Chapter 96: A Possible Solution

Elias rushed toward the two women with hurried steps, his mind completely occupied by the realization that had suddenly surfaced after seeing the three red rings around Stella’s waist.

Natasha noticed his unusual behavior immediately and frowned slightly, but Stella reacted very differently.

The moment Elias approached, she stepped forward with a bright grin before spinning around on her feet, allowing the velvet dress to flare slightly around her legs as she proudly displayed it.

"How do I look?" she asked cheerfully.

Elias, however, was far too distracted to understand what she wanted from him.

Instead, he walked directly toward her, crouched down, and placed both hands around her waist before staring intently at the three red rings.

His fingers moved toward one of them, and the moment he gently touched its surface, Stella giggled.

"So you like it that much? Hehe," she said happily.

Natasha’s frown deepened.

This wasn’t how Elias usually reacted, and the way he was staring at the rings made it obvious that was what had captured his attention.

He eventually raised his head and looked into Stella’s crimson eyes.

"Stella, do you know anything about these rings on your waist?" he asked.

"Hmm..." Stella glanced downward at the three rings before thinking for a moment, then she shook her head and answered, "Nope. I know nothing."

"Is that so..." Elias mumbled as his expression fell slightly, and he lowered his gaze toward the Auracle again. "What should I do then?"

According to what the stable Stella had once told him, the Auracle were used to stop the flow of Aura, but how exactly did they accomplish that?

Did they block the Aura from leaving the Aura Core?

Did they interrupt its flow throughout the body?

Or did they simply store all of the Aura within themselves?

The third possibility seemed the most logical.

An Aura Core continuously generated a swordsman’s Aura and only stopped when the body reached its supposed limit, so theoretically, the Auracle could store the Aura within themselves, preventing the Aura Core from generating more while keeping the accumulated power sealed inside the rings until the swordsman needed to use it.

That would also make more sense considering that what kept Stella’s three personalities separated was ultimately their mental state.

Elias narrowed his eyes as he continued thinking.

’But how do I find out for sure?’

He could sit there and create countless conclusions and theories, but all of them meant nothing if he couldn’t obtain the answer he needed.

’What do I do?’

He racked his brain for a solution, and after several seconds, his eyes suddenly widened.

’Mind’s Eye!’

With the Mind’s Eye, it was possible to perceive and understand natural and supernatural phenomena from a deeper and broader perspective, and Elias had already used it to examine his own body.

Unfortunately, his current rank wasn’t enough to properly see inside another person’s body.

That was something an Exalted could accomplish.

And he couldn’t become an Exalted mage either because once he did, he would not be able to create an aura core, at least not until his Three-Star Harmonic Dragon Physique remained sealed.

Fortunately, however, there was an Exalted mage living in this very manor.

Monica.

Elias’s expression immediately brightened.

He straightened himself and grabbed Stella by both shoulders, causing her to look at him with a confused expression.

However, the moment she saw his serious face, her expression became slightly troubled.

"W-What is wrong?" she asked.

"Stella, can you help me?" Elias asked.

"Help?" she mumbled before her expression suddenly brightened. "Of course I can! Tell me what you need my help for."

Elias released her shoulders and smiled.

"Great—"

"But," Stella interrupted.

His smile disappeared.

"But?"

Stella grinned mischievously before adding, "You would have to give me a reward for it."

Elias stared at her, dumbfounded for several seconds before a chuckle escaped his lips.

"Of course," he said. "I will give you as many rewards as you wish."

Stella’s crimson eyes immediately lit up.

"Hehe, then I will help!"

Elias nodded, although his thoughts had already returned to the three Auracle around her waist and the possibility that they might hold the answer to their current problem.

The problem with Pathless regaining their path was deceptively simple.

A destroyed path didn’t simply vanish.

Instead, the destruction strengthened the barrier that needed to be crossed, making it significantly more difficult for the person to restore what they had lost.

For swordsmen, creating an Aura Core required them to transform their will into Aura with the help of their understanding of the sword.

If their Aura Core was destroyed or cracked, their will would also scatter, becoming far more difficult to control.

Mages faced a similar problem.

Mana naturally flowed through every being possessing Mana Veins, but that alone wasn’t enough for a mage to advance.

They needed to use their Mind’s Eye to gather mana from the environment, circulate it through their Mana Veins, and eventually store it within the Mind’s Eye as rings; this way they could hold much more mana than before.

However, once the Mind’s Eye was damaged, the wall would return, this time much stronger and sturdier, making it nearly impossible to break without an enormous amount of naturally accumulated mana within the Mana Veins.

Elias’s thoughts accelerated as he considered the possibility.

’But if the Auracle can store Aura...’

His gaze shifted toward the three red rings.

’What stops them from storing mana?’

If the Auracle could temporarily store the mana that naturally accumulated within a person’s Mana Veins, then perhaps there was a way to overcome the strengthened barrier of a Pathless mage.

But to know for sure, he needed Monica to check these Auracles with her Mind’s Eye.

"Husband?" Stella’s voice suddenly pulled him from his thoughts.

Elias looked at her before smiling.

"Let’s go."

"Where?" Stella asked curiously.

"To Monica’s room."

"Okay!"

Stella immediately interlocked her fingers with his and gave his hand an enthusiastic tug.

"Let’s go!"

Natasha watched the two of them, confused as always.

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AN: I added a few images across the Chapters; check out the activity tab on my WebNovel profile if you wish to see them.