NO~~~!!!
Looking at Auriel standing on his shoulder, stretching out its front paws as if trying to grab something, Ethan clearly caught this silent scream.
But Auriel had no way to stop him and could only watch as the food it had painstakingly cultivated went into Ethan's mouth.
Ethan also suddenly realized something. Weren't magic stones exactly the type of energy he needed?
Whenever he absorbed magical energy like arcane energy, it would naturally be drawn into his spiritual universe, where it would then be absorbed by that singularity until nothing remained.
In other words, aside from the energy his body needed for growth, his spiritual universe also required energy and unlike his body, which only needed pure energy, the spiritual universe required energy with new attributes whenever possible.
With two bottomless pits in his body, it was no wonder he hadn't grown at all.
Now, desperate to not waste even a single trace of energy, Ethan had overlooked this energy crystal that had appeared before him long ago.
Magic stones!
Ethan wrapped the magic stone in his mouth with divine power, then began chewing it slowly like a biscuit.
The stone was easily crushed by his bite, and the energy it contained gradually flowed into his body with each chew, without any waste.
"Huh?"
This energy didn't enter his spiritual universe but was completely absorbed by his body. The discovery made Ethan genuinely happy—this was exactly what he needed.
"I didn't expect such a pleasant surprise."
He raised his hand, and another piece of ore detached from the rock wall. As it flew over, the dirt and debris fell away, leaving only a pure magic stone.
Its shape was irregular, and its color suggested poor quality. The energy inside was also chaotic, unlike high-quality stones that usually had more uniform attributes and a brighter appearance.
Based on what Auriel had said earlier, it could be inferred that this mine was still low-grade, and most of the magic stones here were inferior.
"If I supply you with enough energy, how long would it take to cultivate better quality stones?"
Ethan chewed another one. He wasn't sure if his body's instinct determined how the energy was used—when there was no specific need for magic power or spiritual energy, it was used to nourish his body. His spiritual universe didn't show any reaction and didn't attempt to snatch the energy away.
Feeling the energy strengthening his body, he became certain that magic stones were an excellent source for supplementing his physical needs.
He didn't think he had been stupid for not considering eating magic stones to boost his strength before.
After all, magic stones were a kind of ore. His former self wouldn't have been able to eat them like biscuits or dried fruit, let alone ensure perfect absorption of the energy within.
Back then, he could only convert the energy inside into magic power. This current situation was a result of his body having evolved to a higher level, making its functions strong enough to process "stones" like food, not only without harm but also fully absorbing their energy to fuel his growth.
As for Auriel, the fact that it could eat magic stones from a young age was due to its inherently special constitution.
Auriel lay listlessly on Ethan's shoulder. Upon hearing his question, it suddenly perked up and quickly regained its energy, then patted its chest and promised: As long as the energy supply continued, it would definitely produce higher-quality magic stones very soon.
With higher-quality stones, it could also enjoy better food. Naturally, Auriel was full of motivation.
Now it didn't mind Ethan competing with it for food at all. The clever Auriel instantly understood the key point and wished Ethan would live on magic stones like it from now on.
It believed Ethan would definitely pursue increasingly high-quality stones, which meant it would also get to enjoy better food.
Ethan walked around for a bit, then asked Auriel about how it had "cultivated" the mine. After understanding the process, he opened several more channels beneath the deposit to draw in magical energy from another dimension.
These channels and the arcane spring on this mountain both sourced energy from the same plane. Ultimately, they used the same channel with a branch diverted.
However, that only supplied the basic energy. The next step was to upgrade and modify a peculiar structure that Auriel had built using magic stones.
From what Auriel explained, this structure had to be replaced regularly.
The stones produced by the current structure were generally lower in quality than those used to make the structure itself. Occasionally, stones of equal or even higher quality would appear.
Auriel had to remain here to constantly collect those better stones, then use them to create new structural parts and slowly upgrade the original structure, gradually turning it into a more advanced core that could produce better stones.
Upgrading the structure would raise the quality of the entire mine's output, allowing it to produce even higher-grade magic stones in a repeating cycle.
