Chapter 66: Hemarakah
Having been around for nearly two weeks, #13 was Percy’s longest-lived clone so far – at least in terms of time inside a body. Of course, he still fell a little short compared to his predecessor’s trip on Huehue, but most of that guy’s days had been spent shopping for a host, so they hardly counted.
Either way, Percy confirmed once more that his clones were inherently unstable. No matter how peacefully he possessed their bodies or how much soul mana he invested, they wouldn’t last long before collapsing. Perhaps it also depended on the circumstances of their deaths. At least when it came to old age, there was only so much he could do to stretch their remaining lifespan.
Consequently, his time observing the primitive village was also nearing its end.
‘Not that there’s much more to learn here.’
The crystallization technique was straightforward. Percy had only needed a couple days to understand how it was performed and what the effects of the cyan powder were. Essentially, it was a matter of exerting one’s control over mana to compress the constructs into a denser state. The locals used their physical strength to supplement their willpower – something he would have an easier time doing due to his second core and Circulation.
That said, this component wasn’t necessary. Advancing to a higher grade would naturally make the technique easier, so he estimated he would eventually be able to perform it without getting his hands dirty. Sadly, this simply wasn’t an option for the locals.
Either way, the rest of his time had been spent estimating how long he’d need to master the art. It was an important datapoint that would determine whether it was worth focusing on this once he returned home, or whether he was better off waiting until he advanced. And the results were mixed.
‘The kids have barely improved since I got here. At this rate, it’ll easily take me a year. Maybe longer.’
His only consolation was that he was both more hard-working and healthier than the local children, giving him some hope of integrating the cyan powder into his alchemy before it was time to leave the Guild.