CH439

“So, did you find anything good in the library?” He asked as they ate, enjoying what a nearby cafe had to offer just outside the gigantic library.

“An interesting book on combining my dark magic with my earth. A lot of the suggestions involved using it the same way I would my earth healing spell, making it so a given area will keep debuffing anyone in it or doing something like filling an area with a fear effect to keep animals and people away so either of those could be handy. Other than that, I read up a bit on non-affinity magic since I’m trying to get it but I think I might just talk to Vasta a bit more about it next time we see her. How about you?”

“Ah, well I got through a bunch-”

“How many thousands is a bunch?”

“Thirteen thousands, and there were plenty of interesting things, but nothing shockingly so, you know? Like, I learned things, but nothing as useful as some of the stuff I already knew. Also, people kept coming up to test me and it got annoying after a bit.”

After the first librarian gave up, a second had come, followed by a few patrons reading around him not long after. It wasn’t like he particularly minded or anything, but none of them had even bothered discussing any of the books he’d read so much as they were just making sure he’d actually read them. He gained nothing from the exchange, other than his girlfriend’s laughter as he told her about it.

“I knew something like this was going to happen,” She giggled, feeling clearly validated. “I absolutely knew it. Nobody would look at the way you read and take it seriously Ben, you must realize that, right?”

“I don’t realize anything,” He insisted stubbornly. “It’s not my fault the world is prejudiced against efficiency.”

“It’s not, it’s insanity it has a problem with.”

“Boo, one day this whole planet will come to realize the superiority of being many-minded, and when that day comes my circlets are going to be flying off the shelves. Flying I tell you!”

“Ha, it’s nice to have hopes and dreams, it makes you cute,” She teased.

“I’m always cute. Hell, I’m downright adorable. And changing the topic a bit, this cute little guy has an itty bitty favour to ask you.”

“And I’m immediately suspicious.”

“That hurts me deeply.”

“It was yesterday I watched you ask someone a favour that ended with them becoming the high priestess of your god.”

“Valaria is in Sachel’s excellent hands now, she’ll be fine. Anyway, I was hoping I could talk you into doing something for me.”

“My suspicion is only growing, Ben, just tell me already.”

“I was hoping you could make me a few homunculi to use.”

It was an idea heavily inspired by the fourth floor of the life tower when he’d been forced to make use of the ones it provided, along with getting to see all of the benefits there was to get from it. His immediate goal for getting such a thing was to use it to read even more. If he could see out the eyes of two or three homunculi, he would be able to multiply the amount of books he could read by that much as well, but there was another benefit to be had too. He’d already seen in the tower that if he was connected to a homunculus then he could gain skills through the act, and while he didn’t have any in mind he wanted to get from them, it did imply that the training he did while using them would help raise his job and skill levels as well. Because of the change to his mind, he could do so much, but that left his limiting factor being his single body. A limit he was looking to change.

He explained all of this to Thera, watching as she listened attentively, all while the look on her face became more and more concerned.

“You really are trying to become something entirely not mortal at this point, aren’t you?”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“I’m trying to use and grow my skills to their full potential, that’s all. What’s so weird about that?”

“I mean, I guess compared to the way you think, not much. Alright, I’m not sure if I’ll succeed but I’ll give it a try.”