The Problem Solver (3)

"I see."

"Sorry, Boss." replied Fatty.

"No, I'm not blaming you. I have an idea of where I can find information."

Shui quickly used his smile to comfort the two as he changed the topic by asking them about their situation.

Fatty was reluctant to speak because he didn't want to bother Shui, but Serina was honest. Shui nodded in contemplation before responding.

"Three days, huh? I guess we'll be busy then."

"You, have a plan Boss?" Fatty asked anxiously.

Both of them were hopeful since Shui was the one who said it, but there was still a little doubt left as it was quite unbelievable for someone in the second level of the Soul Realm like Serina to beat someone four levels above her. However, both of them knew that Shui was a miracle worker.

Shui nodded in conformation and continued,"Mhmm, but before I can be sure what to do, Serina, your hands."

While speaking, Shui stretched out his hands and made Serina do the same as they were on opposite sides of the table. Serina had no reason to hesitate so she laid her small hands on top of Shui's. Once these soft hands were in his grasp, Shui gently sent in his spiritual sense and martial intent to investigate any hidden talents Serina might have.

Even his spiritual sense could only find out things that were already known like her elemental affinities, but his martial intent was able to resonate with the secrets of the natural way.

'This is...'

"Shui? Did you find something?"

As Shui narrowed his eyebrows, Serina and Fatty wondered if he was able to discover something. Before answering them, Shui covertly set up a pseudo-array with talismans to block sound and perception.

"Mhmm, a sacred treasure."

"Really?!" shouted Fatty with his eyes wide open.

"What's that?" asked Serina.

Unlike Fatty who had received education fit for a child from a big clan like the Riot clan, Serina was unaware of the significance of sacred treasures.

"Honestly I only know that it's similar to special physiques, but it doesn't rely on the blessings of the heavens." said Fatty as he tried to explain.

"You're basically right. Unlike special physiques, sacred treasures are talents that are innate to humans, so they don't allow you to converse with plants or read the lines of fate, but they can give you the opportunity to get the most out of human potential. One example would be the 'sword aptitude' sacred treasure said to have been possessed by one of the first Sovereigns of our continent. With it he was able to perfect his sword technique and become an unrivalled master despite his relatively young age."

As Shui explained, especially when he gave an example of the usefulness of sacred treasures, Serina felt her heart pounding in anticipation. Though she always tried her best and was strong enough to defeat opponents one level above her, Serina never thought of herself as a genius.

The only thing she could do was struggle to keep up with Fatty and watch Shui's back from afar. However, if she had a talent that could make her a genius, then she wouldn't have to always have to watch as her loved ones got hurt trying to protect her.

"What's my scared treasure?"

Shui could guess what Serina was thinking from her eyes, which made him reluctant to say what her talent was. But, he wouldn't hide it.

"Charisma - cuteness."

"...Huh?"

Both Serina and Fatty were confused by Shui's answer, but that was only because they were thinking about it too hard.

"It's exactly as it sounds like. Your sacred treasure makes you objectively cute. Any sentient lifeform that meets you will start off with a good impression of you."

Fatty didn't know what to think about a sacred treasure like that, but Serina was clear about her thoughts.

'Useless.'

As he saw Serina lower her head with a frustrated expression, Shui knew it couldn't be helped but there was no time to have her slowly accept this truth and move on.

"Why are you getting so disappointed? I told it was a sacred treasure, therefore if you think it's worthless then that's just because you don't know how to use it."

Serina could agree with the logic behind Shui's words so she raised her head enough to look back at him.

"How do I use it?"

"That's for you to figure out."

"Eh?"

"But, I can still tell you how we'll use it to beat Tico."

"Really?"

"Mhmm. With three days and the right materials I could probably push your cultivation high enough so you can fight him on even terms, but there's no reason to ruin your foundation for one fight. Instead we'll focus on letting you get a better understanding of your sacred treasure and improving your technique. Have you started learning a cultivation method now that you're in the Soul Realm?"

"Uh, yes but I haven't started it yet."

Serina took out the old book that recorded the 'Rumbling Earth Scripture' and gave it to Shui. Members of the sect were actually restricted from handing out the sect's methods to outsiders, but Serina couldn't even consider Shui to be an outsider.

This rule popped up in Fatty's head, but he simply looked around to make sure that no one was watching them.

"Hmm."

"Is it good?"

Since Shui made a pensive expression as he flipped through the book, Serina watched him anxiously and waited for him to give his opinion. She would likely find it hard to admit it to Kane's face, but her trust in Shui's advice was far more than than her trust in his. He didn't do anything wrong, but especially after she saw the effect that Shui's lessons had when Fatty did them, her faith in him grew exponentially stronger.

"'Earth nourishes metal', you weren't the ones who picked this out, were you?"

"No, it was my brother but how could you tell?" asked Fatty.

"Because even though the idea isn't wrong neither of you would think that hard about a basic cultivation method."

"Uh..."

"Well..."

They knew that he wasn't scolding them but Serina and Fatty were a little embarrassed that he was on the mark.

"But while an earth-attribute cultivation method can boost to power of your metal-attribute spells and arts, it will also hinder your wind-attribute techniques."

"It will?"

"Mhmm, according to one of the lesser known theories on the Four Elements that speaks about their interactions, pure wind doesn't mesh well with pure earth, though much better than fire and water. Furthermore since you're using a whip it's better for you to focus on your wind element rather than your metal element."

"I see, I see."

As Shui explained, Serina listened attentively while Fatty started writing it down.

'Now I have a topic in case Elder Fredrico forces me to do another lecture.'

"Therefore, you should stick to the norm and just get a wind and metal-attribute cultivation method. Give me a moment so I can think of a good one."

"Okay."

As he examined Serina, Shui tried to find a suitable cultivation method from the selection that was constantly being updated in his head. Luckily it didn't take very long since most of the simple cultivation methods were already there.

"Ah, how about the 'Sword Bird Manual'? It focuses on agility and flexibility which I think should be good for you even though you use a whip instead of a sword."

"Sure!" Serina instantly agreed.

"Hey, how come I don't get anything?" Fatty asked with a frown.

"Didn't you use my advice to get a huge amount of merit points? That's your gift."

"Urgh."