dozens in there.
“We did our best in arranging their clothes~! I’m sure you’d love it, mister tamer.”
The woman from before said this as she winked at me, passing a long receipt. I skipped the items written on it and just checked the total… And turned to look at each item once more, confirming the validity of the numbers.
“A-A million…”
This gorilla is definitely used to doing business. I guess she half-forced the two to buy the clothes! Well, refusing to pay here would make me look like a cheapskate, so I have no choice but to settle the bill…
I handed over the exact amount, plus a little tip for the girls. They were overjoyed, as expected, and even wished to add a little service at the end.
“We’ll make sure they’re prepared for your date, so please wait a few more minutes, mister~!”
Please stop winking… And alright, I guess making them wear the clothes they just bought is good. The “few minutes” they said lasted me another hour, and my stomach was starting to grumble.
Just as I was about to lose my patience and peek into the other room, footsteps echoed as they slowly reappeared from the back.
“…!”
Words refused to come out of my mouth as I stared at the two, who literally got a total makeover. Hekate, who had the “queen” aura before, was wearing a loose one-piece dress in black and white with a wide belt around her waist, keeping it all nice and tight and highlighting her bombastic figure. Her wings acted as a natural cape, adding a royal air to her, while the white neck fur was made to look like some sort of high-class accessory instead.
Minerva, on the other hand, wore slightly more energetic attire. A white tank top with a Chaleco vest opened at the front, matched with bluish-white short pants. Her wings were definitely a problem when choosing clothes, but the shop owner did a great job without compromising their looks.
If all the clothes they coordinated were of the same level, then I’d say the million credits I spent were worth every coin.
I turned to the shop owner and smiled, giving her a thumbs-up. If this were in the present, I’d probably rate their store 10/10 in customer service satisfaction.
After leaving the store, I placed the clothes that they bought inside my [Spatial Storage] and moved to forge ahead.
“Sir Will, is that really fine? Spending that much on clothes alone is just…”
Minerva was worried about how I basically spent a million credits on their clothes, but if I think that it included the “professional fee” of those girls, then I guess it’s pretty reasonable.
“Don’t worry, Ember and the others have a lot of clothes for themselves too. Some I even went to buy with them.”
Well, I guess it would reach millions for each of them too, now that I recall. Are women’s clothes really that expensive?
As we walked along the road, I could feel many gazes pointed at the two behind me. Worried, I matched my pace with theirs, positioning myself between the two. The gaze lessened, but more bloodlust was released. Chill guys.