Inspiration: Infinite of Time

The block behind the Hall of Tranquility.

"This is it. As long as you are Placidium Sheriffs, it will always belong to you."

Elder Percy led them to the house numbered Seventy-Nine and tossed the key to Jia Ruo.

"You two rest first. The house is equipped with basic daily necessities. If you encounter any trouble, you can come find me at the Hall of Tranquility."

After speaking, Elder Percy turned and left.

"Wow!"

Neeko was very excited. She had a home again.

Jia Ruo opened the door to the house and inspected their new residence.

This house was still built with a tree as its frame, with the thick main trunk serving as the main beam.

A row of branches, three to four meters off the ground, were connected with wooden planks, dividing the house into two levels.

Jia Ruo saw the layout of the lower level: a kitchen, a living room, and a washroom.

Next, Jia Ruo and Neeko went up the wooden stairs to the upper level, where there were three bedrooms and a meditation room.

"This is great. This will be our home from now on."

Jia Ruo was also happy. He and Neeko each chose a bedroom.

Although they were called bedrooms, they only contained a wooden bed, bedding, and a clean floor.

He casually tossed the Bear Skin Bundle he had carried all the way aside.

He would tidy up tomorrow. He was exhausted today, especially after sparring with Elder Percy. Although it wasn't long, it had consumed a great deal of mental energy.

"Comfortable."

Jia Ruo lay on the bed in a spread-eagle position, feeling the comfort of the soft bed enveloping him.

He really wanted to fall asleep like this, but unfortunately.

He concentrated his Mana and slowly floated up, entering a state of Meditation.

Just as Jia Ruo was getting into the groove

"Crack~"

It sounded like something was breaking.

It's that fragment! Jia Ruo hurriedly unfastened his bracer.

As expected, the fragment had completely changed from pale blue to grayish-white and had shattered into countless tiny pieces.

Alas, what a pity.

He had long foreseen this day; the energy contained within the fragment was finite after all.

Jia Ruo wrapped up the fragment. This thing was surely extraordinary, so he'd put it away for now.

However, at that very moment, something strange happened in his mind.

The pale blue energy that had flowed into his mind from the fragment was now condensing into a mass, with a blue halo pulsing on it.

It was like a restless egg, incubating something.

Suddenly, the blue light filled Jia Ruo's mind, and the "egg" revealed its true form.

At its center was a pale blue rune stone, surrounded by four golden rings of varying thickness.

At this moment, a voice sounded in Jia Ruo's heart.

He knew its name and origin.

What was floating in Jia Ruo's mind could be understood as the manifestation of World Rune energy within his body.

The energy that had flowed from the fragment earlier, which had amplified Jia Ruo's five senses and thoughts, was merely a side effect. The majority of it had been used to construct this orb of light—"Inspiration: Infinite of Time!"

"Inspiration? World Runes!"

Jia Ruo exclaimed.

That fragment was a part of the World Rune of Creation, "Inspiration."

When Jia Ruo's thoughts touched "Inspiration: Infinite of Time" in his mind, he clearly perceived the profound meaning of Inspiration: to outwit with wisdom, to overturn the conventional through creation.

The next moment, pale blue energy erupted from his mind, surging through Jia Ruo's limbs and bones.

Inspiration bestowed a skill upon Jia Ruo: Time Warp.

He knew this wasn't the only one.

As he absorbed more World Rune energy, the World Runes would reward him with more.

"Hoo~~~"

Jia Ruo let out a long breath, using deep breaths to calm himself.

He could actually harness the power of World Runes for his own use. That was the power of Creation.

He suppressed his excitement and tried to use Time Warp. He saw the birds flying outside the window slow down as if in a movie, giving him enough time to clearly see every flap of their wings.

But as a price, twenty percent of his Mana was consumed.

It seemed this skill worked by accelerating his thoughts to achieve the effect of time distortion.

Jia Ruo pondered that this skill would definitely be a great help if used in combat, though the consumption would be significant.

He absorbed the magical elements between heaven and earth through breathing, converting them into Mana within his body.

Under normal breathing conditions, he could recover about ten percent of his Mana in five minutes. In a Meditation state, it was ten percent per minute.

And merely maintaining the Time Warp effect for one second would consume twenty percent.

But this Mana consumption was more than worth it—it meant that as long as he activated Time Warp and his body could keep up, he would gain nearly infinite reaction capabilities.

Having been on the Rune Continent for so long, Jia Ruo had always thought he would only be a small fry, unable to make any waves in the great river that was Runeterra.

He hadn't expected happiness to come so suddenly.

Jia Ruo smiled and continued to Meditate.

The next morning, a knock sounded at the door.

Jia Ruo hastily jumped out of bed and ran to open it. Could it be Elder Percy?

He pushed the door open and saw not the robust man he had imagined.

The visitor was an old man, wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a small wooden box on his back.

"Old sir, who might you be?"

Jia Ruo didn't recognize him.

"Young man, you joined the Hall of Tranquility yesterday, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"This old servant is the Weaver of the Hall. I've come to see if you have any opinions about the house and to help you renovate it."

"Then please, come in."

Unlike the countryside of Ionia, houses in the large cities of Ionia were not simply built from wood. Instead, they were "woven" by specialized Weavers.

They were a group of skilled artisans adept at using Plant Magic, who could utilize natural trees and special techniques to construct the buildings favored by the Ionian people.

It was an art form that adhered to natural beauty.

"Please, come in quickly."

Jia Ruo ushered the Weaver into the house. Neeko, having heard the commotion, arrived in the hall, rubbing her eyes.

"This must be the Vastaya girl from yesterday, the one skilled in Plant Magic."

You know so much, old man. Does gossip travel that fast?

Jia Ruo suddenly thought of something. Master Percy had specifically asked him to spar yesterday, likely to observe the Wuji from him.

And this Weaver... he was probably looking to Neeko to explore the mysteries of Plant Magic.

As expected.

After listening to some of Jia Ruo and Neeko's requests and making some adjustments to the house, the elderly Weaver chuckled awkwardly.

"Little girl, your name is Neeko, right? I heard yesterday. Actually, all of us Weavers admire the magical talent of the Vastaya, especially yours, using Plant Magic..."

"Grandpa, just say what you need to say."

Neeko didn't use her Shuoma to directly read the Weaver's thoughts.

Neeko blinked her big eyes. Jia Ruo had emphasized to her many times that doing so was impolite and disrespectful.

Neeko will respect others, and Neeko will make others respect her, she thought to herself.

"It's a bit embarrassing to say, but I've lived most of my life and only have a superficial understanding of Plant Magic. To improve, I hope Miss Neeko can offer some guidance."

"Neeko... Neeko doesn't know how to teach you. It's all innate."

"No matter. Just let this old man see how you cast Plant Magic."

The Weaver paused. "You two haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Let me treat you to this meal. After we're full, we can continue our chat."

"Then I'll gratefully accept. We haven't explored Placidium yet. Thank you in advance."

Jia Ruo offered a brief polite remark, not refusing.

And so, the Weaver led Jia Ruo and Neeko towards the market in Placidium.