“Observation is like a muscle. It grows stronger with use and atrophies without use. Exercise your observation muscle and you will become a more powerful decoder of the world around you.”

Joe Navarro

All was forgiven on the long climb back up the spiral staircase. Back in the heart grotto of the Elendil tree, we got to work. I explained how I had gained the skill inspect and what Lady Acacia had told me I had to do to get the higher-tier skill observe. I also explained what it told me about the gemstones and their tiers and how when I used it on the pearls we had brought up they too showed different tiers depending on the amount of mana they held. Aleera was most excited about this, particularly the idea that we might be able to get more money for the higher-tier pearls. Then it was back to the business of pooling the pearls then resorting them into appropriate tiers by sight, then by touch. Aleera doggedly pursued her inspect skill.

With the light of the lodestar, touching it with one hand and having my own secret sliver touching my chest, my inspect level continued to confirm my selections until finally I once more gained the skill I was aiming for.

Ding! Observe (Lv1)

Ding! Inspect (Lv5)

Deep Sea Pearl

Tier 2

I had been able to determine the Pearl’s tier without touching it. Inspect showed the same when I picked it up. This time I didn’t hide it from Aleera. Or rather I couldn’t hide the sudden grin on my face that was easy enough to interpret.

“You got observe?” she asked raising her eyebrows.

“Yes?” I hesitated to confirm having been through this once with her already. But she had resigned herself to the fact that I was picking up the skills quicker and the families talk over lunch alongside the guilt she felt from her earlier outburst meant that it did not happen again.

“Well done. So what can you see?” she asked excitedly while gesturing at herself. I looked at her and focused. It was harder than pulling out the information for the pearl and took longer but eventually, I was able to see . . .

Lady Aleera Silversea

Lv 14

“I can see your name and level,” I answered excited.

“Well what does it say?” she asked and I repeated what the Light of the Lodestar had told me. No wonder it was viewed as divine when it supposedly fell from the celestial sky and its light revealed us for who we really were.

“Amazing. You are going to try it on everyone aren’t you?” she quizzed.

“Isn’t that an invasion of privacy?” I sounded a little bit conflicted. I mean the fact that Archbishops had these abilities was why I had to learn how to do this in such a short amount of time. That being said I was only halfway there.

“The only way you are going to level that skill is by practicing it. I wonder what it will tell you about our parents and grandfather. You have to tell me.” She stated excitedly.

“I hate to foul your rigging but Lady Acacia said that I would have difficulty seeing the information of those significantly higher level than me. I might be able to see their names but I cannot guarantee that I will be able to see their levels. So I wouldn’t get my hopes up.” I tried to calm down her expectations.

“Right, well still worth a try. Can’t believe you are picking them up so quick.” She still sounded amazed but thankfully she did not seem sour about my success. Although keen to pump me for information about others. If there was one lesson she had learnt about making money was that knowledge was power.

She continued to work with the gemstone but tried the pearls as well. I no longer needed to touch anything other than the Lodestone I just needed to look at things. I once more started with my clothing attempting to use Observe rather than Inspect but the fact that I was wearing my clothes meant that Inspect tended to trigger the information before Observe did.

I worked my way through the gemstones by sight alone, then the pearls although that was difficult with them all bunched up together making it hard to tell which ones I had already observed and which ones I hadn’t. Then being a little bored by the repetition of things already observed I looked around the grotto for anything else to observe.

Interestingly enough apart from the stone walls which were simply labelled Granite the grotto floor with my stone sung patterns was labelled something different Song Stone I found this astonishing as the lodestar or system or whatever it was we were tapping into recognized the difference between the Granite and the stone I had manipulated into my chaldni patterns and labelled it differently. It was fascinating.

But not the biggest surprise. Before when I had gained the skill Inspect I had used it on the taproot which held the Lodestar. This time however when I used Observe it gave me a little more information and a surprising piece of information at that.

Elendil Tree

Lv 4

The tree had a level! How was that even possible? Was it sentient? Sapient? How on earth was it levelling? We had a long list of questions for Lady Acacia when she returned. Aleera was equally baffled but even more determined to get the skills I was displaying.

“It’s wonderful to see you two getting . . . stop that Kai.” She started warmly before she snapped out her command.

Lady Acacia Elan

Lv ??

I attempted to observe her as she entered the grotto. But it appeared she had been able to detect my attempt and my skills level or my actual level was still far too low to get her level. But I had learned that she had a second name. One she had never mentioned to us before.

“Sorry.” I shrugged. “Just practicing my new skill.” I made up an excuse.

“Yes, well. While you do need to practice it would have been courteous to ask first.” She seemed almost flustered by the fact that I had seen just a little bit more than what she had chosen to reveal to us.

“How could you tell I was using the skill?” I asked.

“There is a sensation a feeling of being observed. For example, facing forward but you can feel someone looking at your back. With time you will be able to notice it and recognise when it is happening to you. Here I will demonstrate.” She stared at me but I felt no different.

“Kai how are you doing that?” she asked sounding perplexed as she continued to stare at me.

“Doing what?” I asked confused as far as I was aware I was not doing anything.

“You are blocking my inspect.” She answered.

“I am?” I asked still confused.

“He is?” Aleera added equally shocked.

“You are.” She responded almost cross. “If you already had the skill obfuscate or something similar it would have only been polite to point out we did not need to commit a theft or attempt this rather intense method of training.” She finished. Leaving me none the wiser as to what it was that I was doing that blocked her.

“I don’t know what I’m doing. Because I’m not doing anything.” I argued unaware of anything that I might be doing that was stopping her inspection. I felt her eyes search my face for falsehoods my clothing for enchantments before locking onto my neck.

“Kai, are you wearing your amulet again?”

“Yes . . .?” The question was because I wasn’t sure if being truthful was the safest option.

“Even though it is siphoning off your excess mana and preventing your body from naturally forming your core.”

“Yes . . .”

“Even despite me ordering you not to wear it until your core was formed?”

“Yes . . .” This was seeming fairly stupid. But then again they did not know what I had hidden away on the back of the amulet.

“Then take it off then.” She finally told me what I needed to do freeing me from the rabbit-like statue I had become in the light of her inquisition. I carefully slipped the amulet into its pouch and then off my neck in an attempt to keep the peace. As well as hide the addition I had made to the amulet. If they saw that I would be answering questions till the cows came home.

Her eyes whipped back to me and this time I could sense what she was up to an extra feeling of a third set of eyes staring hard at who I was. The feeling was uncomfortable but ended a moment later.

“Lord Callen Kai Silversea

Arithmos

Lv 16”

She revealed what she could see. It was not much more than what I could see looking at Aleera but the extra information was alarmingly informative.

“How come I don’t get a race just a name and a level when I look at Aleera’s?” I asked avoiding a couple of problems.

“Your level and skill level are still too low. The higher you level the skill the greater the amount of information you will be able to divine in the light of the lodestar.” She batted aside my question as she focused on what was important to her. “That amulet is truly fascinating. Fascinating, as a last resort and only if you are unable to develop the skills required before the Archbishop arrives may you wear that amulet again. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Lady Acacia,” I answered.

Aleera though was still thinking about what it revealed. “Arithmos? How can he cover up that?”

“If he continues at the pace he is currently achieving skills then the next step is to attempt to understand inspect and observe and use his understanding to attempt to manipulate his own status to provide different information. Whether he can achieve this in time is now an academic exercise with the redundancy of the amulet but they are still fine skills to have and would have been part of your education at a later date.” She answered.

“Actually we had one more question. Why does the Elendil tree have a level?”