One-Eyed Monster

Igor was naturally shocked by Kadi’s words. Although he could also sense the aura of Moonflow Stream, he wasn’t capable of perceiving the rolling stones as Kadi could.

Igor didn’t understand how Kadi managed it. He assumed Kadi must possess some special quality that allowed her to discern the source of the Spirit Power so swiftly.

Igor understood that some things are innate and cannot be forced. Kadi’s unique talent is her own. They can only complete this expedition with mutual aid; he alone is not enough.

So, becoming an Adventurer doesn’t require immense power or unwavering confidence in battle. Perhaps all one needs is one or two trustworthy companions.

Igor’s thoughts had strayed. He needed to focus on the matter at hand; after all, the expectant gazes from Senior Kuren and Senior Joseph were quite piercing. He was also tormented internally. He didn’t want to become someone who couldn’t be entrusted with responsibility. Squandering others’ trust was an extravagance, especially since earning it was so difficult in the first place. Igor considered himself an honest and trustworthy person, so he believed he wouldn’t easily squander the trust others placed in him.

Igor calmed himself and began to consider the next step. The Two-way Channel had been found, and the source’s location confirmed. What to do next was the pressing question.

The expectant gazes still burned brightly, swaying like torches before Igor. However, Igor didn’t rush. He knew he had to do something to reassure them and calm their agitated minds.

Igor imagined himself as a wave in a vast river, rushing against the current. He longed to see the source, but as a mere wave, his ability was limited; he couldn’t travel upstream. Yet, his desire to know burned fiercely.

He saw leaves carried downstream and fish swimming upstream. So, he sang to the sky and poured out his woes to the fish, telling the world of his yearning to see the river’s source.

A tiny wave couldn’t possibly travel upstream to behold the river’s source, but its heart was so immense, so powerful, that it moved many.

The birds in the sky, the fish in the river, the ships sailing upstream, and the branches drifting downstream—all were willing to carry messages for this small wave. They eagerly offered to bring it any news from the source...

Transmit information... This thought, born from his reverie, finally cleared Igor’s muddled mind. He now knew what to do.

”Senior Kuren, didn’t you say earlier that you and Senior Joseph can communicate without using the World Setting Technique?”

”Yes,” Kuren replied, puzzled. Obviously, he was communicating with Igor and the others right now, even though it was within Igor’s World Setting Technique.

”Do you communicate using Spirit Power?” Igor pressed, keen to understand how this communication was achieved.

”Yes. Why do you ask?” Kuren and Joseph exchanged puzzled glances. Why was Igor suddenly asking about this? Did he really have the leisure to ponder such trivial matters now? Spirit Communication wasn’t particularly difficult. Why was he so eager to know the details?

”I want to know the specific method. How exactly is information transmitted? Is it really through Spirit Painting? If every piece of information required a painting, wouldn’t that be too slow and drain Spirit Power reserves excessively?” Igor asked. The answer was crucial, as what he planned to attempt was closely related to this detail.

”No, no, no! If simple communication required Spirit Painting, that would be an utter waste of time and Spirit Power,” Kuren quickly retorted. Though unsure of Igor’s intentions and somewhat doubtful of his methods, he decided to continue trusting him. Trust, once established, wasn’t easily broken. He understood this was quite normal.

”So, is it like now, conveying information through illusory scenery within the World Setting Technique, almost like reality?” Igor was still confused.

”Not quite,” Joseph explained. ”That method is still quite wasteful of Spirit Power, no different from using Spirit Power to paint. The Outer World within the World Setting Technique is also very taxing on Spirit Power, Igor.” He also reminded Igor not to rely too heavily on the World Setting Technique, pointing out that an individual’s Spirit Power reserves were limited and couldn’t withstand excessive depletion.

They both felt Igor was being reckless, wastefully depleting his Spirit Power and disregarding others’ feelings. There was a hint of impulsiveness in his actions.

However, they didn’t voice these thoughts to Igor. Deep down, they still largely supported him.

”Then what exactly is the method?” Igor felt a sense of urgency, yet also a flicker of excitement. After eliminating several possibilities, the remaining truth was likely close to what he’d hoped for, though for the life of him, he couldn’t quite grasp what it was yet.

”It’s simple. We bind the information we wish to convey to our Spirit Power, and then use Spirit Power to perceive that information.”

Cryptic and hard to grasp. If Igor could understand it immediately, he’d be a genius. Information bound to Spirit Power? That raised another question: how did the recipient decode this information? Guesswork?

”How do you ultimately access the information bound to the Spirit Power?” Igor asked, still focused on the details.

”The information, bound to his Spirit Power, is transmitted to me. I then attempt to make my Spirit Power ’collide’ with his. This collision creates a brief interaction between our Spirit Powers. After this interaction, the information slides onto my Spirit Power and is naturally grasped by me.” Kuren provided Igor with this detailed description of Spirit Communication, paving the way for his own next question.

Kuren’s upcoming question was also on Joseph’s mind. It was quite simple: what exactly was Igor trying to do?

”Well, I think we first need to establish contact with the Outer World. So, I was thinking of trying to send out some information...”

Before Igor could finish, Kuren slapped his thigh. Yes! They could try to communicate with the outside! If they could establish contact, everything could be resolved!

As expected, they had to rely on Igor at crucial moments. Who else but Igor could have thought of such a way to communicate with the outside world?