559 Greedy Cat
All the small white orbs in his vicinity—the souls that belonged to mortals as well as Rank 1 Magi—slowly orbited around him before entering his body one by one.
Every time a soul fragment entered Adam's body, he would momentarily shudder. This wasn't out of pain or anything, but immense ecstasy.
After what felt like forever, Adam finally opened his eyes after having absorbed hundreds of light orbs.
"I feel full..." he said languidly.
The only way for him to increase the capacity of his soul absorption was to advance in his Magus path. Thanks to the mana-gathering runic formation, he was able to practice mindfulness and progress at a rapid pace.
Therefore, every week he was able to come to this mysterious space and absorb the soul fragments residing here, further strengthening his own soul.
He looked around the sea of soul fragments, searching for one that belonged to an expert from the greater universe.
It had been more than seven years since he had absorbed a soul fragment that contained memories. All this while, he was preparing himself so that he would be able to fully devour one such soul. Nôv(el)B\\jnn
He flew into the depths of this mysterious space. Here, there were several soul fragments that were layered in a multi-colored hue. These were the ones that contained memories.
However, all these orbs were simply too big for him to absorb in his current Magus rank. He feared that his head would simply explode if he attempted to absorb them.
He flew to a certain area where a soul fragment, whose size was slightly bigger than his head, floated lazily.
Adam stood before this soul fragment, watching the myriad colors phasing in and out on its surface. He'd had his eye on this light orb for a long time now.
He could tell that there were a lot of memories inside this orb. Just so he could absorb this particular soul fragment, he had been preparing for all these years, making sure that his own soul was strong enough to sustain the load.
"I wonder what I'll be able to learn from this soul fragment," he muttered in anticipation.
However, now was not the time to devour it. He had already had his share of souls for today and was already very 'full'.
To ensure that his absorption of the soul fragment before him went smoothly, he would have to diligently practice mindfulness for the next week or so.
After he'd extracted enough mana from the surroundings and elevated his life essence, he would be ready.
"See you in a week," he said with a smile.
The next moment, he disappeared.
...
When he opened his eyes again, his lips curled up into a warm smile when his gaze landed on the person sitting before him.
It was a graceful and majestic-looking cat with a sleek and muscular body, wrapped in a luxurious coat of long, wavy hair.
The gray fur gently cascaded around the creature's frame, especially thick around his chest, giving it an almost lion-like mane. The cat's eyes were a piercing yellow, resembling an exquisite topaz jewel.
Moreover, the cat wore round, gold-rimmed glasses giving him a very noble appearance.
"What took you so long?" Adam asked with a smirk.
Moreover, being a dragon, he didn't even have to practice mindfulness in order to grow stronger.
This superior race of creatures subconsciously extracted mana from the air around the clock, even while they were sleeping. They grew powerful with age. However, the caveat was that they took an extremely long time.
Soon, Valerian landed by the banks of Marian Lake beneath the small hill the castle stood on.
16:03
As Adam hopped off of his back, his eyes shone with anticipation as well as hints of anxiousness.
As could be seen by the fact that Valerian was still only equivalent to a Rank 1 - Mana Foundation Magus. However, it was a different matter altogether that he was much stronger than any regular Rank 1 Magus.
"Brother, I will go back with you this time!" Said the young dragon, his beady eyes twinkling with longing.
"Alright." Adam fondly rubbed the little guy's forehead. "But it'll be a few days before I return to Saratoga. I have to finish setting up the basement. Also, I've to carve some runes along the manor's boundary walls."
"Myu! I can wait!" The young dragon leaped from his arms and went back upstairs.
"See you later, brother. It is now time for my massage!"
Seeing the gray cat strutting his way up the stairs, Adam was speechless. "Massage? Just what the hell is he making the servants do?"
...
One week later.
After having finished all his work in the manor, Adam made a few trips to the Market Quarter to stock up on material components for his spell and other herbs and ingredients required for his herbalism experiments.
Finally, he bid Rowan and the rest farewell before hopping on Valerian's back and flying toward Saratoga Castle.
After a short thirty-minute flight, the grand castle positioned on a small hill beside Marian Lake came into view.
Adam's gaze landed on the large crowd gathered at the main entrance of the castle. "Hmm? What's this about?"
"Brother, it's the new batch of students," replied Valerian as he began his descent.
As the wind brushed against the young man's face, he nodded in realization. "Ah, that's right. It is time for the new batch of Rank 1 Magi to get admitted."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Val, let's take another entrance. There are many professors down there. I can't be bothered to engage in a conversation with them right now."
"What? Why?" Valerian grumbled. He was planning on showing off his majesty in front of the fifteen-year-old new students.
However, he complied nonetheless and soared past the castle's high towers and turrets, making his way toward the other side of Saratoga.
Soon, Valerian landed by the banks of Marian Lake beneath the small hill the castle stood on.
As Adam hopped off of his back, his eyes shone with anticipation as well as hints of anxiousness.
"It's time I resume my progress on the Raven Inheritance!"