-Morning. Ragefire's estate.

Nefiru's POV-

We continue our talk watching the gray clouds obscure the rising Sun reaching the middle of the morning already, and the strong wind gusts making noisy waves in the tall brown grass expanding all the way to the forest ahead in the distance. Getting tired of the uncomfortable standing posture on the firewood pile that keeps getting smaller, then an offer that catches my interest was finally brought in the conversation while checking on Shaila who has yet to come out of the kitchen.

"Yep, this little bottle should have enough Mana crystals for you to get to Rank 6!" Faust nodded affirming with a triumphant smile.

WHAT THE!!? Enough for Rank 6...? Just how much Mana does it contain to save me months of gathering!? How is it held together!? I extend my neck further outside while scratching the wall with my claws and the wood creaks under my fore paws.

I extend my Magic inside the bottle to probe the transparent objects after wondering how that much Mana is compressed inside one without the use of Spirit, but my Magic met with strong resistance that not even metals can produce.

...WHAT-- in the world is this!?? How can a piece of rock be higher Rank than me!?... The density of these crystals is tens of times greater than mine!! It's like some High Rank did microscopic lacework with thin Mana threads interwoven into their compact shapes, but some kind of structure is holding them together as a replacement for Spirit it seems. Although it's too small to confirm with my senses, I'm already aware of a material capable of interacting with Mana which is being used inside the collar around my neck. I analyzed wondering how much Mana is contained with those densities.

"Haha, you should see the look on your muzzle! A blue lizard head that forgot to breathe with purple-blue eyes opening wide enough to pop out of the sockets ha ha..." Faust laughed with his teeth in full display at my surprise expression staring at the glass bottle in his hand without blinking.

"Erm, no... I was surprised for more than one reason, and it's the first time I see a Mana crystal!! So get off my tail! Hmph!..." I responded to his tease showing my curiosity.

"Yes, I can see that haha." Faust chuckles letting me inspect.

"Uh-Huh... How do you even know it can get me to Rank 6?" I question the veracity of his words noticing he has two bottles.

Well, I guess my association with the poor Nobles is finally paying off... A Mana crystal the size of a grain of rice is one gold at the lowest price after distribution for war. I struggle to send my magic inside before probing the number of tiny elongated crystals. It's fuzzy since my probe passed through the glass but there are 5733!-- 5732... decreased? It's probably my faulty probe for passing through a solid object... Anyway, that's more than 60 Gold Royals! Even I was bought for just 16, though was inevitable since back then the War was secretive, and no other rich personage was in town besides the Ragefires or occasional merchants. I deduced my low price during my auction last month.

"...Oh, I've been tracking your progress, but who knows, you might surprise me." He replied with a sly smile.

Hmm... Indeed, just using Magic creatively is enough for us to Rank up... I made it to Mid-Rank 4 already while Shaila will soon be Rank 5, and he should be aware it could take me at least four months to get to Rank 6 at the current pace, then this bottle must contain the equivalent of filling my Core hundreds of times. Still, it's tricky for me to confirm that he's telling the truth, even if these rocks are quite impressive already. I based my deduction on Faust rough estimate after stalking us for so long.

"Is there a method to determine how much Mana is in something?" I inquire for his method to calculate.

It would help if I could quantify Mana which are energy threads made of smaller ones that even go through each other and interact with Spirit to form Magic, but making a meter based on usage is no good either. The maximum volume of water I'm capable of producing right now is around a tub, but the Mana and Water Elementals needed to make it varies every time which affects a proper scale system. I recollect the inconsistencies in the experiments while Faust ponders how to answer.

"...It's a nightmare if you try to associate numbers to measure quantities of Mana like you would a glass of water when not even Divines do that, and there really isn't any need when density is all that matters. I recommend using Density per volume, then compare to your Rank and avoid some headaches. Divide the contents of the bottle by the total volume your Magic occupies, and add the crystal density you feel, then multiply that by the number times your magic volume fits inside the bottle." He reveals the most efficient method to keep track of magic amount.

"That's unreasonable!" I retorted at the offered means. "It's too difficult for lower ranks like me to measure such great densities accurately, and a tiny misjudge would result in huge variations making the whole thing bogus." I shake my head denying then he started opening the container to take out a crystal.

Mm-hmm, without Shaila, there would be no point staying with a Noble family if they couldn't do this much. I nodded in approval. But it makes me wonder how much of these crystals wealthy people eat like candy because they don't have the knowledge to advance their Rank? Nah, they could just pay high rankers for tutoring and demonstrations since spoiled nobles will not get to see real fights, though Lester did say that Families keep their magic knowledge secret, so it would only be a problem if their members aren't of a particular affinity. This is, after all, a World that rewards knowledge, experiments, and discoveries as opposed to leveling with a single skill or combo like in a game. I grimace at the thought of those wasting Mana crystals without creativity or ability to learn from watching.

