Chapter 94 As Gloomy As A Starless Night
The mortal realm is split into five smaller realms, each representing the state in which the mana core is in. First comes the ethereal mana core, which is the first state the mana core forms in after one begins to cultivate. Once they have gathered enough ambient mana, they will finally break into the gaseous realm, where their mana pool will essentially multiply based on their talents, making it so that not everyone in the same minor realm is equal in strength while also creating a disparity in power between each minor realm.
After the gaseous realm comes the liquidous realm, which is achieved after concentrating all the gaseous mana from the mana core in a single spot, creating a mana drop within their mana core that has just as much mana as all their gaseous mana combined. This only works to further the gap between each realm, making it much harder for anyone in the gaseous realm to even stand a chance against someone in the liquidous realm.
After the liquidous realm comes the solidus realm; after further concentrating the liquid mana, it eventually becomes a solid much smaller mana core that has three times the capacity of its liquid counterpart. Further increasing the size of the solid mana core will only make it more powerful while also allowing the user to store more mana inside it.
There is one more minor realm, yet even Blanca didn't know of it since she told me that her father refused to tell her about the realm until she reached the peak of the solidus minor realm. Even though she is in the solidus minor realm right now, she isn't at its peak since there are still many creatures in the same realm that could kill her with the swipe of their claws.
'My level cap must be a blessing in disguise... It allows me to reach the top of my current cultivation and makes me a force to be reckoned with... And to think I am as strong as Blanca when she was in the liquidous realm. Granted, she meant the beginning of the liquidous realm, but my point still stands...' I thought while ignoring Blanca's longing gaze as she turned her head towards me and looked me in the face.
I could see a slight smile crawl up the corners of her lips from my peripheral vision, a reaction that made me turn to her with a raised brow before asking-
"What's got you so happy?"
"What, can't I choose to be happy?" She asked, her warm smile still on her face while her gaze lingered on me.
"Hmm? I didn't say that." I retorted with an eye roll.
"Hmm... I just wanted to say that you are very expressive with your eyes. Looking into your eyes and seeing how you move them instantly tells me how you feel or what you're thinking of. You narrow your eyes when you feel any negative emotion and rarely frown. You are calm most of the time, but there are a few things in the world that make your eyes light up in excitement, allowing you to forget yourself and almost revert to your childish self." She let out a chuckle that she covered with her hand.
"You use other facial expressions, but overall, your eyes tell me everything. I just wanted to tell you that you can tell me anything, and in return, I am willing to tell you anything. I can see the pain in your eyes whenever we speak of your family or origins, so if you ever feel like you can trust me either today or in the future, you can speak to me. I will listen to anything you tell me without judging you or asking any question about it afterward." She spoke, her voice, for some reason, melodic to my ears and soft to my heart.
"Why, though? We barely know each other and don't have to in a few months. We will eventually part ways, too, so... What's the point?" I looked back at Blanca, who had stopped walking before me. My eyes narrowed at her, but I did not say anything.
"We will eventually have to take different paths so isn't it better if we don't know anything about each other?" I asked.
A sad smile appeared on her face, yet her previous warm one did not disappear and instead seemed to have blended into each other to create an expression that made me feel a sharp pain in my heart.
"Who said we have to go on different paths?" She asked, her voice cracking slightly in the process.
"We can continue going on these wild adventures together, you know. We can venture through the world, both of us becoming famous for being of the most powerful people in the world. We can conquer dungeons just like we are now. Maybe you can meet my family, and I can finally meet yours."
Instantly, a pained look appeared in my eyes, but I quickly closed them and looked away, yet this did not go unnoticed by Blanca. She was now staring at me with a complicated gaze that no man on this Earth would have the capability of deciphering.
"You can't stay alone forever, Ezra... You have to move forward at some point. We still have the 2-year agreement, so even if you don't trust me, you know I can't intentionally hurt you without your permission." She continued.
"I'll think about it." I finally spoke out with the same deep, menacing voice I used to speak with her back when we first met. It wasn't that I didn't care about her; it was just that I didn't want my voice to portray any of my feelings on accident.
Without skipping a beat, I began to walk forwards, my strides long, yet the air around me as gloomy as a starless night.
'Blanca... Our goals are not the same, and I doubt you would support mine even if you knew them... You are just that kind of person. Immature and unaware... Sometimes it's better if one stays that way for the rest of their lives since... Ignorance sometimes truly is a bliss'