Chapter 202 - Experiments

I really wish I had more knowledge about runes. Adion thought as he examined the ring in his hands carefully. 

Maybe I know a bit but have forgotten, but surely I wouldn’t be this helpless if that was the case.

“Do you know any-” Adion looked up to ask Shindo if he knew anything about the runes engraved in the ring, but he noticed he had slipped away at some point. 

Looking down, he saw that Shindo at least had the decency to leave some food for Adion to eat.

He has the audacity to leave me with unanswered questions?

To be fair, Adion had been interrogating Shindo for the past couple of hours. But Adion felt that someone like Shindo should realize what it’s like to be curious more than anyone. 

Whatever, I’ll think up some more questions and go find him later.

Adion couldn’t ignore his hunger any longer though, so he grabbed some dried meat for himself while pondering about all he had come to know.

From asking Shindo, Adion had found out that the storage space wasn’t some separate space that was tied solely to the storage ring. Shindo’s family had a secret location where these storages were kept, and the ring was only a way to open a gateway to the storage.

As Shindo got further and further away from that place, he had noticed that it got increasingly difficult to open that gateway, requiring a lot of mana and a well-rested Will. Shindo hoped Adion could figure out a way to make this connection rely on some other source of power, so he could use his storage ring easier. 

Adion was quite happy when he heard this, as Shindo’s struggle at using the ring meant that they hadn’t teleported to Quemer, and were likely still on Shiora. 

So he could focus on examining the ring with greater peace of mind, knowing it wouldn’t be too far of a journey back home.

Unfortunately, I know close to nothing about runes. 

But so what? That doesn’t stop me from teleporting or freezing space. I should be able to do something similar, right? I have the Will and mana Shindo has, and I am a space mage with Authority. I refuse to believe I can lose to some runes. 

As that thought hit Adion, he couldn’t help but glance toward the teleportation formation.

Then again, I have no way of teleporting further than 400 feet. But the teleportation formation seems to be able to bring me away countless miles with just my space mana. 

How is that possible? Am I actually lousy at teleporting, wasting too much of my energy? Or does the teleportation receive energy from somewhere else?

It’s possible that the mana in the atmosphere is absorbed somehow. Getting charged over countless years, it isn’t impossible that you can now use it with minimal effort.

Adion finished eating and washed down the meal with some water. 

Maybe the secret is the connection. I’m able to teleport to any location, as long as it’s close enough. But the teleportation formation and this ring only have a single entrance and exit point. 

I think I should be able to do the same if I have a specific location in mind.

Adion couldn’t help but imagine how convenient it would be to have such a location. He could travel far and wide, and at a moment's notice, teleport home to a prearranged destination. Never having to worry about being far away from his family again.

He wouldn’t need his backpack anymore. He could just reach out with his hand and grab stuff from the shelf at home. 

I wonder what it feels like. 

Adion looked around, making sure Shindo wasn’t about to sneak up on him.

I’m sure he’s expecting me to check. It can’t count as a violation of privacy.

Adion gently released some of his space mana into the storage ring. He noticed that it was far from as easy as using the teleportation formation. His space mana didn’t naturally trickle into the ring; there was quite a resistance, and Adion had to use his Will to continue pushing his mana.

He noticed how the space in front of his hand slowly darkened, and he could feel how a distant space suddenly seemed nearby. 

Interesting. I wonder why this is so much harder.

When the dark disk seemed to stabilize, Adion could see how light slowly made its way inside the storage, giving him a clear view of the contents inside.

Adion tried to grab hold of the gateway with his Authority, thinking it might allow him to hold on to it a lot longer. Unfortunately, his understanding wasn’t sufficient enough. Trying to use his Authority to freeze space had no bearing on the stability of the gateway.

Feeling that his Will was struggling to keep up, Adion decided to try a little experiment. He used his Authority to grab hold of a small pocket of space deep inside the storage. Focusing on that space, he stopped feeding his mana into the storage ring, and the gateway quickly disappeared. 

I…I can still feel it. 

Adion closed his eyes and focused on that pocket of space that now should be on another continent. He tried to freeze it, and slowly manipulate it up and down. 

Adion couldn’t help but smile. He couldn’t control that distant space with quite the same effortlessness as if it were right in front of him, but he could still control it. 

Adion tried using that space as a medium to grab hold of the surrounding space mana, attuning it to his Will. 

It was slightly more difficult as well, but he still managed to do it. 

Let’s see.

Adion let go of the space he had grabbed hold of with his Authority, and he felt like he had gone blind. Without his Authority involved, he felt that the distance storage space was incredibly vague.

But he still had some control over the space mana there. Space mana he had attuned to his Will worked almost as well as space mana from his core, but the distance made it almost impossible to feel, let alone control.

What a shame. Adion thought, letting go of his control over the distant space mana. 

It would have been interesting to see if I could create a sphere of space mana and have a look around. I’m curious about Shindo’s family. 

