Chapter 39: The Unknowable Sphere of Light

The sphere of light made contact with “Emberlight,” instantly erupting in an extremely bright flash, and then vanished. Small spheres of light continued to burst into light one after another across the square. People were unsurprised, only looking at these lucky individuals with envy.

“Sir, you have received the blessing of the Son of the Sea. May He protect you. You can feel carefully; I hear that a blessing can realize a person’s wish to some extent.”

Perry spoke with a mix of envy and respect. The people of Cimali believe that those who receive the blessing are the favorites of the Son of the Sea and are people to be respected.

Ace nodded. He was already using his mental perception.

His body showed no abnormality. The sphere of light seemed to have merged into “Emberlight.” The rainbow-colored sphere was attached to the rune array inside the Magic Short Sword, similar to a Soul Rune and a Lesser Rune—the positions overlapped, but the spaces seemed different.

Ace’s perception was like looking through a layer of mist. He couldn’t “see” the structure of the rainbow-colored sphere of light clearly.

A slight touch with his mental power caused the sphere of light’s structure to suddenly leap. It actually tried to climb along his mental power and onto Ace’s body.

Ace quickly cut off the connection. His face was slightly pale. Tearing apart his mental connection was extremely uncomfortable.

Before fully researching the specific effects of this sphere of light, he dared not let this object related to a Deity enter his body. The sphere of light, whose true nature was unknown, might bring about irreversible effects.

For example, making him a devout believer of the Son of the Sea from now on. The thought alone sent a shiver down his spine. He could not allow such a thing to obstruct his path to the supernatural.

Following the crowd’s cheers and jostling, Ace reached the idol. Along with five other recipients of the blessing, he received the Cimali people’s unique celebration: the crowd threw handfuls of fish scales at them.

The people of Cimali believe that fish are the gift of the Son of the Sea, and the fish scales represent the blessing of the Son of the Sea. Ace, with fish scales on his head, feigned joy while secretly memorizing the features of the other blessed individuals who had stepped forward with him.

At midnight, Ace, covered in fish scales and the smell of fish, returned to the inn with Perry.

“Here is one Silver Thales. Thank you for letting me experience the wonderful Cimali Bonfire Festival.” Ace tossed a Silver Thales to Perry.

Perry caught it with both hands and said happily, “I hope every day you spend in Cimali is as joyful as tonight. I am a permanent fixture at this inn. I know all the corners of Cimali. You can come find me anytime.”

Ace waved his hand, found the inn owner, asked him to prepare a tub of hot water to be sent to his room, and then went upstairs.

After taking a bath, Ace, smelling the faint fish odor on his body, put on his black robe and cautiously began to research “Emberlight.”

Every researcher likely possesses an uncontrollable curiosity, just as a gourmet cannot resist delicious food placed before them.

The structure inside Emberlight showed no obvious change. Ace tried to communicate with the Rune Array within it. The sword began to scorch and grow hot, and could be used normally. No problem.

He perceived the sphere of light bit by bit. No reaction. He gently touched it with his mental power, and the sphere instantly clung to it, forcing him to tear off that portion of his mental power again.

This time, he simply took the initiative to separate a small portion of his mental power and directed it into the sphere of light.

The sphere of light flashed but did not make contact with this portion of mental power. After several attempts, Ace concluded that this sphere of light was only interested in conscious mental power. He dared not experiment on himself and could only secretly observe the other blessed individuals.

“Perry, tell me about the blessed individuals.” Ace handed a Silver Thales to Perry. Magical energy flowed. The Lesser Charm Creature spell activated. A phantom rushed toward Perry.

Perry looked at the Silver Thales handed to him and suddenly felt immensely affectionate and trusting toward Ace. Could this be the unique charm of the Silver Thales?

“Of course. The blessed individuals are legends in Cimali. No matter what they were like before, once blessed, they gain unimaginable good fortune. According to general rumors, if a blessed person intensely desires to accomplish something, they have a high chance of accomplishing it, or partially accomplishing it.”

