The room stayed silent for a few seconds before Alfred opened his mouth and broke it. "You're right; I don't know why I think otherwise."
Elder Ahote lingered, his narrowed green eyes watching Alfred's face with suspicion.
Although he wanted to inform the Elder about his situation, the book's preventive measures hindered him; thus, he had no choice but to hide the fact and pretend to have no clue.
"Anyway, should I start the breathing technique?" Alfred smiled, returning the topic to his talent test.
The bald old man sighed in surrender and then muttered, "Fine, do it fast so we can brainstorm more about how to make a Spirit Container."
Without wasting more time, Alfred closed his eyes and entered a deep meditative state. However, his curiosity nagged him to try something.
'The Elder said they store the Spirit Energy in their heart, while the book taught me to accumulate it in my brain. I wonder what will happen if I try copying their method.'
As he concentrated, a tentacle of Spirit Energy steadily made its way towards his heart.
He had to focus all his attention on it and do it slowly and carefully. If he carelessly changed the book's teaching, an accident might occur, and who knew what would arise in that case?
Finally, the tentacle made contact with his heart.
Alfred halted, observing for anything out of place. Not even a second passed, and he had noticed something peculiar.
Two more tentacles separated from the one he controlled. The two tentacles appeared to have a life of their own; one went up while the other went down.
Worried about the purpose of the tentacles, Alfred tried to control them, but he immediately found out he couldn't.
Recalling that there was a possibility of exploding, he fearfully wanted to stop meditating. However, before he could come out, the two tentacles arrived at their destination—his mind and lower abdomen—forcing him from absorbing the Spirit Energy.
This time, a horrific thought crept into his mind.
'What is this?! The energy entering my body tripled! Will I explode if this keeps up? I want to stop, but I can't seem to control the other two tentacles!'
His pounding heart strengthened by the second, as his attempts to disengage failed. Not knowing what to do, Alfred panicked, which was the worst thing he could do. If he fully lost control, then it would be only a matter of time before his fear came true.
Amidst his chaotic thoughts, something caught his attention: firm and big hands on his shoulders.
"Young Alfred, wake up!"
A familiar voice echoed into his mind, a final nail that shattered his deep meditative state!
Abruptly opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was Elder Ahote's frowning face.
"W-what happened?" Alfred confusedly asked, panting while wiping the cold sweat on his forehead.
"I am pretty sure it is related to that ancient book." The Elder removed his hands and calmed his face.
Alfred touched the bridge of his nose and queried. "How do you know it's related to the book?"
"How can I not, when that symbol on your forehead suddenly changes shape, similar to your Rune?" said the Elder while pointing at the diamond tattoo.
He froze upon hearing the words. Then, he slowly lifted his head and touched the symbol on his forehead.
"It changes?" he said, disbelief painted on his face.
Elder Ahote folded his arms, nodded his head, and then looked at him seriously. "Never mind that for now. Do you understand what just happened?"
Absentmindedly, Alfred shook his head, his brain still processing the phenomenon the green-eyed old man described.
Seeing that Alfred had no inkling of answering, the bald Elder continued with a serious tone. "I have already told you that most people can only absorb 1 day's worth of Spirit Energy a day. Those with above-average talent can at least do 2 to 3 times that, while geniuses 4 times."
Alfred heard the voice, but it entered his ear and came out of another.
"And the most talented person I have ever met is Vir, who can absorb 5 days' worth of Spirit Energy a day. What you just did is beyond that. If I am correct, you can devour energy 6 times stronger than average people. In other words, you are a monster."
The word "monster" immediately hooked Alfred's attention. "Monster. Me? Meaning I am a genius among geniuses?"
Being normal his whole life, hearing someone calling him a monster was a compliment he had never thought he would receive. His lips quivered in an attempt to hide his bubbling happiness.
"Do not be too happy." Elder Ahote doused the small flame of arrogance building in Alfred's heart. "Having a talent is good, but it is also important to pair it with hard work. Be humble and lower your head. People who boast about their achievements are hated by many."
Even after hearing the wise statement of the old man, Alfred couldn't resist but think he might be someone special.
With a burning passion in his charcoal eyes, he leaned closer to the Elder and inquired. "Do you think I ca-."
The bald old man raised his right hand, stopping Alfred from finishing his sentence. "Do not bother asking me anything related to Spirit Energy; I am not the right person to discuss it with. Finding the right person for a topic is as important as being patient. In any case, we should return to our original goal."
Alfred's shoulders drooped, his excitement dampened by the undeniable truth.
The bulky Elder touched his stubbled chin and followed. "Even with your tremendous talent, copying what I did will still take you years. We do not have that kind of time; we must think of another way."
Sighing, Alfred fixed his sitting position and then muttered. "But without that coating skill, carving a Rune into a solid material will be out of the question. I need something soft enough that I can use my finger to draw my Rune while tough enough to properly contain the blood."
"Soft and hard…" The Elder mumbled in a barely audible voice.
'Though my curiosity will bother me, what Elder Ahote said is true. Right now, I should focus on what is in front of me, not on things that I can do nothing about.'
Alfred began thinking too, copying the Elder with his hand on his smooth chin.
'Soft but tough. I'm sure there is something I watched on the internet. Now that I think about it, I used to watch a lot of videos about a guy living in the forest without tools.'
His eyes widened when a memory entered his mind. "That's right!"
Elder Ahote's face brightened. "Oh, did you think of something, young Alfred?!"
The Elder's reaction gave Alfred a hint of the old man's priority and probably his personality, too.
'Not once did I see the Elder react this strongly when we were talking about a magical thing like my monstrous talent for cultivation, but a simple idea was enough for him to become this excited.'
Nevertheless, he couldn't blame the old man, as perhaps he too would react the same if he were born in the primitive world.
"Do you know anything about pottery?" Alfred smilingly inquired.
Elder Ahote narrowed his eyes. "I have never heard of this pottery. Is it some sort of material?"
"No, it isn't." Alfred shook his head. "It's a crafting technique that involves shaping clay into an object and firing it at high temperatures."
The old man's green eyes instantly ignited, burning Alfred with passion. "A technique, you say?! You must teach it to me! And what is this clay you have mentioned? Is it wood, stone, or bone? Tell me."
Alfred raised his hands above his chest and uttered. "Please calm down, Elder."
Cough
"Forgive me, it is not every day I get to talk about something new in crafting," Elder Ahote embarrassingly said while returning to the circular chair.
"Don't mind it. I perfectly understand what you mean," Alfred reassured the old man. "Anyways, the clay isn't wood, stone, or bone. It is a type of dirt usually found near a body of water. If I am correct, they are reddish and easily clump together when they are wet."
Elder Ahote's eyebrows rose. "I think I know what you are talking about. Wait here; let me grab something real quick."
With those words, the bulky old man agilely maneuvered himself between the things cluttering the ground and quickly returned, bringing with him a massive wooden bowl.
"Is this what you are talking about?" said the Elder with a wide grin on his face.
Blinking his eyes repeatedly, Alfred couldn't believe what was in the bowl. "You already have it. How?"
"Oh, that, I have a lot of things in here that I have no idea what to do with. I like to collect them and experiment in my free time."
Alfred moved his gaze to where the Elder came from, and true enough, there were multiple wooden bowls, and inside them were different kinds of things.
"Huh, I guess we can start with pottery."