Ebony's Fable

“What is this disgusting thing!?” Boss Jing yelled when it was about to turn night again. She just broke out of concentration and ate the randomly put together sandwich with jerky that was probably soggy from sitting there the whole day.

Boss Jing threw the sandwich into the air and Ebony who was outside just caught it before it slapped his face. He never wasted food so he just ate it. It was snatched by a hand that appeared, stopping him from eating the sandwich.

“I was wrong. You’re the disgusting one! Why would she…you punk!” Boss Jing’s voice echoed.

Ebony went on to get beaten by fists and feet that crossed the walls that the cottage separated them. They popped up a little too near for him to react even with his Vibrational Gravity Sense sensing them right when they appeared. He tried to evade and defend but she was too flexible with it as the attacks could come from anywhere. It was good training that tested his reflexes.

His bruises faded as he was making real food with an ingredient he had been waiting for. Eggs. Although he preferred it for breakfast, it had been too long since he had them so he made dinner with them. Hopefully, his sense of taste hasn't completely died.

Ebony had lived by himself for years, whether it was survival field cooking or home cooking he considered himself decent or at least average. He cubed up a few potatoes to bake them with sausage and eggs. Other than some street food he didn’t recognise, he also saw many other ingredients that he recognised so there was no problem. A simple onion frittata with a little cheese and chicken soup. He used a whole chicken, they were a little larger than what he was used to.

Boss Jing should be hungry as she hasn't eaten all day. He also spent some energy going around the city together with a couple of hours of exercise anyway.

‘Ting’ ‘Generic Skill Cooking learned’

Cooking - Ability to prepare food through preparing, combining, mixing and heating ingredients to cook food and make meals. Ability to prepare ingredients and cook food increases by 1.0% per level.

‘How vague. What part of my ability increases?’ Ebony thought the description was too vague for a skill but it was nothing new.

“Boss Jing. I made dinner. Do you want me to bring it to your room?” Ebony remembered that Xeng women didn’t show their faces and Scarlet always ate in private. He actually just spoke from where he was, trusting that she could hear or sense him from wherever she was in the house. He didn’t doubt boss Jing was Xeng as well.

“Huh? Why? Let’s eat together. Thanks for the food.” Boss Jing walked through the walls of the kitchen and made herself comfortable at the dining table already.

“Oh. So that’s why the lower portion of your mask isn’t there. You’re too lazy to take it off all the time just to eat.” Ebony realised the genius behind the clean cut where her mouth was. Only to have his head grabbed and smashed into the durable floor. Luckily he cleaned the place thoroughly.

“Just shut up and eat.” Boss Jing said.

“It tastes bad, but edible.” Boss Jing was a pretty messy or sloppy eater, the smudge of oil on her lips and her emptying the plates were not very convincing but he stopped himself from saying that.

“So. Can you tell me why the old lady brought me here?” Ebony asked. He was inwardly happy his sense of taste wasn’t completely dead.

“...My grand aunt. She wants me to take you as my student.”

“To learn how to craft? Why?”

“I dunno know… She’s spontaneous. I told her I was too young to take a student and I’m busy enough with my own research and craft.” Ebony felt that boss Jing was lying or at least hiding something. She was a pretty poor liar with her body language but the part about her being too young or busy seems true.

“What do you craft?”

“I’m a Craftswoman. I make anything and everything.”

“Anything?”

“Anything. This building. Table. Chair. Pot. Armour. Weapon. Clothes. Potions. Golems. Accessories. Scrolls.”

“Food?” Ebony got sucker punched for that one.

“That’s called cooking.”

“What were you working on earlier? The metal ball.”

“Just trying to create a mini dimension inside that can hold life. I failed. Seems to be too much for plain iron.”

“You’re a space mage, right? Can you make one of those spatially expanded bags too?”

“Of course I can. That’s what every space mage starts out to do to practise. Besides, I don’t even need space magic to make something so simple. Just have to learn the right runes for it, engrave it and charge it with mana. Anyone who can read and have the right knowledge can do it. Forget what I can make, what can you make?”

“Clothes? I learned a little tailoring from Roya. The Frost Elf that made my robe.”