“Thirty years ago, there was a very foolish man named Ma’er. His greatest wish was to become clever. When he received the blessing, he truly became exceptionally clever and later became a magistrate of Cimali.”

“However, there are also strange rumors that the blessed individuals suddenly disappear in their old age. Legend says they were granted the grace of His Excellency Pontos and went to His kingdom to enjoy eternal life.”

Perry was charmed by Ace. Although what he said was not necessarily completely true, given Perry’s status, the credibility was quite high.

Ace bought a Merfolk mask, changed into local attire, and charmed a few more people. The information he gathered was largely the same. He summarized a few key points: First, one must be blessed by the sphere of light. Second, one must have a strong desire. Third, the desire can be realized or partially realized.

Does such a free lunch truly exist in the world? Can one’s wish be realized without paying any price? Ace felt the possibility was very small, but he wouldn’t rule it out. Research was necessary.

He remembered the features of the blessed individuals who had celebrated with him yesterday. He activated the Lesser Ultrasound Perception spell. The world turned black and white.

Ace himself became the source of the ultrasound emission. Ultrasound waves, mixed with mental power, vibrated in a spherical space with a radius of 500 meters around him. The surrounding scene was rendered in complete detail.

Ace scanned one-third of Cimali and found more than a dozen blessed individuals. They were too unique. In the world of ultrasound perception, they were completely colored, while the surroundings were black and white, making them very easy to identify.

Ace found that only objects that had been Mana-contaminated for a long time also had color in his perception. Therefore, he could confirm that there was a strong Mana accumulation effect on the bodies of the blessed individuals.

He tracked one of the blessed individuals, a great-sword warrior who looked exceptionally formidable. Ace did not charm the blessed individual himself because he was unsure if the charm would succeed. Instead, Ace chose to charm his family members.

The great-sword warrior was named Tag. He was once a diligent but mediocre martial artist. Since receiving the grace of the Son of the Sea three years ago, his martial arts had become increasingly refined, and his physique had become strong and fierce.

Based on Ace’s observations from a distance over the past few days, Tag’s strength had exceeded the limits of an ordinary person, similar to an Unawakened.

Tag was in his courtyard, working out with a stone hammer to strengthen his power. He suddenly threw the stone hammer with a “Thump!” hitting the ground. Then, he rushed over, drew the great sword stuck in the courtyard, and vigilantly defended the surroundings. After a while, he lowered the great sword.

“I keep feeling like someone is watching me. Is it because I haven’t slept well lately?” Tag muttered to himself.

Ace retracted the Lesser Ultrasound Perception spell. He sensed the Mana accumulation in Tag’s body, which was different from a mortal. Tag had been Mana-“contaminated.” To some extent, he had already surpassed mortal limits and possessed a preternatural intuition, or a vague sense of mental perception.

Ace’s ultrasound waves were mixed with his own mental power and the Mana siphoned from nature, which easily drew Tag’s vigilance. He controlled the frequency and range of his observation, trying to keep the ultrasound waves from directly touching Tag.

He waited for several days. People from the public office came to find Tag. Subsequently, Tag left the city with a few partners.

Tag was a famous Merfolk hunter in Cimali. Whenever small groups of Merfolk attacked, they would go to assist, then exchange the Merfolk ears for bounty at the public office.

Ace quietly trailed behind, watching them kill more than 10 Merfolk who had come ashore to rob. Ordinary Merfolk were no different in strength from humans. In fact, due to the uncomfortable environment, they were small in stature and slightly weaker.

Ace quietly activated Illusion Gaze. Tag and the others felt a pair of eyes flashing with a faint glow pass before their eyes. Then, they saw more and more Merfolk climbing ashore. They exchanged panicked glances, turned and ran, wishing their parents had given them more legs.

Ace watched the few people run further and further with satisfaction, casually picking up two Merfolk corpses, one in his left hand and one in his right, and following them from a distance. When they reached a deserted cluster of reefs, Ace activated the Lesser Stun spell, knocking them out.