88 Absorbing a Gem

With that, she left Light to continue to meditate and read. She had provided him with all the pertinent information and now it was up to him to do the hard work. Looks like it was time for her to go find some Reapers as well. She wanted to find a suitable mental gem for Light.

Walking back to her room, she realized she never inspected the gem either to determine how they could be used. If her theory and light novels proved correct, these gems could be used to boost her powers as well and potentially improve the speed of her recovery.

Shutting the door, she first opened up her scan to ensure that there were no random Reapers or Variants wandering nearby. If the scent of the gem somehow leaked out and drew their attention, it would be troublesome. Taking out one of the gems, she held it in her palms as she continued to scan the area to see if there would be a reaction. Downstairs, Little White's head suddenly moved as he stared at the ceiling of the first floor, seeming to have sensed the gem that Aida took out. Aside from looking up, he made no other movements.

Waiting motionlessly for another few minutes for good measure, she exhaled the breath she didn't realize she was holding. Seeing that there was no movement, she began studying the gem closely. Eating the gem felt a bit disgusting since it was ripped from a Reaper's heart.

Trying meditation first, she gripped the stone in her hand and closed her eyes, trying to sense the power within the gem. Theoretically she should be able to visualize the gem's powers and transfer it to her body and straight to her heart.

"..." Nothing happened.

Perhaps she wasn't gripping it hard enough. Gripping tighter, she furrowed her brow in concentration.

"..." Still nothing.

Sighing reluctantly, she said to the gem, "So you're going to make this hard on me huh?" She grabbed a cloth and cleaned it as thoroughly as possible.

Tossing it into her mouth, she waited for it to melt into pure energy.

"..." Nope.

Maybe she had to consume it? Swallowing might work. She grabbed a bottle of water and tried to swallow the gem.

"..." Nope, nothing either. She spit it back out.

Aida was frustrated by this gem, and picked it up, about to throw it but thinking of how precious it was, better to not.

At that time, another lightbulb came on in her head. Maybe she needed to cook it before it was consumable! Rushing downstairs, she quickly took out a pot and began boiling water while throwing the gem in.

Much to her disappointment, the gem didn't melt. Impatiently waiting for the water to cool, she drank it anyway. Everyone watched her on the side with confusion except Xiao Ai who was used to Aida's odd behavior. They all just thought she was really thirsty for warm water. Only Little White noticed that there was a gem in her hand, but he still obediently sat there without interrupting her process.

"..." Again, no reaction.

"#$(^#@$(@^( what the heck?!" Aida yelled in frustration, about to tear out her hair.

It was only then that they realized Aida wasn't just down here to drink warm water. Xiao Ai bounced over happily, completely unphased by her frustration. "What's wrong Mama? Is there anything Xiao Ai can help with?"

Her eyes lit up as she saw Xiao Ai. "My baby! Mama needs you to help me with something."

Seeing her Mama's enthusiasm, she backed away slightly. Usually when Mama was this excited, it meant she was up to no good.

Aida didn't let her back away. Pulling her into a hug, she showed the gem to Xiao Ai and explained what she was trying to do. Her goal was to have Xiao Ai look up different methods to draw energy.

When Xiao Ai saw this, her eyes lit up. She hopped onto the hand that was holding the gem and sparks began to generate around her with electricity. Moments later, she hoped off and turned to Aida, "That was yummy Mama! Do you have more?"

Aida looked with round, wide eyes. The gem that she struggled to absorb for the past couple hours was absorbed by her baby in 5 minutes. Where was the justice?!

Xiao Ai cocked her head to look at her Mama, confused why she wasn't responding.

Readjusting her mindset, she asked Xiao Ai, "How do you feel after absorbing it?"

"Mm~ I feel good and stronger! Xiao Ai is going to become a big bun soon!"

Aida nodded in confirmation. It seems her hypothesis on the gems were correct. They weren't only useful for Reapers, but Variants as well.

She brought out another gem and sat down on the tatami mat while holding it in her hand. This time, she released the tiniest sliver of electricity. As she was still recovering, she had no ability to output more than a milliampere. Fortunately, this was enough. The gem dissolved at a much slower rate than it did for Xiao Ai, but 20 minutes later, she had successfully absorbed all the energy in the gem and it turned to dust. She was extremely thankful that she wouldn't have to swallow the gems going forward.

When she opened her eyes, she saw that everyone had come down and were looking at her with curiosity. Even Light walked down from upstairs after hearing the commotion. Little White was on the side, salivating.