"Did you two nonsensical fellows suddenly burst in just to bully me?" Mobius asked with a cold face, staring at Chen Li and Elysia, who were striking a bizarre pose.
The pose the two struck as they burst through the door, silhouetted against the sunlight, exuded an extreme sense of pressure!
"We're here to spur you on. Elysia has embarked on the Path of Beauty and is undergoing its trial; becoming an Emanator is just a matter of time. Vill-V was handpicked by the Aeon of Elation. You're the biggest slacker among the Thirteen Flame-Chasers! Who else would we spur on but you?" Chen Li said, putting on an act as if they were doing it for her own good.
"If you're bored and want to play with me, just say it directly. No need to beat around the bush," Mobius said coldly.
"...You're the one who turned Mobius like this?" Chen Li turned his head to look at Elysia beside him.
"Ahaha... I just frequently chat with Dr. Mobius when she gets tired from her experiments, to help her relieve some of the fatigue."
"You call that relieving my fatigue?" Mobius said with disdain.
"Ahem, regardless, Dr. Mobius, can you deny that it refreshed your mind?" Elysia said, full of confidence.
"..."
"I originally thought you were a lost cause, fit only for the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, Mobius. But now it seems things are different from what I imagined..." While Elysia and Mobius bickered, Chen Li moved closer to Mobius, examining the fluctuations around her.
Sniff, sniff.
"What are you smelling, Chen Li?"
"Mm, the scent of Erudition." Chen Li's fingertip landed on Mobius's forehead, feeling the distinct scent that belonged only to the Path of Erudition.
"You've become a Pathstrider of Erudition?" Chen Li couldn't help but ask.
"Mm," Mobius nodded casually.
"Then why didn't you say so?"
"Is it worth mentioning? As a genius, isn't it only natural to step onto the Path of Erudition? On the contrary, that Vill-V, whose Profession is 'Genius,' somehow managed to become an Emanator of Elation. Her background is the one that needs investigating," Mobius said nonchalantly.
"Alright... so after stepping onto the Path of Erudition, do you feel any different?" Chen Li asked curiously.
Although Chen Li knew many people on the Path of Erudition, including Emanators, whether an otherworldly person could gain useful powers on their very first day in this world was still a blind spot in his knowledge. He had been involved with quite a few Paths, but the power of a Pathstrider wasn't very apparent on him, as they had all turned into Miracle Cards, becoming a form of "record."
Abundance's [Seeking Medicine] allowed him to repeatedly have an audience with the Aeon of Abundance. Erudition's [Then I Ask You] let him learn things faster and could compel others to answer his questions. Voracity's [God of Cookery] gave him a chance to obtain a god's traits when consuming them. Nihility's [Chaos Doctor] even allowed him to summon the Aeon of Nihility.
But even though he had been glanced at by the Hunt, it was the Longbow of Peace that received the blessing. Chen Li truly didn't quite understand what benefits an ordinary Pathstrider gained from the power of their Path.
"Different? Yes. The scalpel Curio you forged for me allows me to guide a creature's evolution in a specific direction when I operate on it. And the power of the Path of Erudition you mentioned allows me to predict probabilities."
"Probabilities?"
"That's right. I can see the probability of a creature evolving into different forms under the influence of potential points after I invest them in a certain direction. The potential points can only set a general direction, but this ability allows me to observe the minute branches."
"For example, if I operate on an orange and want to make it sweeter, the potential points can achieve that. But I couldn't precisely control whether it would be sour-sweet or honey-sweet. Now, however, I can view the probabilities," Mobius explained.
"Wait, this scalpel can be used on an orange?" Chen Li was taken aback.
"Yes, you didn't know? As long as it has life force, this scalpel can be used to operate on it," Mobius said, looking back at him with surprise.
"Emmm..." Chen Li truly hadn't expected that. This scalpel, which had cost him 15 Crystals to forge, had borne fruit in such an unexpected field. It had certainly caught him off guard. As the saying goes, a novice Curio can't fight the world, but it can fight you. From an individual's perspective, a Curio was indeed always advantageous.
"However... a scalpel, probability, a genius, the Path of Erudition... You remind me of an old acquaintance I've never met," Chen Li said, his gaze on Mobius growing stranger.
"What acquaintance?"
"Never mind, it's not important. So, is your experiment complete?" Chen Li asked Mobius, who hadn't stopped working even after he and Elysia had burst into her room to collectively bully her. The name of the Silent Lord could not be spoken lightly, lest it draw her attention.
"Oh, it's done. Care to try some?" Mobius took off her white gloves, looking at her finished product with great satisfaction.
"Try what? Isn't that just a seed?" Elysia asked with confusion, staring at the seed in front of Mobius.
"You have eyes but fail to see Mount Tai." Mobius didn't explain. Instead, she picked up the seed, walked over to a flowerpot with no plants in it, buried the seed, and then carried the pot out of the room.
Snap!
After placing the pot on the empty ground, Mobius snapped her fingers. A tender sprout broke through the soil and rapidly grew into a "towering behemoth."
"Wow! A tree that grows bread!" Elysia exclaimed, looking at the tree that was now taller than her and covered in bread. It wasn't the fruit of a breadfruit tree; it was actual, filled sandwich bread.
"Pick one and try it," Mobius said proudly.
