Ethan's words left Oliver and Thea speechless.
Happily agree? Modern people have a strong aversion to becoming "servants." Those used to freedom find it difficult to accept such a rigid hierarchical "feudal system."
Refuse? That would be foolish. This was a real god, not some cult spouting nonsense, pretending to be divine while scamming people out of money and their lives.
Putting everything else aside, just the knowledge granted by a god was enough to elevate an ordinary person far beyond normal human limits, as proven by Tony.
During their recent conversations, Tony had made no effort to hide the fact that he had learned magic from Ethan and received enhancement potions. He even briefly described his condition after being enhanced.
Just the promise of a longer lifespan, robust health, and a youthful, attractive appearance would be an irresistible temptation to countless people.
Thea was still very young, seventeen this year, in the prime of her youth and beauty. Perhaps these things didn't seem all that important to her now, and maybe even five years from now she still wouldn't care.
But what about ten years later? Or twenty? Or thirty?
In other words, if their mother were asked the same question, what advice would she give after confirming Ethan's abilities?
Anyone of sound mind would likely tell their child to seize such a rare, possibly once-in-a-millennium opportunity.
Fortunately, Ethan didn't demand an answer immediately, nor did he stop guiding Thea's training. Oliver and Thea had plenty of time to think it over.
Meanwhile, Oliver continued carrying out his original plan: targeting corrupt elites who exploited others and forcing them to pay restitution to the victims.
Since Ethan, Ada, and Tony had all successively located his secret base, Oliver began searching for a better, more suitable location for a new base. The basement of the abandoned factory was reduced to a temporary hideout, with no additional equipment installed or defenses reinforced.
"If you want to build a secret base, you could use our place."
"Your place? The new manor you bought?"
"We're not from this world. Although we bought the house, it's just for convenience during our stay. We may leave after a while, but we won't sell the house... of course, you'll need to cover any associated expenses when that time comes."
"You mean you want me to build a secret base in a property that has nothing to do with me, so I won't be traced directly?"
"And it's close to your home, which is convenient."
Ethan and the others' manor wasn't far from the Queen family's residence. It could be reached on foot without needing a car, and it wouldn't take long.
This was important for a superhero who frequently faced emergencies. For example, Oliver had to travel to the abandoned factory in a rundown area each time before heading out, which was very inconvenient. He couldn't carry his gear around with him at all times.
"More importantly, in a private place, you can make whatever modifications you want without worrying about outsiders discovering anything."
Oliver didn't hesitate for long before making a decision, though there were other reasons behind it.
Thea's basic physical training was on track. After completing endurance and strength training, she still had energy left, which meant she could take on more.
Accepting Ethan's guidance meant spending a lot of time together, and Ethan wasn't planning to come to his base every day because the environment there wasn't ideal.
"Let's do it, then."
Oliver didn't mind setting up multiple secret bases. If needed, he could ensure that wherever he was in Star City, he could quickly reach a designated stronghold and retrieve his equipment.
Although the idea was Tony's, Oliver found it quite good.
Ethan's manor was the closest stronghold to his own home and could even serve as the main base. After all, a spacious luxury estate allowed for extensive construction and customization, including a complete training facility that would benefit both himself and Thea.
"Oh, right."
Ethan offered another suggestion before Oliver left.
"Your bodyguard. If possible, you should try recruiting him as a partner. Otherwise, you'll have to shake off surveillance every time. Don't you find that troublesome?"
"I'll think about it."
When it came to a special being like Ethan, it was fine to let someone know the secret—Thea was an exception. Although what Ethan said earlier made sense, Oliver didn't see a real need to change how he operated until something actually went wrong.
So, he wasn't planning to reveal his secret to his mother, especially since he was currently unhappy with her. He also couldn't trust Walter, her current partner.
The following days were peaceful—at least for Ethan and Tony, who didn't have much to worry about.
Oliver, on the other hand, had a much more eventful time. His hunting plan ran into trouble again and again. First, a mysterious killer appeared out of nowhere. Then, someone using black arrows began stealing his targets. Oliver was so busy lately that he didn't have the energy to focus on anything else.
As for Thea? She had even less time. She was worn out every day. After finishing her daily endurance and strength training, Ethan would start teaching her the most basic applications of spiritual energy.
According to Ethan, her body had reached the level of a "healthy person." And since young people had more active spiritual energy than older ones, she could now begin learning and training on the spiritual level.
"Why didn't you teach me this from the start?"
"Even after reading for a long time, you'll feel tired even without doing anything strenuous. That's spiritual fatigue. Spiritual training puts much more strain on the body than reading."
"So you waited until my body was stronger before teaching me?"
"Exactly. Because your body before... was too weak."
Among the few students Ethan had taught, Sherry's body had probably been the weakest. But that was because she was too young, not because she lacked physical ability. Back then, Ethan's instruction had also been simple, and the basic training took a long time.
Later, when Tony learned the same knowledge, using Sherry's beginner method, he finished the basic training in a short amount of time. That was because both his body and spirit were strong enough to endure long periods of intensive training.
Although Tony was a genius scientist, he had always kept up with exercise. He had no less muscle than Captain America. After all, building a metal suit by hand in a dark cave required not only great intelligence but also tremendous physical strength and endurance.
Thea was different. Her body was too frail, lacking in strength and stamina. In that condition, trying to manipulate spiritual energy would have been inefficient. Now that her physical condition had improved slightly, she could finally begin proper training.
The two of them sat cross-legged across from each other in the newly built secret base. This area was the training ground—spacious and underground.
"Jigsaw puzzles?"
"That's right, jigsaw puzzles."
Using the same introductory method as with Sherry and Tony, Thea felt completely exhausted after just two hours. It felt like she had stayed up all night cramming for a test.
Now she understood why Ethan had made her train her body first.
Thea glanced at Ethan, then at Tony, who was watching nearby with amusement. From Tony's remarks during her session, she learned that he had also started learning magic this way.
"Were you this tired when you started?"
"Oh, my body was much stronger than yours back then. I didn't get exhausted after just a short while."
"Can I ask in advance what the next stage of training is after puzzles?"
Neither Ethan nor Tony hid anything from Thea. There was nothing to hide.
"Still puzzles."
"..."
Unlike the simple puzzles in the beginning, the next stage increased in difficulty. Furthermore, during the beginner stage, you could use your hands to slide pieces around and help focus your spiritual energy. But later, you had to rely entirely on manipulating spiritual energy and weren't allowed to use your hands at all.
"Only after you finish the basic spiritual energy training can you begin learning advanced training methods."
All the techniques were based on the premise that the practitioner could actively manipulate their spiritual energy. If you didn't even know how to use your own spiritual energy, you hadn't even entered the door of magical training, let alone become a mage.
"Once you've learned to use your spiritual energy, I'll teach you how to control and channel energy. Only after reaching that step will you start to learn magic in the true sense. That will be when you officially step into the world of magic."
"Become a mage?"
"Become an apprentice."
"..."
Thea finally realized how difficult it was to become a mage. But in the days that followed, she discovered that what she thought was hard was just the beginning.
Even after her physical condition passed the standard, Ethan didn't stop her strength training. In fact, he increased the intensity.
What she couldn't understand was that Ethan also started teaching her basic hand-to-hand combat and how to use cold weapons.
"Mages have to learn this too?"
"Of course. These are all skills that an excellent mage must master."
(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.)