Once the mine could produce stones of high enough quality, and they could be combined into a sufficiently advanced core, the mine would be able to expand across the entire island, continuously generating high-grade magic stones.
Ethan asked again and confirmed that Auriel's method had its limitations. Things like the Magic Heart, which could serve as a warship core in the training ground, couldn't be produced this way. At best, stones from this mine could serve as cores for weapons or armor, and the energy within wouldn't regenerate on its own.
"This is good enough."
Ethan knew that stones of that level would require far more advanced technology. Auriel seemed to have mastered a crude and primitive method. As for how it gained this knowledge, it couldn't explain—it just instinctively knew.
After connecting the new energy branch to the structure, Ethan felt great.
He didn't know how long it would take, but at least now he had a stable way to nourish his body.
He still had the energy drawn from the Shadow Realm that hadn't been fully absorbed. Combined with these stones, he figured… reaching the age of thirteen or fourteen shouldn't be a problem, right?
In a good mood, Ethan gave Auriel some extra food. While magic stones were its staple, it could eat ordinary food as well, treating it like snacks to satisfy cravings or try something new.
He took a portion from the large pile of snacks originally meant for Illya and left them for Auriel. The little creature happily stored everything into its storage item, then returned to the stone platform to bask in the sun and nap contentedly.
Considering that Ethan had helped upgrade the mine and gifted it a huge pile of snacks, Auriel decided to… just pretend it didn't see Ethan taking a whole bag of magic stones.
After filling a bag with decent-looking stones, Ethan left the cave, which had just started to take shape, and returned to Logan's cabin.
Laura and Logan had finished their conversation. The father and daughter were tidying up the house, looking like they had completed their family talk.
As for Logan and Atlanna's situation, no matter what decision Logan made, Ethan would support him. Even if he wanted to destroy Atlantis and take Atlanna back to be his personal maid, Ethan would still back him.
Of course, Logan would never do something like that.
"Speaking of which, should I revive Illya's two artificial maids?"
The Einzbern family's artificial humans were still useful. They were great for handling chores, and Illya seemed used to being taken care of—after all, she was a noble young lady. Even though she had gone through difficult and dark times, her nature hadn't changed.
"I'll ask her opinion."
Because of the magic stone mine, Ethan was in such a good mood that he smiled as he headed to Arthur's world. He expected the group there to be either helping Arthur suppress a rebellion or focused on training.
Instead, he found them huddled together, completely engrossed in gaming, even Artoria included.
"..."
Ethan stood at the doorway watching the scene for a while, feeling like he might have accidentally created something terrifying. After thinking about it for a moment, he quietly backed away and went to find Arthur.
"Oh? You're back?"
Arthur waved to him. Ethan immediately noticed that Arthur was holding a phone in his hand—clearly, he had also been playing that game.
"So you've fallen into the trap too."
"Oh? You mean this?" Arthur raised the phone. "I only play it for a bit each day. You know, there isn't much entertainment here... I need a way to relax too."
"I'll bring you some console games next time. They should be better than this."
"No need. Even if you sent them, I wouldn't have time to play."
Compared to the group of internet-addicted youths and girls in the other room, Arthur was truly just using it for leisure and mental clarity. Without strong self-control, he wouldn't have been able to persist for so many years or develop Britain into the powerful country it had become.
The two casually chatted about minor things. Arthur understood that once Ethan left this time, he might not return for a while. Perhaps their next meeting would be when Arthur passed the throne to Mordred.
"If that's the case, I'm actually looking forward to our next meeting."
Passing the throne to Mordred also meant Arthur had fulfilled his long-held wish. After that, he would be free to do whatever he wanted, like regaining his youth and exploring new and exciting worlds.
"Any particular world you'd like to visit? I can go with you on a solo trip."
By the time Arthur rejoined the team, Ethan would have completed the teleportation device. At that point, the crew could travel to whichever world they wanted, without needing Ethan to handle transportation.
But just because they didn't need him didn't mean he shouldn't offer. Ethan knew Arthur missed the days of journeying through different worlds with his companions, not just the act of traveling.
As for which world to go to, that required some careful thought.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)