Adion sat down on the ground again. He felt a little drained from using his Will to operate the ring. 

Adion hesitated for a few seconds before grabbing a small vial with Profound Water and taking a few sips. He felt it would be a waste not to be clearheaded at the moment.

This is addicting. Adion thought as he felt his Will completely recover in seconds. 

But using the storage ring wasn’t as exhausting as I had thought. Shindo seemed to barely hold on even with a bottle of Profound Water. Doesn’t that mean my Will is a lot stronger than his? Or does my space mana make it easier?

Let’s go with me having a stronger Will.

Adion looked down at the ring in his hand and was tempted to make another effort. 

But…I need my Will to recover memories. If not that, then train and meditate. I can’t afford to waste too much Will on these things.

Still…this could lead me to something good. Even if I couldn’t control my space mana at that distance, I could feel it. And my Authority was barely affected at all. 

If I can find a way to just grab hold of space with my Authority at a great distance, I could probably teleport as well. The only question is how…

One way would be a storage ring. If this ring was connected to a storage in Cyalis, I would be able to teleport home right now. 

Is there a way for me to create something similar? I don’t need to make an artifact that can be used by anyone. I just need something that lets me come into contact with distant space, and I’d be able to do the rest myself. 

After thinking about it for a few minutes, Adion decided to take a walk to make his mind more creative. Sitting still felt too hard.

Some kind of anchor like my space mana? But I can’t hold onto it forever. It would tire me, and I’d lose my grip as soon as I fell asleep. 

Is there a way to separate space from my Will while still having access to it?

“Finished inspecting the storage ring?” Shindo’s voice interrupted Adion’s thoughts.

Adion turned to look and discovered that he’d walked all the way to the grand hall where Shindo was actually clearing rocks by himself.

Never expected this guy to work without supervision.

“Any progress?” Shindo asked.

“I don’t really know much about runes,” Adion admitted.

“Aren’t you the disciple of a Sage?” Shindo questioned.

“I’m only seventeen. Runes take decades to master,” Adion said.

“I guess,” Shindo muttered, “Alright, I was expecting too much. Do you have the ring?”

Adion looked at Shindo’s outstretched hand warily.

“I’m still doing my research. Do you need it?” Adion asked.

“I thought you didn’t know runes?” Shindo asked.

“I might still figure something out,” Adion said.

“Really now,” Shindo said, a questioning look on his face.

“I’m a space mage, after all. I might even be able to bring you home if you want,” Adion said.

“Huh?” Shindo said, not understanding.

“I can teleport you home if you’d want,” Adion clarified, “At least to that storage space. It should be close to your home, right?”

“You can do that?” Shindo asked, somewhat surprised.

“If even you can grab a piece of meat from a different continent and bring it over, shouldn’t I be able to do that much?” Adion asked.

“I guess that’s true,” Shindo said with a thoughtful nod, “That could be convenient.”

“But you don’t seem interested,” Adion noticed.

“Not at the moment,” Shindo said.

“You know, you don’t really seem like someone on the run, hiding from enemies,” Adion said.

“Did I ever say that?” Shindo asked with an innocent look.

“I’m pretty sure you did,” Adion nodded.

“Well, it’s complicated. It’s true that I’m hiding from enemies. But I’m not that afraid they’ll find me. I’m good at hiding. Besides, it’s not like I’m wandering around with nothing to do,” Shindo said.

“Whatever,” Adion said with a sigh, hearing Shindo being as slippery as always.

“But can you really bring me to that storage? Safe?” Shindo asked with a somewhat serious expression.

“I don’t see why not,” Adion said, “I can experiment a little first just to be safe.”

“That would be comforting,” Shindo said, “If I can just teleport when I want to get back home later, that would be convenient. I’ll count on you at that time.”

“No problem, it should be easy,” Adion said.

“Hehe,” Shindo chuckled, “Now I really have all the time in the world to explore this place.”

“I’m still planning on going home,” Adion reminded.

“Right. Maybe I’ll just come find you when I’m done. You’ll just be at the Academy, right? Someone famous like you should be easy to find,” Shindo said with a shrug.

“You’re really planning on just staying here?” Adion asked.

“I don’t see myself stumbling upon a more interesting place,” Shindo said, “It might be slow work without your help, but at least I won’t have to share any treasures.”

Is he trying to tempt me?

“I’m still planning on staying for a while,” Adion made clear.

“Whatever you want,” Shindo said, “How about doing your space thing? You should have recovered a little, right?”

“I drank some Profound Water, so I’m good to go,” Adion said, walking up to the place they left off.

“You’re awfully eager all of a sudden,” Shindo said with a small smile, running after him.

Damn. He got me. 

I need to find every remaining treasure here as soon as I can. 

And if it really comes down to it, I’ll demand a high fee to teleport him back once he decides to go home. 

I’m not so easy to swindle treasures from.