“We don’t need this Riverine boy to wake Lensa up.”
Devon was so pissed after hearing this old monster’s reply that he felt like pulling the guy’s silky smooth hair and making him go bald. But he held his anger in. The guy was a recluse for real as he claimed to be.
And he didn’t care much about his family members either. Up until Lensa’s incident that is.
“Then please wake her up. I don’t…”
“How stupid can you get, Devon brat? Why should we wake her up when she is benefitting from this self-isolation?”
‘Aaaah! I should focus on breaking through ranks just so that I can beat this ass*hole up one day.’
Devon had a red face as he clenched his teeth before finally managing to say the next words in suppressed anger:
“Then why did you tell me to bring the kid here? And what do you mean by Lensa is benefitting from getting stuck in the block of ice? I don’t want her to starve to death just because there’s a chance she can benefit from this.”
“Hahahaha! You manage to crack me up from time and again, Devon boy. You seem calm, but there’s the lava of anger bubbling inside you. I don’t know how you can keep your head straight despite having such a short temper.”
Devon bit his lips again and talked back:
“Gramps Dan, you still didn’t answer any of my questions.”
Dan’s hearty chuckle turned into a mild smile before he replied to his descendent:
“Alright, alright! The reason I said she is benefitting from this situation is that she is now in a very peculiar situation. It is like the state of epiphany. But instead of the higher mana consciousness talking to you about a range of ranking subjects, it is limited to discussing the elements the ranker is affiliated to in an in-depth manner.
The state of epiphany will benefit you in your ranking journey overall. But this peculiar state will help you gain new insights in the way of elements.”
Dan looked at Devon with meaningful expressions, as if expecting him to come to the gist of things on his own.
“You mean…?”
It seemed that Devon was still struggling with the information provided to him by Dan. so the latter stopped beating around the bush and stated things clearly:
“In short, Lensa is safe and sound in this state and is gaining new insights in the way of elements related to her. And don’t worry about her sustenance boy, mana is an all-encompassing matter that is both tangible and intangible. If the ranker is capable enough, they won’t require anything else other than mana to survive and thrive in this world.
Agreed, Lensa is still not on that level yet. But the responsibility of her sustenance is being taken care of by the mana itself. Or what you call the higher consciousness. So don’t worry about her well being. At least not yet.”
“Then why the fu**… Err… I meant why did we fetch an audience here? Shouldn’t we let Lensa be as she is and keep the boy away from her?”
Devon looked hatefully at Ken and stated what he had on his mind.
“Boy, have you truly initiated a conversation with mana? I don’t think you have. It is very addicting. You lose your sense of existence when you have a one-on-one with a higher consciousness. It can not be described in words.
Why do you think high ranked entities become a recluse and are so unsatisfied talking to mortals and normies? It’s because normal conversations cease to become interesting to them.
After all, we stop defining the conversation that only uses words as a conversation over time. Have you seen people who can cast fire spells use normal means to light their bonfires? It’s something like that.”
Devon’s anger was reaching new heights as he listened to the old fart rambling about his achievements. He didn’t understand what this so-called addiction had to do with his niece’s current condition. But this time he didn’t interrupt Dan and let him finish what he had to say.
“No need to become so angry with me, Devon boy. I just said all that to make you understand that Lensa needs an anchor. Someone who can keep her grounded in this world as we know it.
Otherwise, she’ll become like me. Or something much worse, I fear, considering her talents.”
Devon’s short fuse immediately lit up brightly after understanding what Dan had to say. He looked at Ken while talking to Dan:
“So this boy is…”
“That’s right. Ken should act as the anchor for Lensa. And it is always a good choice to have an anchor when you are immersed in these peculiar states.
You see, most of the things that the higher consciousness talks to you about are something that may or may not apply to you. But most of us don’t have a hold over what the mana wants to talk to you about.
So the anchor acts as a “disconnect button” to an overall intriguing conversation. It enables you to control the flow of the conversation indirectly. This control also allows you to initiate the conversation of your own will when you have enough expertise.”
Devon took a long sigh after hearing the old monster’s explanation. He didn’t know what to do anymore to take care of her niece in the best way he knew. So he looked at Ken and gave him the threat to feel better about himself:
“Riverine brat, you better hope you can become this anchor or whatever to my Lensa. otherwise, I’ll anchor your ass here for good.”
Ken felt that he was wronged. He raised his hand and pointed his finger at Devon. He was going to answer the threats thrown at him for no rhyme or reason. But the white knight was interrupted Dan before he could do so:
“Enough chit chat for now. Ken, let’s do this the way you did before. But this time spread your mana sense around the ice block and imbue your mana on your hand while you touch the ice.
I want to see how Lensa reacts when she feels your presence.”
Dan narrowed his eyes on Ken after he said that.
He hadn’t released his high ranking aura. Neither his words contained any threat. But Ken could feel that this was the most life-threatening situation he had found himself in.