Chapter 292 The Truth about Chaos Energy
rlin was stunned by the sight of chaos in his library. He had rely dropped by to remind Zero it was ti for lunch but the ss before him killed the words at his tongue. Zero was diating in a spot at so corner while all ten golems busied away from reading to transcribing, updating records and shifting books. rlin didn’t know if he should leave Zero to focus or call his student out for lunch. Unfortunately for rlin, Zero had to attend lunch with him today. Steve had developed the magic aptitude testing machine’s prototype and required Zero’s assistance. Buddha and Steve were already waiting for them at the Hall of Attachnts.
\"Ahem!\"
The slight coughing caught Zero’s attention from the mindscape and the teenager snapped out of his ditation.
\"Ok, drop five for now. The other five can continue updating and transcribing. I’ll leave the rest of it to you and Mii for now,\" Zero talked to nobody in particular but rlin knew who he was talking to.
Zero hastily changed into his magician’s outfit from his tracksuit. rlin nodded at the teen who apologised for his tardiness. rlin wasn’t known to be the most punctual Sage God for a slight delay wouldn’t make a difference. As it was, they were already fifteen minutes behind ti.
The master and student arrived at the Hall of Attachnts looking slightly unkempt but nobody minded. In fact, Buddha and Steve were very used to seeing a dishevelled rlin with uncombed hair, tangled beard and bloodshot eyes. The wizard’s current appearance was considered one of his better days. Zero must be a good influence on the obstinate wizard and Buddha smiled, happy for both of them
\"Sorry, we’re late!\" Zero apologised and Buddha waved the apology aside.
\"Let’s start eating first, we can talk later,\" the Enlightened One said.
Zero dug in without reservations but rlin ate slowly as if there was sothing still weighing heavily on his mind. Although Zero said that Buddha betrayed Solo to help him, the magician still found it hard to trust the Wise One. Buddha had always been the hardest person to read. The Sage god of Enlightennt hid everything behind a serene mask and smile. Hua Tuo was aware of the cultivation monster’s true nature as a very cunning person but rlin didn’t know if Buddha’s intentions were good or bad. As he ate, he continued to keep a close eye on the Sage God.
Steve decided to get to know Zero a little better. He received many letters from rlin regarding his research progress about chaos energy. The more letters rlin sent, the more confused Steve was. The wizard seed to contradict his previous letter with every new letter sent. The findings completely differed from Buddha’s compiled research notes. It was the reason why Steve wanted to hold a eting with both involved parties and have Zero confirm the facts.
The food was bland as usual and Zero wondered why Buddha didn’t add pygmy boar at into the lotus root soup. It would have tasted a lot better if there was so animal fat in it. then the teen rembered that Buddha followed an even stricter set of rules about diet when compared to Hua Tuo. The physician only followed a balanced diet for health reasons but Buddha didn’t only follow a healthy diet. He was against the killing and eating of animals. All the als in Nirvana were purely vegetables either stead or boiled. There was no stir-fry or Zero’s favourite deep-fried dishes.
rlin also craved the crispy fried battered potatoes that Bib learnt how to make. In comparison, the boiled potato dish that Buddha served paled in comparison. The faces rlin and Zero made didn’t escape Buddha’s eyes. Still, being a benevolent host, the Enlightened One said nothing.
Steve Jobs ate his al quickly without tasting it. As usual, the God of technology worked efficiently. Zero and rlin quickly polished their plates and thanked Buddha for the hospitality before Buddha assigned so servants to clean up the place. They moved to a different room in the temple to discuss official business matters.
\"Thank you for agreeing to et up with ,\" Steve started. \"I received your letters and your notes,\" he said and turned to rlin and Buddha respectively. The docunts were pulled out and placed on the table.
Zero compared the sizes of the stacks and noticed how rlin’s letters were three tis more than Buddha’s research notes.
\"I have difficulty understanding what is required because both research notes are contradicting. rlin claims that chaos energy is taable but Buddha’s notes said that chaos energy is wild and uncontrollable. I cannot create a device without knowing the true nature of chaos energy. Can soone clarify this for ?\"
Zero raised a brow. \"But both of their claims are correct. While chaos energy is taable, it is also wild and uncontrollable.\"
Steve looked slightly irritated. If this was the case, why would he waste his ti trying to clarify the contradicting statents? It’s the case of the Schrodinger’s cat saying that it was both dead and alive at the sa ti.
