Siderius spent the next day extracting salt from the remaining rock salts and teaching Ashe the basics of Alchemy.
"You have gained an insight about how this world operates. Now you need to know how its rules are dictated.
The first rule you have figured out yourself. The Rule of Conservation.
Nothing is created. Nothing is destroyed. Everything transforms.
The second rule is something that you must observe and learn, for years and years. Some say it is much more important than the first rule.
The Rule of Exchange.
Nothing comes out of nothing. Everything has a price.
And in your case, enlightenment comes from within. Intelligence comes from hard work and studying. Your own effort will be the price for your advancement in our path."
Ashe sat on her knees. This position was unfamiliar to her and was very uncomfortable. But she ignored it and tried to focus on what Siderius was saying.
Siderius stood behind her, putting three of his fingers on her forehead.
"Imagine your mind as a space and your soul as a physical being. Then open the gate to your consciousness.
Do the sign that I taught you."
Ashe nodded and began to move her hands. The sign sequence was the Northern Eye, the same sequence Nine Rings used to open its mind space.
The Northern Eye was first developed and used as an Alchemy truth-seeking technique. It was then integrated into the meditation technique later on by Siderius himself.
Ashe's mind opened up for the first time. And by the touch of Siderius, he also gained access to her intimate inner space.
They saw a dark space that was similar to Siderius. But there was nothing there, only an endless void of darkness.
The Northern Eye opened your mind's eye but did not reveal your soul. To do it required another sign sequence.
"Do what I do."
The second sign sequence of the Truth-Seeking Path, the Soul Searching.
The first sign had either one of your index fingers and one of your middle fingers touching the middle of your fore head. This one was the simplest of all signs but hardest to accomplish.
"Find your soul. Your inner-self. Your truth." Siderius' words echoed throughout the dark space.
This took a long time for Ashe. Many memories flashed in her mind, those that were most private and intimate. But once she collected them all, her fingers lit up slightly.
Siderius then began the second sign.
This sign pulled the light on the fingers from the forehead to the front. The gesture must be delicate to avoid the connection to be severed. Then both hands clasped together with the light in the middle. Finally, each palm slowly opened up, forming a flower with your fingers.
As Ashe did that, a faceless humanoid figure appeared inside her mind space. This figure was feminine and smaller than Siderius' figure.
Around the figure were tiny gold dust, representing Ashe's True Aether. Her Aethers were much less than Siderius', a few spots of dust instead of Siderius' thick cloud.
"Look, my apprentice. The beginning of your truth."
"It's beautiful, Master. Is this my soul?"
"It's a manifestation of it, yes. Now, see those gold dust. You need to become one with it, fuse it with your soul.
Do not force it. Do not beg it. Let it flow through you like a river."
As Ashe fell deep into her enlightenment, time passed unknowingly. She didn't know that much time had gone by until it was finally over.
When she opened her eyes, the sky was already dark. Siderius disappeared again, without saying goodbye like last time.
Ashe felt disappointed. Even a bit sad. Siderius was someone that she could truly rely on. Someone she could trust. She didn't have anyone like that for a long time.
She admired him. Even though he was a bit scary.
Siderius let Ashe continue her enlightenment while he finished extracting all the salt. He completely dissolved all the rock salts and gained quite a hefty sack.
It was around twenty kilograms entirely. The total amount should be around thirty but his first batch of salt was completely absorbed by Parave previously.
He didn't have the chance to use his new sigil while rescuing Ashe. The task had proven to be easier than he thought, making the use of the new sigil completely irrelevant.
He returned to his camp, the safe haven of his loneliness.
First he found a good place to store the salt, making sure it wouldn't be ruined. It was simply a dried crevice up high on the stone mountain.
Siderius only kept a small pouch of salt with him. In case he needed to use it for any Alchemical reaction or to deal with evil spirits.
Then he checked the meat of the owl and rabbits he had hung. Some of them dried nicely while a few had gone bad. That was expected without salt.
Siderius treated the remaining pieces of meat with salt, further enhancing their preservation. With this treatment, the meat had a very low chance of spoiling and could be preserved for a long time.
After finishing everything, it was time for Siderius to plan what he was going to do next.
For now, growing his power was crucial. Thane and Lyara were too much for him to handle.
Thane may only be a wealthy merchant but Siderius wouldn't be surprised if he had all kinds of bodyguards around him. Coming for him now would be foolish.
The same went for Lyara.
As for the assassin that killed River, Siderius didn't know who he was and if he was able to kill him.
However, there was someone that may be able to shed more light on this mystery for Siderius that he could get his hands on without facing too much danger.
But that was a task for another day. At the moment, Siderius needed to gear up.
The guard outfit was convenient but it attracted too much attention. Sooner or later, someone would find out his real identity. He needed something else. Something a bit more covert and suitable for a witch hunter.
The guard outfit had poor defensive capability. It didn't have a lot of flexibility either. Moving through the woods with this outfit was a chore.
Siderius intended to hunt an animal and used its leather to make a more fitting outfit for him. One that would not be hindered by the woods.
He also needed more bones to concoct a cure for Carsten. Two birds with one stone.
There were many animals that could fit his needs. Wolf hides had very good insulation. Deer hides were flexible with an acceptable durability. Boar and bear were also good contenders.
Siderius picked some piece of rabbit meat and roasted it over the campfire. He added some salt for the flavor.
You needed to be full before a hunt. Siderius wouldn't want his stomach to growl and chase away all the prey.
Once he finished the rabbit meat, while darkness was still present to be his ally, Siderius ventured into the woods again.
He hoped fate would let him meet a good prey, one that would become a nice outfit for him.