Chapter 375: Adrian The Doll (2/2)

The energy that made up Li's body started to dissipate, and reassimilate, and then repeat. Arthur turned to look at the cane that Adrian used to strike Li's spiritual body. It was the same branch that he gave to the spirit.

As Li desperately tried to keep his existence from vanishing, Arthur walked toward the carpenter and stood beside him. The spirit didn't attack them as long as they kept their distance.

”What happens if he vanishes?”

”He vanishes.”

”That was a helpful explanation.” Arthur mocked. ”Would he reincarnate?”

”Such a concept is fantastical,” Adrian turned toward Arthur with disdain. ”The chances of it happening are as good as zero.”

”What if someone used a large amount of spiritual energy?” He knew he was suspicious, but Arthur tried to mask it with a calm attitude.

”Uh,” Adrian paused. ”Theoretically, if someone can separate the consciences of a spirit or a living being using an astronomical amount of spiritual energy, then they can allow them to reincarnate.”

”I don't like that 'theoretically' and that tone,” Arthur said with a sense of unease. Adrian simply shrugged, its cloak creating folds as it rippled.

”The only being capable of such a feat is that liar,” Adrian said before it turned toward Li, whose outline began to reform. ”And even then, it might not succeed.”

Li stood up and stared at his hands. His body glowed brighter than earlier. As he was about to walk toward the gravity spirit again, Adrian's cane blocked his path.

”If you go again, you will break down into nothing but spiritual energy. You need to give your energy some time to stabilize.” The carpenter advised, and Arthur nodded in agreement.

Despite looking reluctant to do so, Li retreated and left the hall again. The man and spirit followed after him until he reached his meditation spot, where he didn't move at all.

As they walked side by side, Arthur kept stealing glances at the can that Adrian used. Even though the spirit used to support itself, Arthur felt like it was doing it to change the land somehow.

”Is that branch special?”

Adrian seemed to have the mind of ignoring him, but Arthur was sure that it would answer questions as long as they weren't related to him or of no particular importance.

”That tree is no normal tree,” Adrian said as it waved the cane.

”I never expected to find a normal tree in the Spirits Realm,” Arthur nodded in understanding. ”But how could it disturb a seeker's spiritual body?”

”When the First Seeker gave the Sovereign his ability to feel, it is said that the latter shed tears over the suffering of the outlander,”

Adrian told the story that sounded like a legend with such a matter-of-fact tone that Arthur felt like the carpenter saw the incident himself.

”The tears, which held the power of both beings, fell in the Spirits Realm and the Physical World. They gave birth to countless beings of miraculous nature. One of them is this tree, and it can disturb the boundaries between things, and even between worlds.”

”The boundaries between worlds?” Arthur raised a brow. Wasn't this what he needed: to open a pathway between Alka and Earth? However, he also needed to mind the gap in time between the two worlds.

”I can see you are drooling even as a spiritual body,” Adrian snickered for the first time since Arthur met him. ”Don't get too excited. I said 'disturb' not 'remove' for a reason.”

”Oh,” Arthur was disappointed. ”So, you just poked Li with this because you wanted to disturb the boundaries between his body and the rest of the Spirits Realm?”

”You are quick on the uptake; I might even take you as my disciple,” Adrian said conceitedly. ”That's indeed what I did, and your friend survived that even after getting beaten by Joryo,”

”...you named the spirit?” Arthur was speechless. ”I thought names were given by contractors, not by other spirits.”

”...” Adrian was silent before it began complaining. ”Anyone would get bored if they stayed here for a couple of years. Joryo is like my friend, but he's not talkative.”

Arthur was amused as he watched the spirit act like itself for the first time. Its words made Arthur realize something: the current Li was rather talkative, future Li was not. Joryo might have brought this sharp change in personality.

”Giving names to things isn't a big deal,” Adrian explained. ”You humans name your pets, even though they can't talk. Some people even name fictional beings. So, why couldn't I?”

As Arthur watched the spirit talk nonstop like a broken dam, a single thought overtook his mind: what were spirits?