“I know. I’ve seen her works. I thought she wasn’t staying in Tidal anymore, could never find her.”

“Yeah, she went back to her village in Hoarfrost Glade.”

“Hoarfrost Glade? You went there to learn how to tailor from her?”

“No. That’s close to where your grand aunt kidnapped me from.”

“...tsk. Show me.”

There weren't any materials to work with so he took a random cleaning cloth that he bought and mana tailored it to disassemble a portion of its threads before reworking it. Tighter and firmer than before.

If everything including the table cloth in the house was made by her, he doubted she would like it when he messed around with it so he used his own. Well, there was the chance he didn’t have the ability to mana tailor something she made either.

“...As I thought. Simple but unique, every craft would take on the crafter’s mana’s properties a little. But something’s weird about your mana…wait. You’re a Meditative Class? Is that why your mana is so weird? No, that shouldn’t be. Meditative shouldn’t make your mana so..urrgh. I can’t explain.”

“I’m also a Mana Meister.”

“Wonderful! You’re a treasure! You can call me Master Jing from now on!”

Boss…Master Jing pulled him into a hatch on the ground near her workspace. Looks like she didn’t use space magic to move around all the time. She brought him underground. He could feel the intense heat right when she opened the hatch, the loud vibrations also coming from underground. It was a full factory under her house. The space underground was many times larger than her house itself too.

Master Jing didn’t stop where her huge anvil or forge was at and just brought him deeper underground. There was even another floor that was deeper. It was much cooler.

A library. Impressive full height, twice as tall as him bookshelves and half as wide. The library wasn’t that large, other than about 30 or so fully filled bookshelves, a comfortable-looking resting chair and a small table there was not much. Minus the white lighting and ventilation from who knows where.

“My grand aunt told me to teach you how to make whatever you want to learn to make and when you’re satisfied you can leave whenever you want. You could actually just leave now if you want. It might be a little troublesome but I can even send you back to Hoarfrost Glade right now. This is the repository of all the knowledge I have on crafting that is written in Elcrian, if there’s anything that you want to know how to make but isn’t here you can tell me. It would mean I don’t know how to make it yet but that won’t stay the case. Oh yes, see that door there? If you can open the door you can read whatever is inside too.” Master Jing explained and pointed to a brown wooden door at the end of the library.

“...”

“I did have thoughts of taking a student. Many of my elders told me that teaching how to craft also teaches me a whole lot so this can be considered an opportunity for both of us. You don’t just have one of the greatest tools to make things with. You also have amazing material to work with.”

“That block of wood?”

“No, you’re the block of wood. I meant your mana.”

“The Thoya brand or style of mana tailoring isn’t just made for tailoring. With your skill, the same should be able to be done for any craft. But my point is that your mana can be used as the material itself.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can tell you what I mean but you have to tell me what you want to learn from me. Ah..maybe I told you to call me master a little too early.”

“...You’ll have to wait a long while.” Ebony replied as he turned to look at the thousands upon thousands of books she had.

“Greedy punk. You’ll do all the chores and cooking. Don’t worry. I already know a way you can pay me for the books and student fees.”

“Couldn’t hope for more.” Ebony was truly glad she brought up payment. He really didn’t want to owe people anymore.

❅❅❅

Ebony would be lying if he said he wasn’t interested in how to make a greatsword. Pretty shallow that a weapon was the first thing that came to mind. He had been pondering on the internal structure of an actual sword for a long time now. He could take the chance to learn about how shields were structured as well.

Master Jing also mentioned how having the right knowledge let him be able to make the spatially expanded bags too. Runes. He was interested to learn about that too. That sounded so much more magical than the spell-flinging he had been doing for some reason.

Well, he loved reading. And with the apparent extension of his lifespan, he was all for reading everything in this library.

Master Jing’s house was messy but her books were organised. According to the genre and how advanced they were. It made things easy for him. He picked the first book on the basics of blacksmithing. He had underestimated the books. They were twice as thick as they looked with the pages being extremely thin but strong. There was a magic circle on the bookshelf wall from where he just pulled the book out. Fortunately, there was no trap or anything.

