Changes in Kletam City

Dago walked into the herb beds of the base's potion garden. After all the time Bernal and Selena had spent tending it, the barren soil beneath his feet was far more vibrant than before. Moonlight flowers now grew in broad patches. One small section had been set apart, with a lone seed planted in the damp, sticky, dark red mud.

A finger-length pink shoot had sprouted from the seed. On closer inspection, countless fine veins resembling blood vessels could be seen running through it.

"Can I ask you a few questions, Bernal?"

Dago crouched beside the seed, and Flax's heart appeared in his hand. He squeezed it gently, watching crimson blood flow from the heart and drip onto the sprouting seed. The seed swayed slightly, as though savoring a welcome shower of rain.

"Is there really no way for me to advance to the Second Circle in two months?"

"Advancing to the Second Circle requires vaporizing your mental power, which requires the power of a Vaporization Rune Array. With our combined abilities, we can't gather all the materials needed to construct a vaporization array in two months."

"This simply isn't a problem effort can solve, Dago," Bernal said calmly.

"A vaporization array." Dago nodded thoughtfully. "I understand."

"Then how strong should a genius with a third-rank rating be? Would they all have mastered at least one domain power with first-level resonance?"

"You underestimate the difficulty of First-Level Domain Resonance, Dago. Never mind the Thorn Ring—even across all of Emerald Life, few people can comprehend First-Level Domain Resonance at the Second Circle."

"There are differences even among those of the Three-Knot Rank. The Four-Knot Rank more or less qualifies you to live on one of the ten floating castle islands, while I once came infinitely close to the fifth-knot rank."

Dago