Chapter 37

Thirty-Seventh Chapter: Stone

‘Indeed…’

Listening to Audric’s words, Dorothy let out a sigh of relief in her heart. She wasn’t too surprised that the elderly man before her was from the Gray Hill group.

Because, when she was still in the carriage, she had already seen the four stone golem knights standing around Audric, resembling statues. These knights were very similar to those she had seen at the Gray Hill gathering. From that moment on, Dorothy had actually suspected that Audric might be from the Gray Hill group.

Now that the other party had admitted it, Dorothy felt relieved but also had other questions.

“Indeed… You are Mr. Gray Hill from the gathering. So, you were testing me back then, weren’t you? I wonder what caught your attention about me?”

Dorothy asked Gray Hill again, clearly suspecting that he had recognized her as the young girl who had traded with him at the Secret Meeting. Dorothy wasn’t sure exactly where she had given herself away to Audric.

Listening to Dorothy’s words, Audric maintained his smile and waved his hand before speaking.

“I think Miss Meyshos hasn’t practiced voice imitation professionally. The voice you used at the gathering was unnatural. I immediately noticed that you were intentionally raising your pitch and changing your voice.”

‘Voice…’

Listening to Audric’s words, Dorothy suddenly realized the problem. She wasn’t skilled in voice imitation. Back then, she had merely raised her pitch deliberately. If someone with knowledge in this area listened carefully, they would certainly detect the issue.

“You can fool ordinary people with that, but to me, your voice change was very crude and unprofessional. Not only did I notice the problem, but I also used an Extraordinary Item to secretly record your voice. Later, I tried to lower the pitch to restore it and simulated several possible original voices. However, I didn’t expect that one of them would be heard in the school corridor not long after…”

Audric continued. Hearing his words, Dorothy couldn’t help but feel enlightened.

“Huh… So that’s why you wanted to test me.”

“That’s right. But you didn’t pass the test; instead, your brother’s behavior exceeded my expectations. After that, I was never quite sure if you were the same girl until you came to find me today…

“Heh… Both you and your brother have some secrets. Are you perhaps from a hidden family? Whether it’s Meyshos or Dorothya… Your name and surname are not common in this country, but they do have a touch of Eastern flavor…”

After saying that, Audric took another sip of tea. At this moment, Dorothy responded.

“My brother is just naturally agile since childhood. We are not a hidden family. I came across Extraordinary Items due to some accidental factors.”

“Whatever you say, as long as you don’t violate my rules, I’m not particularly interested in prying into others’ secrets. Well, Miss Meyshos, do you have any other questions?”

Slowly placing the teacup back on the table, Audric said to Dorothy. Listening to Audric’s words, Dorothy glanced around the pile of stone statues.

“Um, may I ask, is the path you tread on ‘Stone’?”

Dorothy expressed her doubt to Audric. Although she had guessed his spiritual domain, she still asked. Audric directly answered.

“Yes, the spirituality of ‘Stone’, the field I pursue. Engraved stone, shaped stone…”

Standing up slowly, Audric looked around at his works and continued. Dorothy then asked.

“Have you carved so many stone sculptures? Does carving… represent the path of cultivation for Stone Extraordinary Beings?”

“Yes, but only one aspect…” Audric replied, slowly approaching the half-body statue he was carving earlier and touching it.

“The spirituality of ‘Stone’ is the most solid foundation in this world, present in all rocks, minerals, metals… It is the most stable spirituality in the simplest, most extensive, and most direct objects.”

“Rocks… minerals… metals… They are truly everywhere. In that case, wouldn’t it be very convenient to absorb spirituality?” Listening to Audric’s words, Dorothy exclaimed. However, Audric shook his head in response.

“Not at all. Although ‘Stone’ is widespread, apart from a few gems rich in high spirituality excavated from deep within the earth, the spirituality contained in general rocks and minerals is very low and severely diluted, making it difficult to absorb.

“You have previously come across the Holy Communion. Let me use ‘Cup’ as a comparison. In today’s Secret World, due to the decline of the Placenta Sect, the main accumulation of ‘Cup’ relies on devouring flesh and bl**d. However, humans cannot eat stones; even if they fill their stomachs with stones, it’s hard to absorb much ‘Stone.’

‘The spirituality of ‘Stone’ has the strongest stability and inertia among all spiritualities. This is an advantage in some ways, but a hindrance in absorption. Therefore, Extraordinary Beings related to ‘Stone’ have other methods to absorb spirituality…

‘The key term here is ‘Shaping.’ Pouring one’s heart and skill into processing and shaping metal and rock. During this process, the craftsman’s spirit can resonate with the spirituality within the material, activating and concentrating it. As the material is processed, it becomes a dialogue and resonance between the craftsman and the work.”

While speaking, Audric picked up a tool to carve the details of the stone statue.

“Using a chisel to shape the form of stone, using spirit to shape the spirituality of stone. When a work is completed, the spirituality of ‘Stone’ within changes, becoming concentrated, active, intelligent, and… easier to absorb…”

As he spoke, Audric made the final cut. Then, he placed the tool on the table and touched the shoulder of the half-body statue. Suddenly, a gray light flashed from his hand, followed by the rapid cracking of the statue, fine cracks spreading over its surface, and it instantly crumbled into dust.

Seeing this scene, Dorothy knew that the spirituality of ‘Stone’ within the statue had been absorbed by Audric.

The spirituality within natural rocks is extremely difficult to absorb, while the process of a craftsman pouring effort into shaping makes the spirituality of ‘Stone’ active and concentrated, allowing for easy absorption upon completion of the work.

This is the mainstream method for Extraordinary Beings of ‘Stone’ to absorb spirituality…

“So that’s how it is… I’ve learned a lot, Mr. Audric. But since absorbing the spirituality of a work destroys it, why do you still have so many excellent works in the school?”

Looking at this scene, Dorothy asked in surprise and confusion. Listening to Dorothy’s words, Audric sighed and then spoke.

“As you said, they are all excellent works. Since they are so excellent, how could I bear to destroy them? Carving works rich in spirituality requires full dedication and meticulous craftsmanship. Every piece of work from my hands is my heart and soul. A slightly flawed one is acceptable, but once I encounter a work that satisfies me, I find it hard to bear destroying it… Heh, perhaps in some sense, I lean more towards being a craftsman than an Extraordinary Being.”