As for the inconspicuous wooden door at the back, Ebony didn't bother.

❅❅❅

“Hey! So you’re still here. I thought you were dead already. Hurry up and make me food. You didn’t even clean. It’s been a week already!” Master Jing knuckles knocked on Ebony’s head hard.

“A week? Didn’t I just sit down a while ago?” Ebony thought she was pulling his legs, figuratively. He had only just sat down some time back didn’t he? He glanced at the table. He didn’t see a table. It had been buried in books taller than himself with the floor around him littered with books too.

“...Were you meditating?” Master Jing figured. It was common sense that the passage of time was harder to feel when meditating.

“...Oops. Breakfast or dinner?” Ebony was used to not knowing how much time passed from time to time but a whole week was record-breaking. It must have been his higher Constitution and Wisdom and clearly Everlasting Tranquillity at play. He didn’t even feel mentally or physically exhausted at all, the hunger was starting to kick in though.

“I don’t care! I haven’t eaten for a week either!” Master Jing threw him sprawling into the kitchen.

‘Ting’ ‘Generic Skill Speed Reading learned.’

Speed Reading - Ability to read faster than stats suggest. Read 1.0% faster per level.

‘Ting’ ‘Generic Skill Speed Reading level up 1 → 5’

‘Ting’ ‘Generic Skill Speed Reading mutated into Trance Speed Reading.’

Trance Speed Reading - Ability to speed read while in a trance. 1.0% ease of falling into a trance when extremely absorbed by the contents. Read 1.0% faster while in a trance.

‘Ting’ ‘Generic Skill Trance Speed Reading level up 5 → 17’

‘Ting’ ‘Generic Skill Trance Speed Reading evolved into Integrated Trance Speed Reading.’

Integrated Trance Speed Reading - Ability to integrate and retain knowledge read in a focused trance state increase by 2.5% per level. 1.0% ease of falling into a trance when extremely absorbed by the contents. Read 1.0% faster while in a trance.

‘Ting’ ‘Generic Skill Integrated Trance Speed Reading level up 17 → 19’

‘Ting’ ‘Generic Skill Integrated Trance Speed Reading refined.’

Integrated Trance Speed Reading - Ability to integrate and retain knowledge read in a focused trance state increase by 2.5% per level. 2.5% ease of falling into a trance when extremely absorbed by the contents. Read 2.5% faster while in a trance.

‘Ting’ ‘Generic Skill Integrated Trance Speed Reading level up 19 → 20’

‘Ting’ ‘Generic Skill Identify refined.’

Identify - Identify the world around you, glimpse basic information of the target. Slightly more information about natural materials and ingredients can be glimpsed.

‘Maybe I should fall into more of these trances.’ Ebony thought. His trance has brought good results again, it was questionable whether it was worth it but he thought why not?

It was no wonder he managed to read so many books and clearly remember every word and even understand the contents. Identify probably refined due to some of the encyclopaedia-type books about metal ores, plants and monsters and their parts.

Cooking levelled up again after he made another meal. It was dinner time.

“Master Jing, can I watch you craft?”

“As long as you don’t disturb me.”

“I want ****** for breakfast tomorrow?”

“What’s that?”

“...Boiled rice. I like it with more water. Deep fried dough sticks and peanuts will do.”

‘Oh porridge or congee with peanuts. So that was a thing here as well.'

“Sure. I saw that you have some rice left.”

Master Jing just sat there and watched him start washing up instead of going off to do her work. Ebony had started to get used to the overflowing Vitality from her as long as she doesn’t control it to concentrate on him.

“How do you want me to pay you?”

“Mana. Making things is expensive but I want your mana for something else, not the ones purified by the bracelet. That would defeat the purpose.”

“Mmm. Mana is what I have most.”

“Hahahahaha! You must be the type that infuriates people till they go speechless.”

“...Mmm. I’ve been told.”

“Go to sleep. A journeyman’s body is weak. You can watch me craft tomorrow.”

“I’m not sleepy.”

“Well, I’m going to sleep now so do what you will. Don’t forget your stuff outside.”

