Ch. 56 Just Peachy

Upon Ana's request, Ethan drew a small butterfly on her left arm. The ink was a special concoction he made using the herbs stored up by Oliver. The colors were vibrant, and the light blue creature seemed almost alive.

"It's beautiful…" said Ana smiling. "Thank you!"

Ethan made her put on a long sleeved blouse before going outside. After making sure no one was watching, he told her to pour mana into the tattoo. Though hesitant, Ana followed his instruction.

As soon as energy ran through her arm it got sucked into the drawing as if falling into a well. However, it didn't just fill up the drawing but instead organized itself into a very distinct pattern.

'Is this…?' Ana focused on the ground, and a human sized hole appeared out of nowhere.

"What do you think?" asked Ethan.

"The effect is almost instant and the mana expenditure is about 60% compared to normal."

"That's because you still can't properly control your mana. You should train until you can achieve the same effect without the tattoo."

Ana nodded. Though she could now dig faster than a mole on steroids, this was just her true potential. It was something to strive towards not take for granted.

"Is this some sort of a training method?" she asked.

"That too." answered Ethan. "But more importantly, even after you've mastered the technique, it's still incredibly useful to not have to manually organize the spell's circuit inside your body.

Imagine trying to summon 5 different spells at the same time. You'd overload your brain and likely fail. However, these tattoos bypass the issue. With enough mana, you can shoot 50 spells at once with no problem whatsoever."

In combat, this type of cheat skill could surpass ranks and ages. At higher levels, all Ethan had to do was erase the old tattoos and create new ones for his more advanced spells. If until now he was limited to a somewhat powerful pistol, the ancient mage had just discovered machine gun technology.

"Wait, so we're getting more of these?" Ana was slightly worried. "How many?"

Ethan didn't respond and just gave her a look. Before the conversation could continue, Oliver came running into the yard.

"Hey! Good thing I found you. The healer I talked about is here."

When the 3 rushed towards Chloe Taylor's room, the man he mentioned was already there.

Isaac Laurel had grey hair but not a single wrinkle. He dressed in the latest fashion, and to the untrained eyes, he seemed no older than 25.

However to Ethan, the mage was far more terrfying than even Lady Agatha. There was enough purified mana inside him to make 500 people's cells replicate into oblivion.

"Well, this is something you don't see every day." said Isaac after a quick examination of Ana's mother. "Mrs. Taylor, when did you eat the peach of eternal youth?"

Silence fell on the room. Except for Ethan, the rest had no idea such a thing existed.

"What's the peach of eternal youth?" asked Ana.

"Nothing much. Just a slightly better healing potion. However, if a commoner eats it, the peach will remain in her stomach. It will attract ambient mana, purify it, and finally release it into the body. It's something our forefathers gave their concubines to keep them young and pretty."

The healer's lips curled up into a lecherous smile.

"However, this one was invaded by some unusual mana. The energy's gone now, but the fruit's almost fully rotten."

"Is there anything I can do to restore it?" asked Chloe Taylor. Her face showed neither relief nor worry.

"Of course there is." said Isaac. "A rank 4 rejuvenation potion should do the trick just fine. Unfortunately, the ingredients are in short supply around these parts. Specifically, the golden mountain lily is vital for the potion, but there's only one in our territory, and it's set to bloom in 83 years."

Ana's mother closed her eyes in resignation. Tears were beginning to form in her daughter's eyes. Across the room, Oliver frowned and began massaging the bridge of his nose.

'If Ethan tries to take it, I'll have to get grandfather involved. Not only will I lose all the time I put into befriending them, but I'll likely piss off half my family.'

However, if he didn't talk now, Ethan would start searching on his own. Oliver was afraid he'd lose all chances of reading and mitigating his movements.

"There is a way…" the boy eventually spoke. "The lily blooms every 100 years, so there are a few stored within Last Heaven. However, its price is… 2000 gold coins."