"Give it a try..." He offered while holding the bottle in his left hand before leaving me to ponder how it works.

I send my Magic once more without the glass of the bottle obstructing to probe the Mana crystal held in his right hand and determined the density of crystal to be around 30 times that of mine, but the ones inside the bottle are either a little higher or lower than that.

Uhh... Okay so... They don't seem to have the same density, and would need to arrange them into stacks for accuracy, but using the average of 30 times mine then my Magic volume fitting 14 times in that bottle equals to 420 times my Magic volume. That's more than 400 Nefirus or 3000 Shaila's worth of energy in a single bottle, but that's nothing compared to how much Faust has which is in the tens of thousands... These numbers don't honor what it truly represents to have awareness grow tens of thousands of times while getting closer to the quantum world and the energy of nukes inside a flesh body... it's ridiculous! To think, it took me around 9 times the ambient Mana density to discover Elementals at Rank 1 where energy threads that carried my awareness were smaller than a human hair, and now halfway to Rank 5, it's around 100 times that of the surroundings. I lamented a convenient scale system while analyzing and feeling proud of my progress.

As Faust said, it's hard to make a scale of energy itself rather than something that contains or uses it, and my Magic volume after bringing together Magic from all over my body would amount roughly to a grape size since Density limits further compression. Although increasing Magic Density in with the same capacity enables more quantities, the Core still overflows sometimes, then has to grow again when Spirit expansion allows more supply of energy and increases the Ability range or in game terms, the mage attack range. Nevertheless, if my rank reveals Chromosomes while the Magic volume is a grape, then a Divines who can perceive Atoms, and have 90 000 times my density could fit my full capacity in a space the size of a tiny virus. I inferred the volume based on density remembering the core is not completely hollow.

Haha, it's quite strange... pumping more of something into the same volume without feeling the pressure, and makes me wonder if high enough density could make Mana visible to the naked eye. However, what about the adverse effects of having energy compacted? A collar is capable of taming people using ambient Mana so the energy released from the hold of a Divine Soul would be just like a nuclear blast for Low Ranks and their very Souls holding onto their vessel might even get ripped from this dimension. How many people would get killed by the super condensed Mana wave when a Divine dies in a populated city? I ponder the effects of condensed Mana.

"Still thinking?" Faust looks up questioning my silence.

"Uh!? Well, it's a lot to think about since this is the first time I get such an item, and I don't know anything about it... like how it works, or how do I use it?" I replied before asking of its uses.

"I'm not sure about the process that creates Mana crystals and only know they come from Mana veins. To use them, you can just swallow it since you like putting things in your mouth like some baby, though my daughter is not a toy, so no chewing..." The green haired man scowled rolling his eyes. "You know that obsession you have is not normal right? There have indeed been crazy dragons that just started eating villages for fun, and they were subjugated, but you are not like that..." He warns expressing concern.

Ouch... it hurts because he might be right and I may really have a trauma about eating things... Though my Mother did try to eat me before coming out of my egg, and I missed the opportunity to experience hatching on my own, this might be something deeper than a mere birth trauma. I admit recalling the things that have tried to snack on me.

Hmmm...This drive might never cease with High Beings craving my Soul because it leads to my highly evolved future self, and they think that Cosmic Dragon is them after consuming me while interpreting the shape in many ways since I didn't even look like it at first. I guess it's a little late to doubt-time travel when Guardian showed me an overgrown version of the current me minus the special effects, but there might be rules that prevent direct contact, and the path may already be carved with secret interference to avoid paradoxes. I concluded the lack of direct contact could mean to find the way out of problems just my future-self did.

So, if exposure of my future evolution is dangerous then maybe all of this is my trap to attract prey and a message from my future-self to devour my way out of this Cosmos which certainly seems like something appetizing I would do. But this is a double edged sword, and probably that's what Guardian meant by other entities waiting for a mistake on my part. I see now... even if a fourth-dimensional being could see a broad time stream of this Cosmos, there must be something it can't see coming which would be my end. I conjecture recalling the conversation with Guardian realizing I'm not completely safe.

"Faust, you ruled out the possibility of visiting the past too soon. Our Reality is far more strange and bigger than you think... trust me on that." I declared at the man who doesn't know the first letter of Fiction.

Come to think of it, there might be powerful versions of future Shaila capable of time travel as well, and maybe we already went to the past, but there aren't many clues... I think back to the kick received while jumping from the volcano.

"Riiight... And the proof is? You are weird, but not that weird!" The green haired man scoffed closing the bottle in his hand. "As far as we know, time moves forward, and there is nothing we can do about it." He elaborates the common knowledge.

A glimpse at Time-travel huh? Guardian might be right. I recall my desire to go back in time to slap myself. I may have already altered my timeline, and that kick from the volcano might have been a message since that's definitely something classic I would do to myself. Though the voices afterward were probably just Guardian guiding me towards Shaila and recalling him emphasize not being able to acquire the White Wolf mate for me back then, and it seems he found her for me this time. I presumed there is meaning behind everything he said.