Master Jing didn’t appear bothered that he got furniture to be delivered here. Ebony placed the things he got neatly and just went to sleep. The new mattress was soft and uncomfortable. He preferred the really firm ones for back support but there weren’t any at the store. Rather, the people here all preferred softer beds.

Nonetheless, he was knocked out for the entire night. Master Jing was already at her workspace and not underground. Ebony made congee and very subpar dough sticks. He was not familiar with making them even though he had the know how for them. He was given a figurative and literal beat down for the horrible food. He no longer used Icebody Enhancement for protection so she also pulled her punches accordingly.

Ebony then watched her make what looked like jewellery. A necklace. In this world, jewellery wasn’t just made for decoration. Most of them had magical applications. The most sought-after were the ones that had saved healing spells in them since those were life saving. Like Scarlet’s mask, even though her mask isn’t jewellery.

Since he didn’t want to disturb her he only asked whatever he didn’t understand after she was done. Every time he didn’t understand what she was explaining he would receive a beating and scolding. Getting beaten out of nowhere was really familiar. Ebony didn’t think he liked getting beaten up but it was just so nostalgic. Master Jing’s arms were not just slender, they were toned and her muscles under those sooty arms were well defined. Her fists and feet were harder than steel. Getting kicked by her brought up memories of getting whacked by his mother’s cloth spear.

This was what a teacher was! If a student didn’t understand it well just beat it into their very bones and fibres of being.

Ebony thought he felt the incessant chill in his heart slow down.

Master Jing didn’t have any working golems, just their frames and bodies. He trained with his own ice Ebony sculptures in the morning. Master Jing only ate once every 2 or 3 days. He would watch Master Jing make whatever she was making after a 2 or 3 hour reading session. She never took breaks unless she had to sleep or eat.

Ebony was also infected by her diligent attitude. After 2 days, he stopped observing Master Jing as much. She was too advanced in a sense. He didn’t understand anything. He was back to the books. Half the day on training and half on reading while magic training.

She later brought him down to another basement floor, similar to the Quest Hall's duelling grounds. It had an area of 500 metre square with hundreds of what she called armour dolls. She had about 30 of them that were fit for him to fight against, the rest were too much for him in her words. The different sized armour dolls wielded all sorts of weapons and some could even cast spells of various elements.

It was obvious that each armour doll had a certain set of skill or spells so it wasn't that hard to find out each of their limits. It was immensely helpful to train against different groups and tactics as he was not very familiar with mage tactics. Unfortunately, the magic-casting ones had a small spell list. When he accidentally destroyed some of the warrior armour dolls she sent another dozen armour dolls that were stronger and had a wider range of abilities to beat him up. They weren't able to 'beat' him up but he couldn't do the same to them either. They were hard to scratch and become his daily sparring partners.

Sometimes, he would unintentionally ask questions when he was in the library and a fist would come smashing into his belly. He would still observe if he noticed Master Jing beginning to use her forge for weapons, shields and armour, even jewellery. He was less interested with her potion making or staring at gems where she was using magic more than physical techniques. The most intriguing was when she engraved symbols, runic in nature.

Ebony had been trying to read books on that after he had mostly gone through basic weapons, shield and armour structure, material makeup and properties. He would ask permission to send his mana into her weapons to scan the internal structure sooner or later.

The books on runes didn’t even have many words. It was like learning a language from the start and there was no translation. Worse still was that it was like many languages stuffed into one. The variations on runes were too numerous to count.

To begin with, he had to learn the rune language.

Master Jing said there were more than 30 known rune languages but she had filtered out all of them and made her own. Ebony didn’t have to read more than a single page to know that whatever she said she did was more amazing than any feat he had managed. The books on runes were way messier because she added her own input and changes. Many books linked to other books and it was a mess he had to cipher through to understand something simple.

He had found out that the magic circles on the sides of the bookshelves were for preservation. It made books last longer. Ebony mentally ‘oops’ and made sure he kept all the books he was done with.

Ebony took a whole month and a half just to learn her rune language and that was thanks to his new reading skill that was really carrying its weight. Master Jing’s rune language was more conclusive, efficient, simple and straightforward than any other he had seen. There were so many lines, curves and symbols that could mean different things when written, angled a little off or even written with thinner or thicker strokes and all that.

