A Momento

173. A Momento

[In the first year, you open the Cosmic Devouring Crystallization technique and begin to grasp its true meaning word by word. You are no longer the layman who knew nothing about martial arts. Through years of practice, you have developed your own understanding of the martial way.]

[In the second year, you nod thoughtfully and decide to skip the content you didn't understand for now. Instead, you'll use explanations from later sections to work out the meaning of earlier ones. Pleased with your clever approach, you turn to the second page.]

"..."

As I watched the prompts flash across the panel, I finally gave up all hope.

In fact, wasting absorbed lifespan wasn't a big deal—I could always make up for it by killing a few more vampires. The real trouble came when the simulation ended, as years of accumulated negative emotions from the panel would come flooding in.

The more challenging the martial art, the more intense these negative emotions become.

Especially when there was no progress, the overwhelming despair almost drowned me.

[In the 234th year, your mind drowns in endless confusion. You begin questioning whether you're truly suited for martial arts... No—you convince yourself that this book's content has nothing to do with martial arts at all. After all, you're clearly a genius at body tempering, so why waste time on such pointless studies?]

I paused the flow of lifespan.

Closing my eyes, I waited for the wave of nausea to pass. Once my emotions settled, I looked at the panel again.

Over two hundred years of lifespan had yielded nothing but confusion.

I was about to continue investing more lifespan when a figure in a black Sharara suit walked into the house.

"General Patani! What brings you here?" Arnold Stark jumped to his feet. He had expected her to rest at least one night at the Prince's Mansion. Even if she did return to the Martial Abbey, as a H.A.R.M. general, she should have gone to the right side of the central square.

Aisha Patani looked the same as always and said softly, "The Prince Family are planning a banquet to celebrate Mrs. Prince's return. You are invited to attend. Mr. Prince will return to the mansion tomorrow evening as well."

At these words, Arnold's expression changed slightly. "Mrs. Prince is inviting us to the banquet? Even me?" He was clearly surprised by the latter part. While it made sense for the Princes to seek General Kane's friendship, he couldn't understand why they would notice a mere Silver Bell Vampire Hunter like himself.

Aisha shook her head. "Not Mrs. Prince—her son invited both of you."

After speaking, she turned to look at me as I walked out the room and took a seat at the living room table.

Arnold remained puzzled. Before he could ask any further questions, he noticed General Patani had already taken a seat across from the young man.

"If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me," Aisha said. "I've practiced the Cosmic Devouring Crystallization Technique myself."

… …

A realization suddenly hit me. Having grown accustomed to vampire martial arts, I had nearly forgotten the greatest advantage of human martial techniques—this was a path already walked by predecessors. There was no need for me to stumble forward blindly from scratch.

And now, a predecessor was sitting right in front of me.

Not wanting to waste this opportunity, I methodically organized my confusion into clear questions before seeking her guidance.

Aisha listened quietly as I asked question after question. Even after several minutes had passed, I showed no signs of stopping. A thoughtful look gradually dawned in her clear eyes.

She had only stayed in the Prince's Mansion for a few hours, not a few months. Yet, he had already grasped a significant understanding of the Cosmic Devouring Crystallization Technique.

What kind of astonishing intellectual ability was this? No wonder he could master Theodore Montgomery's prized Wave Realm techniques in just a few days.

"That's about it." I paused to take a sip of the hot coffee Arnold had handed me, moistening my throat.

Despite organizing my thoughts in advance, many of my questions came out scattered and disjointed. Aisha listened attentively, took a moment to consider, then picked up the Cosmic Devouring Crystallization Manual. With her delicate finger tracing the page, she began explaining each word methodically.

Arnold poured coffee for us both, his eyes taking on a glazed look.

Who am I? Where am I? What are they talking about?

Never mind—I'll just nod along so I don't look out of place.

With this in mind, he nodded periodically, feigning an expression of deep concentration.

"Could you explain this in more detail?" I looked up.

If the original Cosmic Devouring Crystallization Manual was a pile of iron nails that were impossible to swallow, even though Aisha had broken it down into simpler terms, it was still like trying to swallow shards of the same iron.

"I..." A rare trace of difficulty flashed across Aisha's beautiful face.

"Never mind, General Patani. Please continue."

I could see she had given her best effort to explain, but I still struggled to grasp it fully. At least iron shards were easier to digest than iron nails. I committed all her explanations to memory and said, "Please give me a few minutes, let me think through this."

Fearing I might forget these insights, I quickly opened the panel and poured in the absorbed lifespan.

… …

Seeing the young man deep in contemplation, Aisha settled back quietly, careful not to interrupt his thoughts.

Every fifteen minutes or so, I would emerge from my contemplation to pose new questions.

Each time, a flicker of surprise stirred in Aisha's calm heart. His speed of comprehension was nothing short of terrifying.

Though his initial questions often seemed basic, after just a brief explanation and a moment of consideration, he could quickly grasp deeper concepts and draw broader conclusions from a single example.

This was the typical result of lacking basic knowledge—relying entirely on his extraordinary talent and intellectual capacity to push through by sheer force of will!

She gazed quietly at John's face, wondering what kind of mind could possess such extraordinary intelligence that it made even her feel somewhat inadequate.

… …

Time flowed past until I finally emerged from my meditative state one last time, a gleam of understanding flashing in my dark blue eyes.

[In the 679th year, you finally comprehend the Cosmic Devouring Crystallization technique completely. You now understand the profound difference between a Cosmic Devouring Crystal formed through this method and an ordinary inner crystal. You begin your first attempts at crystallization...]

… …

As Arnold Stark finished brewing a fresh pot of coffee, he noticed General Patani rising from her seat. "General Patani, are you leaving already?" he asked, confusion evident in his voice.

Aisha gazed at the young man with a complex expression, her eyes lingering on the black blade at his waist. Her gaze then drifted to the distant horizon, tinged with nostalgia.

According to the Ethan Atzmon's report, he had killed the ape vampire of Pinewood County—who had migrated there 20 years ago—and retrieved the saber of an old friend.

She never set foot in Salem, not because she was afraid of the minor First Realm vampires, but because she couldn't bear to let the past rest.

She never dared to stop, forever chasing the guilt that haunted her heart.

If only she had pushed herself harder back then...

When John Kane appeared in the ruined church atop the mountain, she felt a sudden sense of peace—as if her old friend had returned with his saber to walk beside her once more.

However, the scene before her finally brought Aisha back to reality.

John was not a substitute for anyone, just like the black blade that was about to be replaced. Cascadia could not hold onto such a brilliant talent, and she still had to continue her own pursuit.

… …

Aisha's cold gaze softened as she said quietly, "When you receive your new weapon, would you give me that blade?"

Hearing this, a puzzled expression flashed across my face.

After all, she had helped me with my studies and had delivered the heads of three fully crystallized vampire lords. While I wasn't reluctant to part with a First Realm vampire's weapon, I couldn't understand what made it special enough to catch the attention of a spiritualizing expert.

"I want to keep it as a memento." Aisha seemed to have never asked anyone for anything before. Noticing the young man's puzzled expression, she felt compelled to explain further.

Crack—

The coffee pot slipped from Arnold's hand and shattered on the ground. His face filled with astonishment before anxiety welled up in his eyes.

How could they act like this? These two talented individuals should be focused on replacing those old fogeys—why are they getting tangled up in emotions? Such muddled thinking!