Chapter 1856 Early Signs of S-Rank Breakthrough & Tempering Divinity
Roza raised her eyebrows in surprise upon hearing the history behind the Whiteraven ale.
She felt that after such a story, the drink had somehow become even more tantalizing.
"This..." Roza was left speechless after taking the first sip of the Whiteraven ale.
The taste of the drink wasn't particularly extraordinary; it went down smoothly on one's palate. However, the effect it had on her body exceeded her expectations.
Roza felt as though she had swallowed molten lava that was slowly trickling down her throat. Her mana circuits seemed to ignite, and the flow of mana within her body became restless.
As she gazed at the ever-restless waves, she sensed a similar turbulence within herself. Her mana core felt agitated, spinning rapidly before beginning to absorb the surrounding mana.
"Enjoy the effect while it lasts, Roza," Eren said with a smile, though he didn't look at her. He could discern what was happening to her and reassured her.
"This ale stimulates one's Path to Power to some extent. It can bring great benefits to one's Path if consumed for a period of time.
Unfortunately, repeated use of the drink yields diminishing results until it ceases to work altogether.
I can't produce this kind of ale in Labh Salem due to logistical issues. But I also don't wish to. This drink—its flavor belongs to my homeworld.
It's my gift to the place of my birth," Eren explained as he took another sip.
The butcher had long been immune to the Whiteraven ale's beneficial effects, and the drink no longer stimulated his mana circuits. Nonetheless, that didn't stop him from enjoying it.
Eren chuckled softly upon hearing Roza's observation.
"In Anfang, I seldom had the chance to witness the ocean's beauty," he reflected, his gaze fixed on the sea.
"Our habitable regions were landlocked due to the Badlands, where ferocious mana beasts and bloodthirsty monsters kept most Rankers away from the shore. It wasn't until the Great Shattering that I truly got to see the ocean's majesty.
When I first saw it, to me, the sea seemed boundless and eternal—like a true Immortal within nature.
The sea is much like the sky, right? Yet it offers a sense of closeness without losing one's grounding. You don't have to fly. You don't have to jump. You just need to take steps in the right direction to meet this monstrous presence that surrounds all life.
The sea is perhaps the closest thing to an Immortal being for many of us. Its untamed nature awakens something profound within us if we allow it to. Its high tides wash away feelings of loneliness, while its seafoam erases the burdens of the past.
The debris it casts ashore serves as a reminder of the transient nature of all things. It helps cleanse the soul of regrets and unfulfilled desires, one wave at a time.
And the ceaseless rhythm of the waves soothes the mind, bringing solace.
So when this same sea becomes an unstoppable force of destruction, one can't help but wonder how many troubled souls it has embraced over time, before succumbing to turmoil," Eren mused, addressing both Roza and himself simultaneously.
Eren's words carried a simplicity that belied their profound impact on Roza. She longed for an Array Disk to capture his every utterance, to replay them in solitude and savor their depth.
It seemed as though with each word, Eren was refining his divinity, delving deeper into the essence of his God Spark. Each memory he stirred within himself served to illuminate his understanding.
"My liege... he is honing his divinity, akin to the Immortals.
Perhaps... He... he will transcend the realm of a mere demi-god soon," Roza pondered silently, struggling to retain Eren's words in her mind.
Yet, they magically slipped away from her mind like the ebb and flow of the sea before her, lost to the endless expanse of nothingness.