23- Strange Incident (II)
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After checking the beast that was being 'used' by the two other beasts, Adel frowned as he still couldn't find any shred of intelligence the beast could have in its spiritual fluctuations.
'Could it be that it just accidentally let down water right there?'- Thought Adel as he felt that this was all too strange. Why would he encounter a beast of such intelligence undetectable by even him?
"Nnnhh~" The beast suddenly coughed a mouthful of blood that was filled with strange red aromas that had a feeling of.... mystery?
He got closer to the beast, only to hear it shrieking in fear as Adel got closer to it.
He discovered that its energy fluctuations were that of a second step high stage beast, on the... soul cultivation pathway?
Adel looked at the beast weirdly. It didn't have any clearance before, just definitely engulfed in pleasure by the two 'hunters' hunting its two inner 'dungeons' as its prey...
But looking at the beast now, he felt something amiss. He just couldn't put his finger at it.
The beast looked everywhere frantically before it calmed down as it grabbed a stick from a tree before writing in a weird language that was similar to the one he knew -- yet had a lot of strange characters, and it didn't use the normal language he knew:
"Doth thou wight, too, desire min ferhbold to quench thy lust? Don't costian to falter mec, wight. Ángilde make it arod, or thither from mec."
Adel was now confused, what the hell did this beast seem to be saying?
But then he knew what it was saying as it pointed its butt towards him, meaning it was waiting for him to... uh... do 'that' to it?
The beast, after a few minutes, discovered that the human didn't pound on it, it looked like... it heaved a breath of relief?
'Just what's going on? And what language does that beast seem to be speaking?'- Thought Adel as he looked at the beast more and more strangely.
Adel was, after all, born in the modern era, not the one before it. So he naturally wouldn't know what the beast was saying.
Adel was too curious about how can a second step beast have intelligence to let this matter go. So he got closer to the beast, making it grip ahold of the soil and point its butt towards him again...
He ignored it, before he tapped lightly on the beast's head, sensing its body with his soul energy...
Now he got even more confused, as he saw that there was some strange liquid that seemed to be... that were forced into its mouth? Which had its energy source running all the way to the mind part of the soul, making him dumbfounded...
Just after he glanced at it, he felt a breakthrough in his mind-reading arts...
Before, he used soul energy to scan the soul and gain some sort of information about the memories, thus getting the memories of the said creature he was scanning.
But after scanning the beast's strange course of liquid that seemed to be affecting it from the body to the liquid, he could now read minds by just... making people drink what he could make.
As for what he could make, it was any liquid of sorts mixed with his soul energy that was concealed by him. Thus, the soul energy would travel the soul, until it eventually reaches the memories.
But, Adel only got that far from his scan... Since the liquid the beast looked like was affected with was manipulating its mind, or rather... making one emotion of it take control of its consciousness, making it extremely hard for it to get back the power.
And now Adel could finally get an idea of what the liquid was... It was a special type of aphrodisiac that made the lust emotion take control of the mind, thus making it harder for the beast to get back its power.
But it seemed that the beast was in too much carnal pleasure when it was being 'hunted' by the preys, hence making it nigh impossible to get back its control.
Right after Adel killed the two beasts though, it seemed to... forcefully vomit the aphrodisiac, that gave back control over its body, while enduring some kind of backlash, which explains why it seemed so weak to not kill him on the spot.
After all, Adel was a step and stage behind it, making it strong enough to danger him even if its emotions were clouded.
Though, Adel was doubtful about some things. Why would someone feed such aphrodisiac to the beast? After all, even he, as a sixth step cultivator on his past life didn't cross such knowledge.
But then, it wasn't the same universe, so it could be explicable that the race of the beast was more involved on the soul cultivation pathway, to the extent of developing such aphrodisiacs capable of affecting the mind...
That only gave rise to yet another question. What was this beast's background? And what could it have done to the extent of others of a similar race, or other humans to drug it in such a cruel way?
As for its cultivation being at the second step, the high stage of the soul cultivation pathway, that would confirm that its background was that of soul cultivation?
Besides... It seemed that beasts were special in this universe. They had intelligence on the third step...?
He wasn't sure, so he might as well ask the beast to be certain himself...
"Hey... Beast? You understand what I'm saying?" Asked Adel as he got nearer to the beast.
The beast shook its head frantically, like it was scared, signifying that it didn't.
Adel was speechless. If it didn't understand how could it shake its head? He just let out a sigh before he continued:
"I don't know how the language you speak is similar to mine, but can you tell me what happened to you? But before any of that, don't get the idea that I'd help you or anything. I just wanna see what's going on here."
Adel wasn't stupid to just randomly help some beast that looked like it was hunted by a human or someone from its race.
Even if he felt sympathy with it, which he didn't, he wouldn't help it out of a whim. He was no hero to help everyone, and he knew that.
As for why he asked the beast? Well -' I need to find its race location to somehow get the recipe for the aphrodisiac... With it, I can finally learn mind-manipulating arts! It shouldn't take that long, I'm already proficient in mind-reading arts. I'm just missing on something...' Inwardly thought Adel excitedly.
Albeit Adel tried to get his hands on using mind-manipulating arts, he always felt that he was missing something.
As for the [Misinterpretation] spell, it was a spell that confused a small part of the memories through some special means on the soul, and it didn't manipulated it.
Mind-manipulation is to modify the memories themselves. Though with enough power one can get rid of such effect.
After all, how can a first step cultivator manipulate the mind of a sixth step cultivator?
It was the same as an ant trying to kill an elephant by a bite.
Therefore, Adel knew that he was strong enough in this plane to avoid all possible mind related dangers.
And it was why he asked the beast. He had a hunch that the missing element would would be in this beast race's clan...
He then got forward to the beast, who seemed sad that Adel wouldn't help it, but just shook its head, thinking that he was right. It wouldn't help anyone out of their own free will unless benefit exists.
It then got closer to Adel, starting to write down some words on the soil...
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And just as he was about to ask the beast, his soul inwardly shook, though he personally was oblivious of it...
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In Adel's soul...
The figure finally opened its eyes as it looked at Adel's soul...
It then had a solemn expression on its face, while its thoughts were in turmoil...
'How is it possible? I've only slept for around three days, yet he already made the calamity that much more dangerous to go through? Just what could've happened in around three days?' The figure felt its whole being shake, as it remembered what the calamity was...
It then quickly shook its own thoughts, thinking - 'The existence behind the calamity is terrifying to the extent of tracking anyone just thinking of it. It's just too much of a threat. I don't want whoever that's behind it to come after Adel, thinking it's him that knows about it...'
It then sighed, as it glanced in a direction before deciding a conclusion - 'Whatever happens, happens. Fate isn't in my control, so I can't make him avoid what should be fated to happen.
He could've changed his fate by himself, and I could've done that too, but then the pathway's ka**mic laws would made all those changes of his fate his already predetermined destiny...' It then got back to sleeping, closing its senses to a degree that would help Adel if he were on the verge of death...
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{ A.N:
As you can see, I wanted to make a cliffhanger there. But I know how terrible those are...}