Hearing this, Elysia didn't hesitate for a second. She plucked a piece of bread and popped it into her mouth, completely unafraid that Mobius would harm her.
"Ugh, what flavor is this? It's not bad, but it feels... weird," Elysia said, thoroughly shocked after one bite.
"Spicy Crayfish Instant Noodle Flavored Bread," Mobius stated.
"???"
"How did you do that?" Chen Li couldn't help but ask.
"It's simple. Simultaneously operate on chili peppers, crayfish, wheat, and breadfruit. Extract their potential points, mix them in equal proportions, and redistribute them to guide the future growth into a Spicy Crayfish Instant Noodle Flavored Bread Tree. Finally, drain its potential points completely to make it devolve back into a seed, then force its growth the moment it's planted," Mobius explained lightly.
"Is that logical?"
"It's not logical, so it's a miracle. Using a Curio to create a miracle," Mobius said, fondly toying with the scalpel in her hand.
"Then how did you force its growth?" Elysia asked, puzzled.
"It's the power of Abundance, and a very specialized form of it at that. The power of Abundance is being used as a growth-forcing power. It rapidly grows by quickly consuming its life force," Chen Li explained.
Honestly, Mobius's use of this scalpel Curio had exceeded his imagination. From operating on fruits and plants, to performing mixed operations on different species, to her ingenious idea of draining the potential points after setting the form to devolve it back into a seed—it was all exceptionally creative.
"That's right. This is why I accepted the invitation from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus," Mobius nodded.
"And you were also glanced at by the Aeon of Abundance, right?" Chen Li said.
"Mm," Mobius continued to nod. "In fact, the gazes of the Aeon of Erudition and the Aeon of Abundance came at the same time. It was when I combined the knowledge of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, nurtured a life seed for the first time, held this scalpel, and wondered if I could create my ideal world by operating on a planet, or even the world itself," Mobius said, her eyes narrowing.
"???"
As it turned out, Mobius hadn't disgraced the Thirteen Flame-Chasers in the slightest. In fact, she was the one who was quietly playing the biggest game of all.
The gaze of Erudition was understandable, but why Abundance? Could it be because the transmissible nature of her life seed was similar in principle to how Yaoshi, the Aeon of Abundance, selflessly gifted its blessings to all life in the myriad worlds? Thinking about it, if Mobius were to modify these life seeds into seeds of Abundance and gift them freely to the life of other worlds, what difference would there be between her and a mini-Aeon of Abundance? And Mobius was precisely the type of researcher who didn't care much for her own results and would have no qualms about giving them away.
However, being glanced at by an Aeon didn't mean being invited to be an Emanator, nor did it mean an invitation to the Genius Society. It only meant one had stepped onto the Path. An invitation to the Genius Society required a personal appearance from Nous.
"Speaking of which, I have a question," Elysia said, raising her hand.
"What is it?"
"Do planets count as life? If you stuck the scalpel into the ground, could you extract the planet's potential points and make it devolve?"
"Good question," Mobius nodded in appreciation. She hadn't expected Elysia to use her brain. "In part, soil is not alive, but with water, sunlight, and some nutrients, it can give birth to life. Therefore, I believe a planet may not be a living being, but it is a component of life. Unfortunately, I still cannot perceive where a planet's life force is." At this, Mobius couldn't help but look at Chen Li.
"What are you looking at me for?"
"I believe planets are life, and worlds are life, but simply inserting the scalpel into the ground isn't enough to operate on them. Do you have any ideas?" Mobius asked.
"Nope, not a single one," Chen Li shook his head frantically.
"Answering so quickly isn't like you, my dear patron. According to our contract, all of my experiments belong to you. Are you really not tempted?" Mobius pressed her body close to Chen Li's, her lips near his ear, her words full of temptation.
"Calm down."
"How about some additional investment? For instance... forging a Curio for me that can observe the trajectory of life?" Mobius wanted to find the life nodes of a planet or a world. Theoretically, the Path of Abundance could help her, but her use of its power was a bit unorthodox... Besides, it was better to ask Chen Li for help than to struggle on her own.
"Not a chance. You're practically a chosen one of Destruction already," Chen Li quipped.
"The Path of Destruction? Yes, I'm on it. When I inserted this scalpel into the roots of the Ambrosial Arbor, sensed its life force, and couldn't help but wonder what would happen if I invested its potential points elsewhere, the Aeon of Destruction glanced at me," Mobius said casually.
"Don't you dare do anything reckless," Chen Li grabbed Mobius's face with both hands.
"Relax, I haven't stepped onto the Path of Destruction. Who knows what that Aeon of Destruction was thinking, looking at me?" Mobius shook her head.
"Is it possible that your kind of aimless destruction is exactly what the Aeon of Destruction loves most?"
"I have no interest in destruction. I only pursue infinity," Mobius shook her head.
"You'd better not." Chen Li reached out and placed his hand on Mobius's head, casually ruffling her hair. Indeed, I really have to keep Mobius under control.
Of the geniuses from the Previous Era, there were two others like her: Vill-V and Mei. But Mobius was the craziest.
"Then if I behave myself, will you forge a Curio for me to investigate life force?" Mobius asked after calmly tidying her hair.
"We'll see how you perform."
---o---