"I think I probably know the reason."
Just as Ed and Willow were deep in thought, a somewhat weak voice suddenly came from behind them.
Gray is awake?!
Ed quickly went over, because because his lower body was completely stuffed into the jar, the man couldn't even lie in bed to sleep after he lost consciousness.
Seeing the lord's anxious expression, a touch of emotion welled up in Gray's eyes.
Are you alright?
"It's alright, just a little dizzy, like the parts inside my body are about to rebel."
You'd better be using rhetoric.
"It's not rhetoric, it's true."
A wry smile appeared on Gray's face:
"I checked the gears and connecting rods that fell off yesterday and they were definitely fine, but today they suddenly got stuck. I didn't even have enough force to twist them like this, yet they still broke in this way."
"Is this what you meant by the parts 'rebelling'?"
"Yes, in Graycast Corridor, this is generally called ' Rejection disease.' Some people are just not suited to modification from the start, and this happens after certain components are replaced."
"But you're clearly not that kind of person, otherwise you wouldn't be able to replace so many parts of your body, so why would you have Rejection symptoms?"
Gray lowered his head and remained silent for a few seconds before saying:
Do you know how I got into your territory?
"Wasn't it picked up by my Soul Returner?"
Gray choked for a moment, the words stuck in his throat and he couldn't say them:
I mean before that.
"I don't know. You only said you were forced to abandon the mobile fortress and then escaped the pursuit of the Blood Corpse to get here."
Gray nodded and recounted the experience he himself dared not even recall:
"I was about to die, but I remembered something my instructor said during my merchant training. Then I found a device inside my sternum. After activating it, I entered a state of euphoria. It was thanks to the power provided by that device that I was able to enter your territory."
"Are you saying your Rejection condition is related to this device?"
Gray nodded, his expression serious:
"I vaguely felt that after the device was forcibly activated, my body maneuverability increased significantly, and I could even move a long distance using only my two arms. However, after the effect wore off, my maneuverability decreased significantly, but at the time I just thought it was because the component was damaged."
"I've had my arm repaired recently, but I often feel that I'm not as dexterous as before."
"I see!"
Willow suddenly gasped softly, and Ed looked in the direction of the lich with a puzzled expression.
Willow cleared her throat and said:
"The small device Gray mentioned inside the chest cavity should be a small domain maintenance device that allows the rules of the Grand Foundry Master to remain in effect even after leaving their territory. That's why these merchants can stay outside the Graycast Corridor for a long time. They only need to return to the Grand Foundry Master ' rules every now and then to reset the duration of this device."
"Forced activation will temporarily allow the power contained within to Descent upon your body; it is the mechanical affinity of the Grand Foundry Master, which is why you enter that state."
I see.
Ed and Gray nodded thoughtfully at the same time. Willow did indeed have the potential to become a doctor; she found a possible cause of the illness based solely on Gray's description.
But the question is... does this really make sense?
Ed raised his right hand like a student:
I have a question.
Willow, just as when explaining Psionic Energy knowledge, entered into teacher mode:
"Please speak."
"Shouldn't the expertise of Grand Foundry Master be primarily in the field of machinery? I simply can't understand how such a small device could incorporate so many functions."
"Of course, it's through Psionic Energy."
Willow's answer was unusually confident, which only made Ed more puzzled:
"So he's also skilled in this area?"
Willow shook her head this time, then said in a very serious tone:
"It's not that the Grand Foundry Master is skilled in the field of Psionic Energy, but rather... all powerful individuals will inevitably come into contact with Psionic Energy after their power reaches a certain level."
"The scope and rules of a domain are based on the power of Psionic Energy, so all powerful individuals must be Psionic Energy Master in a certain field. They may not have a complete understanding of the Psionic Energy energy system, but they can certainly unleash their power to its fullest potential."
So you can't just go down one path to the end...
Ed noted this point down in his mind and pressed on with another question while the iron was hot:
Why Psionic Energy?
Yes, why must all systems ultimately shift towards Psionic Energy? Why can't they shift towards plant-based, animal-based, or inanimate energy systems?
Does it mean they look down on flowers, plants, small animals, and stones?
Willow thought for a moment and said:
"I haven't asked this question in detail, but something my mother once said might explain your confusion."
"What?"
She said, "The soul controls everything in this world, and the Psionic Energy everything in this world."
This sounds like something you'd see on a recruitment banner for the Lich University's Psionic Energy Academy.
Ed silently complained to himself, but quickly realized that he was a remnant soul integrated into this world, and the players summoned from his hometown were essentially also in a soul state. He nodded thoughtfully.
Simply put, Psionic Energy and the soul are the underlying logic of this world.
"Underlying... logic..."
Willow pondered the two words, finding that Ed's descriptions were always quite apt.
"That's a valid interpretation; I think it's acceptable."
"So, back to the question we were just discussing, it means that every merchant in the Graycast Corridor is implanted with a small domain generator to maintain physical stability, and Gray broke it in his attempt to get here, so now he's being eroded by the rules of this place and is experiencing acclimatization issues."
"That's right."
"So how can we save him?"
Ed, watching Gray's movements become somewhat stiff, was clearly getting a little anxious.
Willow shook her head at this moment:
"There's no other way but to send him back to the Graycast Corridor."
Ed's lips twitched. Putting aside whether sending Gray back would cause the plant part of his body to rebel again, just the word "no way" gave him a headache.
While it's not about moral blackmail, the fact that one minute he thought Willow was a reliable doctor, and the next minute that reliable doctor told him "there's no hope, go home" is somewhat disjointed.
He shook his head:
"Going back is definitely not an option. More than half of his body is now vegetation; he'll still suffer from acclimatization problems if he goes back."
Willow was immediately startled:
"It seems so..."