Makes me wonder... what about changing Shaila's timeline? Could we have been able to alter something about her rape? I'm not sure about all the temporal rules, but I wouldn't have been born at the volcano if that event didn't take place, and instead far away from humans with proper Dragon parents. Then I would seek Shaila after the memories of her trigger... only to find a grown woman with aristocrat kids living a normal life without the need to Rank up and I would have to let her be... never to meet again. I imagine what could have been in another timeline.

What I am now is connected to Shaila's suffering, so everything I have achieved and experienced until now would all be gone if that is changed, but would she give up being a goddess to remove a traumatic event? Perhaps she's the one who desired to live as a human in her past life after some event too, and I intend to let her choose even if she wants to fix just another normal life in her long existence. I analyzed cause and effect wondering what will the little girl choose in the future.

"It can't be that simple to show you proof, so let's just forget it. Anyway, there might be a way to survive your crazy plan after all, and I just have to find it when the moment comes, then pay whatever price is required, but I hope the sacrifices are worth it..." I announced hoping not to meet Guardian again so soon.

Ah! Speaking of him... it bothers me that Guardian called this the 'selected world,' and he can't meddle with other Souls, but Shaila and Liana might be reincarnations which mean it probably has something to do with the 'secret deals' from whoever he asked help to copy my Soul. Fantastic, we are in a zoo! Nah, it feels more than that, and there should be more reincarnations of individuals from my previous lives that apparently may have been here long before me, but finding them is imperative since they can help me survive. I realize the need to travel in hopes of finding clues about reincarnators.

"Good, good..." Faust nodded tapping the bottle. "We are making progress already if you are at least considering the deal, but how many people you think would kill for this bottle? And you are still thinking about it!" He continues promoting his deal then started throwing the bottle in the air while I follow with my gaze moving my head up and down.

Deal huh? Could the future me have contacted Guardian in anonymity to throw me here? No, there's not enough information to make an accurate judgment, but that dream is suspicious because our deal was to keep all the memories until they were about to be copied, and yet I don't remember anything about waiting a long time. If I waited for the whoever was needed to help the process, for a compatible Lifeform or even the Dragon mating season every five years, then I should have those memories, but I only remember watching Shaila on the screen which means the process was done already... I concluded the dream of Shaila might be residual memories before wondering about the source of the expensive bottle.

"Well, I can't let Shaila just be taken, and her necessities are irrelevant when it comes to survival. By the way, don't you receive those crystals from the Royals to go to war?" I inquired about the luxurious Mana source wondering why the reward before the battle.

"Nah, the Royals provide a portion to High Rankers when the war starts so we can prepare and use the rest on the battlefield. The enemy won't wait for us to recover our Magic, and it's an absolute mess with hundreds of people obstructing your collection which could even get you killed, but you do receive some passively when people die since density increases in the whole battlefield." The wind magician speaks of battle as if a walk in the park.

Fufu... so wars can be an all you can eat buffet? But even with Mana crystals or increased density from dying people, what about replenishing Elementals? There aren't Elemental Crystals... I realize the importance of Auramancers in wars with their immense stamina.

"Argh! Tell me about it... I can't imagine actively gathering in the middle of a battlefield with people everywhere causing Spirit clashes, and my Rank already feels like scooping water from a tiny puddle with a huge bucket..." I commented wondering how wars play out in this world.

Though is ironic considering how difficult it was at low ranks where ambient Mana would easily slip through my Spirit like trying to grab dried beach sand with the fingers. The improved absorption rate now leaves a hole the size of my Magic range in the ambient Mana that refills afterward, but it only adds to a little quantity after refining it down to the smallest energy threads of my awareness. I remember the repetitive process every day before quickly spending all the energy in a few experiments or magic attacks.

"And wait until you get to my Rank, it's like collecting morning dew on your hand to fill that bucket." Faust waves his free hand around dramatizing. "You are going to need an effective Mana source after Rank 7, or it will take you centuries to get to Divine Rank." He advises a search reminding of the increasing difficulty to mold smaller energy threads.

Indeed... The ambient Mana is already scarce enough at this Rank that it's not possible to refill overnight with the passive recovery anymore, and it would take the whole day despite passive recovery corresponding to my large magic capacity. Even with increased Spirit density to collect, higher Ranks could still take weeks to refill passively while a Demigod might take years to recover in the same manner unless they have a massive body which makes me wonder why any beast would want to abandon their true body. Well, even with a larger Spirit range to scoop more ambient Mana, it might be laborious to refill. I analyze passive Mana recovery realizing the need to Rule over a Mana vein.

"Ugh... fine! I'll go with your stupid suicidal and poorly considered plan, but can I have the other bottle?" I requested more payment understanding the need of a mana source.