Seeing the irritation on Steve’s face, Zero quickly clarified. \"I an it behaves differently depending on who it reacts to. Chaos energy is taable with but it attacks rlin crazily. We’ve been trying to find out how we can trap chaos energy. It cannot be controlled because of its innate nature to destroy and devour things. Once sated, the chaos energy will disappear along with the supplied qi or mana. It reacts violently to anything that is living and it is why planes are constantly the target of chaos energy in the void. The initial assumption that the clashing of planes created chaos energy is wrong. In fact, the clashing of planes is a side effect of the chaos energy’s actions.\"
Buddha looked at Zero unsmiling. \"Do you have any evidence to support your claims? I’ve been venturing into the void with my soul to understand the void and have been dealing with chaos energy for centuries. Chaos energy attacks anything living regardless of their nature. It is attracted to not mana or qi but the soul.\"
Zero nodded. \"That is partially correct. Souls are much purer than mana or qi. Chaos energy is the opposite of creation. It doesn’t seek to destroy life, it seeks to destroy creation. rlin and I have experinted with it. The chaos energy doesn’t attack or the mana golems even if they are charged with mana. They go straight for rlin even if he is outside of the tower. In Arabesque the only living creature is rlin. This is how we discovered the true nature of chaos energy.\"
Steve was puzzled. \"rlin is the only living creature in Arabesque? Are you forgetting that you are also considered a living creature?\"
Zero froze. He forgot that Steve doesn’t know his identity. Zero couldn’t be considered a living creature. he was the void and the one responsible for the chaos energy that exists in it.
Buddha ca in to save Zero from the awkward position he got himself in and told Steve that Zero was a ti traveller who didn’t exist in a physical sense.
\"Think of it as a shadow or after image,\" he told the confused God of technology. \"It’s complicated but I trust that you will keep this a top-secret. Zero was summoned by the Great Gods.\"
With the ntion of Great Gods, Steve stopped prying for details. Zero heaved a sigh of relief and rlin gave Buddha a grateful nod.
\"If that is the case, how can you be certain that chaos energy is taable? Wiser and I have tried many thods to preserve the original nature of chaos energy for testing but chaos energy is like a ghost that possesses anything in its reach and corrupts it to borrow its vessel.\"
Zero nodded. Chaos energy couldn’t be contained. Wiser and Steve were correct. However, rlin and Zero discovered that while chaos energy could not be contained and was easily destroyed when fed with enough life energy, there was sothing unique about it.
\"It is wild and uncontrollable so trapping it is not advised. However, you can lure chaos energy and bait it. We tried many different objects and life forms in the lab. rlin found out that other than souls, chaos energy was highly attracted to anything that has harmony. The easiest thing to bait chaos energy is with this.\"
The device Zero pulled out from his inventory startled Steve. It was a small stamp with so intricate drawings.
\"What’s this?\" he asked.
rlin grinned proudly. \"It’s a portable seal to store chaos energy for a short period of ti. It can only last for an hour for now before the chaos energy escapes but we are still working on perfecting the design. We had to borrow all six elents, yin and yang qi as well as a soul fragnt to bait chaos energy. It’s not much but it’s better than nothing. Zero and I tried to asure the amount of chaos energy this seal stamp can contain and if we converted its power into magic, the amount of chaos energy each seal stamp can trap is only enough for a low tier fire spell to light a fireplace.\"
Steve accepted the seal stamp and asked. \"Are there more of these? Wiser and I will need more of it to test out the research theories from both you and Buddha to know what’s practical.\"
rlin pulled out four more stamp seals and passed them to Steve. \"That’s all we have. The rest didn’t work.\"
Buddha was impressed. Zero really was a good influence on rlin. In the past, rlin would have demanded compensation for any of the products he had. The Enlightened One was curious to know why the penny-pinching wizard was suddenly so generous. Those seal stamps were definitely not cheap. From what rlin ntioned, they must have used a lot of materials to create this weak prototype and spent a lot of ti revising the failed designs.
