Electrolux's Doubts

Electrolux's Doubts

A seemingly warm light shone into the endless darkness before her.

Wang Dong opened her eyes and once again saw the golden-mist-wreathed wonderland, along with the man with water-blue hair.

"The development of the human world is truly astounding."

The man had been speaking to the woman beside him, whose hair was braided into a scorpion tail. The moment she left, his tone changed:

"By replacing the Tang Sect, Soul Tools have brought the Sun Moon Empire, the culprit behind it all, to deserve its destruction. Unfortunately, the God of Destruction keeps watch day and night, so I can't spare a hand to deal with them."

"If I want my daughter to descend to the mortal world and make contact with that rising star, she'll inevitably come into contact with these things... Tsk! No, my daughter of the Tang family can only learn the Tang Sect Hidden Weapon Techniques."

"What should I do... Xiao Qi?"

Suddenly, the man with water-blue hair, who had been facing away from Wang Dong, turned around. His deep, unfathomable eyes, like the sea, fixed on her—

"What do you think I should do?"

"Don't!"

Wang Dong cried out and sat up in bed. The man and the wonderland had vanished, leaving only the curtains filtering in slivers of sunlight and the pale walls before her.

This was... the academy infirmary.

"How long has this been going on?" Xiao Hongchen asked.

"It happened twice before, but neither time was as bad as this." Huo Yuhao answered.

"Don't the teachers know what's wrong?" Chi Qiu asked.

Only when she heard the familiar voices of her companions did Wang Dong feel as though she'd come back to life. In her dream, it seemed no one could help her, and no one was on her side. It had left her terrified and suffocating.

"The teachers have already given her a thorough examination." Xiao Hongchen handed the report to Huo Yuhao and Chi Qiu. "This... junior sister is in good health. The hidden ailment you discussed doesn't exist, and there's nothing wrong with her head, either."

"She says the back of her head hurts every time," Chi Qiu said. She was still very attentive. "Shouldn't we check again, just in case?"

Huo Yuhao was also studying the medical report thoughtfully.

At that moment, Electrolux's voice suddenly rang in his mind:

"Heh, Yuhao, think about it. If her body is perfectly fine, yet she keeps getting headaches, where might the problem lie?"

Electrolux's hint seemed to make Huo Yuhao understand. "Elder Yi, do you mean there's something wrong with her Sea of Consciousness?"

"Half right. What's closely connected to the Sea of Consciousness?"

"...You mean her Origin?"

"It's only a guess. After all, I've never seen what her Sea of Consciousness looks like," Electrolux said. "To truly understand what's wrong with your friend, you'll have to find out what happened to her Origin. That's not something you can handle for now. Once you've cultivated your spiritual power to a certain level and can tamper with another person's Spiritual Origin, you'll naturally be able to discover what's been done to hers."

Huo Yuhao nodded earnestly, but couldn't help asking with concern, "Elder Yi, could my friend's life be in danger?"

"From what I can tell, contact with certain things merely triggers it. It doesn't threaten her life."

"I understand. As long as we keep her away from those things, she should be fine."

After their exchange, Huo Yuhao had mostly figured out what triggered Wang Dong's headaches.

The first time had been when they asked Wang Dong why she disliked Soul Tools. The second time was when he and Wang Dong tried Martial Soul Fusion. The third time was when she came face-to-face with a Level Five Soul Tool.

Two of those incidents had involved Soul Tools. The other one hadn't, but... Huo Yuhao thought he had a real talent for Soul Tools, so if he stretched the explanation, he could say that was connected to Soul Tools, too.

But if Wang Dong couldn't come into contact with Soul Tools...

Noticing Huo Yuhao's troubled expression, Chi Qiu stepped up beside him and asked quietly, "Have you figured something out?"

"Qiu'er." Huo Yuhao lowered his voice so Wang Dong wouldn't hear. "Could it be that she can't touch Soul Tools?"

"If you put it that way, it's certainly possible. But isn't this the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy?"

"That's exactly what's troubling me..." Huo Yuhao shook his head. "It would mean Wang Dong has to drop out again. I don't feel right bringing it up."

"Tell her anyway." Chi Qiu made the decision first. "It's better to tell her everything and let her decide for herself."

"That's true." Huo Yuhao thought it over for a moment, then agreed with Chi Qiu. He walked over to Wang Dong, who was still staring blankly at the white ceiling.

"Wang Dong, I have something to tell you."

"Brother Huo." Wang Dong gave him a weak smile. "Go ahead. Even if you tell me I have a terminal illness and I'm about to die, I'll accept it. But I guess it's not that bad, is it?"

"Don't jinx yourself." Huo Yuhao chuckled. "Actually, we haven't found the real cause yet, but Qiu'er and I think you might... be unable to touch Soul Tools."

Wang Dong's eyes widened at the explanation.

"That sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?" She scratched her tousled hair. "You mean I'm allergic to Soul Tools?"

But then she remembered the dream, and her heart immediately sank halfway. She didn't know what the dream meant, and the fragments she remembered after waking were sparse. Still, judging by those few words... maybe it really was true.

"It does sound ridiculous, and we don't dare jump to conclusions," Huo Yuhao said, spreading his hands. "We just wanted to tell you what we suspect. What to do is up to you."

Silence fell over the infirmary. Wang Dong looked torn. After all, she didn't want the embarrassment of dropping out again.

Huo Yuhao felt the nameless golden Imprints in his Sea of Consciousness grow faintly warm, as if they were anticipating something.

A moment later, Wang Dong slapped the bed and shouted, "To hell with being allergic to Soul Tools! I'm going to study them. There's nothing in this world that can stump me, Wang Dong."

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Chi Qiu asked.

"I don't know," Wang Dong said. "I just refuse to back down."

Suddenly, Xiao Hongchen, who had been watching quietly from the side, spoke up:

"Good. You've got some backbone. I support you studying them."

"Brother Xiao?" Huo Yuhao looked over in confusion.

"One of the principles behind inventing Soul Tools is to benefit everyone." Pride colored Xiao Hongchen's voice. "If someone is allergic to the Soul Tools currently available, the inventor's job is to improve them so that person can use them—not to give up on people like her."

"If she can't handle finished products at first, she can start by learning the principles behind Core Arrays. There's no conflict. Mingde Hall has designers who work only on Core Arrays. Maybe she'll be the next one."

As he listened to Xiao Hongchen's explanation, Huo Yuhao felt an even greater yearning for the field of Soul Tools. Yes, to benefit everyone! The Soul Tools used in the new students' entrance test alone had already made things much more convenient for the academy. That, too, was an important principle behind the development of Soul Tools.

With that thought, Huo Yuhao felt his understanding of Soul Tools broaden. His mood lifted considerably, and golden ripples spread through his Sea of Consciousness.

Yet Electrolux, in the emerald sun illuminating Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness, wasn't in such a good mood.

"An incomplete Origin, and the Soul Fragment mentioned inside that little cat... Could it be..."