Patrick Laplante
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PU Book 2 - Chapter 83: Roses in a Thorn Bush
🕑 Added 2024-05-28 00:07:13 +0000 UTCA familiar cocktail of alchemical cleaners greeted Sorin as he entered Elder Calvin's room. Several tubes were hooked up to the elder's body to help him heal, some to ward against disease and others simply to promote gentle yet effective healing throughout his fragile body.
"There you are, Sorin," greeted Elder Calvin from his reclined bed. His voice was weak, and even saying so little seemed to take a lot out of him. " I half expected them to incarcerate you shortly after your return, but it seems my worries were ill-founded."
"And why would they incarcerate me?" asked Sorin, taking a seat beside the man's bed.
"Probably for attacking Elder Marik or another Presiding Elder after what they blindly put you through," said Elder Calvin. "Your temper isn't the best, and the corruption in your body isn't making things easy."
Sorin raised an eyebrow. "You knew?"
Elder Calvin chuckled painfully. "I've dealt with all manner of corruption in my experiments, so I'm more sensitive to it than most. Moreover, I've encountered the Ten Thousand Poison Canon thrice before. Your aura felt different, and not in a good way.
"In hindsight, there are other tells, of course. There's your application of Grove-Keeper's touch. It breaks down demon cores far too rapidly. Combined with your cycling temperament and your interactions with Mr. Fletcher, a Nighthawk, it didn't take much for me to determine the truth.
"Now if you would be so kind, please go over to that bag of holding in the corner of the room. It's my bag, but I'd like you to fetch the small notebook inside it since straining my spirit wouldn't be wise at the moment."
Sorin fetched the bag of holding but looked at the Elder in askance. "It's your bag of holding, Elder Calvin. You're a Flesh-Sanctification cultivator. It could take me hours to open it."
The Elder chuckled. "Try it and see."
Wondering what the Elder was going on about, Sorin attempted to open the bag. Normally, opening someone else's back involved dispelling the wards they'd placed on it. The stronger the cultivator, the more difficult it was to do so.
To Sorin's surprise, however, the elder's back didn't seem to mind his intrusion. In fact, its spell mechanisms immediately fell under his control. All it took was a command to take out the elder's notebook, and it was the same for the lock binding it shut.
"The Ten Thousand Poison Canon is more powerful than you're giving it credit for," explained Elder Calvin. "That's especially the case in the Kepler Clan; as a cultivator of the Five Poison Mana Tempering Art, I'm naturally subservient to you.
"This is, of course, but one application. A simple trick. Other things are possible, depending on your talent. Taking over a subsidiary practitioner's bound possessions and slightly empowering their poison concoction abilities are just the basics. Those who are really talented can control the lives and deaths of us subsidiary cultivators or do interesting things like break through the clan's warding and restrictions."
"I'll keep that in mind," said Sorin. "Is there something special about this notebook?"
"Open the book," said Elder Calvin.
Sorin did so and was amazed by what he discovered. "These are research notes on plant catalysis."
"My life's work," said Elder Calvin with a sigh. "An endless project I unfortunately won't be able to continue.
"This information is invaluable," said Sorin, already realizing ways in which he could implement this research. "It's decades ahead of what I found in the clan library."
"If only it were enough," said Elder Calvin. "You must have realized by now that things are becoming progressively difficult for you. How are your efforts coming along with creating an A-Tier ten-poison?"
"Terribly," admitted Sorin. "You have no idea how painful it is to have a full recipe book in your head when most of the ingredients have gone extinct. Surely, there must be someone in the clan who could concoct something for me." He'd checked the clan's merit exchange and had found it lacking in this regard.
"I'm afraid not," said Elder Calvin with a sigh. "Ten poisons are notoriously difficult to make. They're a step above single poisons because of their interactions, which elevate the concoction to another level.
"It's not just artificial ten-poisons. Natural ten-poisons are notoriously difficult to find. They sometimes pop up in dungeons, but only in very rare and specific situations.
Sorin was surprised by this revelation. "We literally have the best apothecaries in Pandora. You're telling me not a single apothecary—not even one at your level—is able to craft them?"
"Ten poisons aren't usually needed outside of lethal applications," said Elder Calvin. "The clan has, therefore, made this a matter of low priority. We've managed to craft sequential poisons and combinations that mimic the effects to treat specific diseases, but if you look in our library, you'll find we don't have any recipes for proper A-Tier ten poisons."
Sorin paled. "Please tell me you're joking."
"It is ironic, isn't it," said Elder Calvin. "As a cultivator of the Ten Thousand Poison Canon, you need poisons to continue growing. Poisons that no one on Pandora has the skill to craft. Fortunately, the wielders of the Canon can imbibe and digest poisons. As a result, it's not out of the question for you to reach the Flesh-Sanctification Realm by your mid-thirties."
"I'm afraid I don't have that luxury," said Sorin. "Moreover, the situation is more complicated than you think."
"I could theoretically devour enough A-Tier single poisons of corresponding types, and my body would eventually figure out a way to generate a ten poison. But even the family's repository only has around 30 A-Tier single poisons in compatible types. Far from enough for my purposes."
"The problem only gets worse at S-Tier and the Flesh-Sanctification Realm," said Elder Calvin. "You'll require a hundred poison to break through—something only attainable by chance."
"That's not the only issue," continued Sorin. "I've noticed through my own experiments that consuming poisons comes with diminishing returns. The more I consume, the less likely I am to assimilate additional poisons. A good analogy would be cultivators who consume low-quality pills or potions to boost their cultivation. Eventually, they'll reach the limits of their potential."
"Which is why I had you focus on concocting poisons in the first place," said Elder Calvin. "The only way to circumvent your limitations is to continue in the footsteps of every inheritor of the Ten Thousand Poison Canon. You must first completely exhaust your potential as an apothecary, blazing a trail for those who would come after you. Only then should you tread down the double-edged path of consumption.
"You should know that the last inheritor of the Canon barely made it to the Flesh-Sanctification Realm, and he was the most talented inheritor in recent history. Alas, he died an unjust and early death, and his research notes went with him.
"This is all to say one thing: don't be impatient to advance. Polish your craft. The better apothecary you become, the easier your future will be. As for this Shrine Descent stuff and the chaos in Delphi… my advice is to let others handle it. It's not your problem, Sorin. As far as I'm concerned, you don't owe the Kepler Clan anything."
Sorin felt mixed emotions when he heard these words. "You saved my life, Elder Calvin."
"Any Elder worth their salt would have done the same," said Elder Calvin. "And compared to Elder Nigel, I got off easily. Look, I know the clan let you down in the past. It continues to let you down and will continue to do so despite your status."
"I'm not sure I understand your meaning, sir," said Sorin.
"My point is that I'd like you to remember one thing," said Elder Calvin. "Each clan has its good and its bad. Don't let what's rotten blind you to what's beautiful. Don't let yourself get weighed down by bitterness when there's sweetness to consider."
Having spoken so much in one sitting, the Elder closed their eyes and dosed off almost immediately. He looked peaceful despite the terrible pain he must be in.
"Unfortunately, that ship sailed long ago," muttered Sorin as he inspected the Elder's condition and made adjustments to his medicinal tubes. "The Kepler Clan can't be trusted. It uses people and throws them away just like they did to you.
"I admire people like you and Elder Marik. You're roses in a thorn bush—hints of beauty hidden in a garden of pain.
"But I'm not like the two of you. I will never forget what they did to me.
"Most importantly, I will never forgive them.