\"How much for all these?\" Steve asked and rlin waved his hand.
\"Not needed. Just help develop that device as quickly as you can. Zero’s almost ready with his basic preparations. This boy studies way too much! He’s recently started to forget als. I can’t believe this is the sa black hole of a gourt that everyone fears in La Boutique.\"
Zero rolled his eyes. \"I still eat, just not as much as I normally do. ditation doesn’t require a lot of energy. Besides, if it wasn’t for Bib, would you have rembered about als? Pot calling kettle black...\"
Buddha chuckled as rlin fud. Zero’s gotten snarkier since the last ti he saw him with Hua Tuo. Right now, watching rlin and Zero arguing in front of him, the Wise One had trouble telling apart who was the mature one.
Steve was also surprised to see rlin actually losing in an argunt. Usually, nobody would be able to win the wizard’s passionate ramblings but this child before him held his own against his teacher and was even winning so argunts. Steve had a new-found admiration for the chipmunk-like teenager.
\"Understood, I will pass this to Wiser for testing. On the side note, what will you do about the conversion device? Have you tested it out?\"
rlin pinched Zero’s cheek to stop the teen from spouting more embarrassing secrets and turned to Steve. \"No, it’s been crazily busy lately, I have not gotten the chance to test it. Also, I think you might have to revise it after you conclude your experints about the chaos energy’s properties. the fundantal concept of that device doesn’t match my theory.\"
Zero freed himself from his teacher’s pinch and cradled that abused cheek. Steve and rlin discussed more in detail about their collaborated projects and Zero took the chance to talk to Buddha.
\"I t Solo,\" he told the Enlightened One solemnly.
Buddha hid his surprise and waited for Zero to continue. Zero frowned when he received no reaction from Buddha.
\"You’re not going to apologise?\"
Buddha sighed. \"Would you forgive if I did?\"
\"No.\"
Buddha smiled at Zero’s simple answer. He expected just as much. Buddha wasn’t a good person. He never claid to be one either. His decision to support Solo and later betray him was the sa as how he betrayed Zero’s trust and later decided to help him. To both Zero and Solo, Buddha would be branded as a traitor who couldn’t be trusted.
\"But I have to thank you.\"
That whisper surprised Buddha. He didn’t think that Zero would be so mature and kind-hearted enough to separate personal feelings with professional work. the teenager had really grown.
\"It was my fault,\" Buddha admitted and Zero nodded.
\"I know. Solo wasn’t happy either but I guess that’s only fair. You helped Solo and betrayed him the sa as you did for . I suppose it’s only fair. From now on, I don’t want you to interfere with Solo and my business. I will take it personally the next ti you do. If there is anything you want to tell , you better co clean now before I find out.\"
Buddha smiled. \"Other than the secrets of the void Solo entrusted to guard and Mind’s Eye, there is nothing more that you wouldn’t know about. Maybe a few old stories but those aren’t as important as what you’re going to do in the future, is it?\"
Zero smiled. \"That’s true. It doesn’t matter what kind of plot Solo has designed, I’ll just rewrite the story that he created. In the ga of chess between two masters, you’re just a pawn to be used and disposed of. Now that you’ve betrayed Solo, there’s no way he wouldn’t co for you. Won’t you ally yourself with alongside Hell?\"
Buddha smiled. \"What a way to phrase it. I refuse to ally myself with Hell when I am the founder of Nirvana. However, if the business profits are good, I wouldn’t mind lending a hand from ti to ti.\"
rlin and Steve’s conversation was wrapping up so Zero gave Buddha a quick look before returning to rlin’s side.
\"Don’t forget your words,\" was all Zero told Buddha before he hopped over to interrupt his master. Buddha watched the sly teenager go and lowered his gaze.
In terms of profit, Zero had long won him over as compared to Solo. In all of Buddha’s life, he only desired one thing - the unknown. Solo long sold out when he left Buddha to struggle alone in the void trying to understand its secrets. Right now, working alongside rlin, Steve and the Demon Lords, Zero was paving that way to understanding the reason for existence. How could Buddha not be enticed into lending Zero a hand?
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