There was how different symbols were meant for different elements.

How connecting them into a magic circle was sometimes necessary to naturally allow the symbol to convert mana into that specific elemental mana.

How a standard ambient mana absorbing rune was supposed to be drawn and connected to the overall rune without disrupting the inscription so that the inscription wouldn’t need to be powered by an external source.

Then they were symbols that directed that mana, elemental or not to do different things. He also had to study how runes work or act differently when inscribed or engraved into different materials.

Runes were fascinating. It was limitless. Ebony had a new found hobby and didn’t stop at just learning Master Jing’s rune language. He had started on learning the other rune languages and their version of rune inscriptions and symbols. Of everything he had read in her library, runes were the area of research he was most interested in and intrigued by.

The next most interesting thing was the humanoid golems' and armour dolls' internal structure. Ebony wondered if they were tougher than a human's body, not considering what their material was. He had an idea to manipulate the structure of his mana chassis. Changing the very base of his own internal frame wouldn’t change his looks based on his logic since he would only be moving the mana producing and containing parts inside his body.

It would be like him replicating and copying Gen’s shell for Layered Ice Carapace and wanting to copy another sword’s internal structure. Couldn’t he mimic other creatures’ internal structures if they were much tougher? The same could be said for his own skills. Imitating the strong was the first step to being strong. He had read about the many types of monsters and quite a few caught his attention.

The Fleet-Footed Kappa, said to be able to run on land, sea and air as if on flat ground. There was no terrain they couldn't traverse. They were not aggressive monsters and just loved to run around. Ebony wanted to see it in action to see if there was anything similar to his Treading Steps.

There were too few creatures that used gravity magic recorded. Even Master Jing didn’t know where he could find any of the creatures mentioned. Even creatures and materials in her books clearly state where they could be found or if they were even on Elcra.

Ebony had learned that Master Jing was quite the nomad. Only having just reached this city not long before he got tossed to her. She travelled far and wide, researching anything of interest. Searching for new materials and ingredients. New, unknown methods of crafting. Rarely stopping at one place for an extended period of time. He also found out she had quite a money problem. She didn’t know how to spend at all. He would believe it if she had been scammed multiple times.

She had shown him what she called her greatest treasure and treated it like a baby. She didn’t want Ebony to get close. She called it an industrial mana compressor. It literally ate mana and coughed out mana ores up till Purples.

It was a money producing machine and what made all the vibrations and noise above ground. She bragged about how she grabbed Zenin the genius inventor to secretly sell it to her behind the Empire’s back. She called Zenin an inventive person and not a craftsman like her.

The thing was apparently valuable enough to cause nobles to revolt. Ebony warmed up a little at how much trust she gave him but he also knew it might be because of how futile his attempts would be if he wanted to take it away from a space mage over level 300, with 2 more Class evolutions than himself.

This was how she wanted him to pay her. She already knew about the general properties of his mana. That it was more resilient and compressible. The compressor wouldn’t make anything pure like natural mana ores from the mine and ore deposits or the recharged ores fitted into the myriad bracelet. It would take whatever mana was charged into it and the resulting mana ore would obviously take up the properties.

Ebony’s mana would make it produce mana ores that were tougher and the production speed would be faster too. The industrial mana compressor absorbed mana from a 50 gir diameter, which equates to 250m. Ebony just had to let his mana overflow instead of filling his robe or mana ores up when he was in the building and that was all Master Jing asked for. He was worried that that was too little but she assured him that it was more than enough for her since a material like that was hard to come by.

She confirmed with him that magic cast with his mana would be tougher and more resilient. Perfect for many spells both defensive and offensive. When used to power runes, the spells would obviously take the same properties as the mana used to cast it. Natural, pure mana was more versatile but his mana’s properties were more useful for many things.

The reason Master Jing called his mana a good material was that once he was able to solidify his own mana he could literally make objects made of mana ores. Mana ores that were affected by all his mana influenced skills and Fortifications.

Ebony’s days were quiet but busy.