Secrets of the Universe

"Are you out of your mind? That is even more difficult!" hollered Alyssa.

"Yes, I admit it is hard....for regular cultivators, that is. We are not proficient in the [Array Path], hence our lack of insight. However, what if we had someone that possessed the right set of eyes?" mused Heath.

Playing with his beards, Eden analyzed, "That is possible. But we all know that Array masters left this continent a long time ago. Where can we find others?"

"That is where you got it wrong. I didn't say anything about an Array master. Someone that had just begun the [Array Path] would suffice, and luckily---"

Heath was cut off by Alyssa's rant, "---Even at that, a beginner is still hard to find. The Path of Arrays is scarce in this part of the plane--"

"I have one!" exclaimed Heath.

Even his patient self was annoyed by Eden and Alyssa's antics.

"Now, you are making sense," smiled Alyssa.

She had already tagged Heath for an over-the-top talkative. She couldn't count the number of times Heath had gone on and on instead of going straight to the point.

"Who is this 'Array beginner'? Is he good enough to find a gap in the Array?" questioned Eden.

"Don't worry about that. The other bounty teams will be the first to pass through, becoming a sort of scapegoat for us. The beginner would be useless if, after all the assistance he received, he is not able to produce the expected outcome," comforted Heath.

The three heads were no shy of committing nefarious actions. That was how they had survived to this point.

Most of them were like Jake and had shipwrecked to the island. They could not leave the island due to the other islands being expensive to live in. Hence, they stayed here and stained themselves in the bloody world of bounty hunting.

While the conversation went on, most of them didn't fail to notice that one of the men in Heath's group was acting strange.

Pointing at him, Eden murmured, "I assume this is our guy?"

"Heh, he doesn't look it," smirked Alyssa.

The young man couldn't cower before the presence of the two leaders. He showed a sign of weakness which wasn't unnoticed by the rest.

Heath assured them, "This is what we have. He has been on my team for a long time. So, I can vouch for his ability."

He sideglanced at the young man, hinting at him to make a good impression.

"I'm Aydin," introduced the young man.

He could feel the heavy weights of responsibility on his shoulders. That was why he wasn't comfortable.

"Hmmm... a [Realm-3 Stage-1] warrior. If he is that strong, then why is he so timid?" reasoned Eden.

"Hah, you can't blame him. Aydin is just twenty-six. He comes from a noble family of the Silver Kingdom, and was one of their best talents there," smiled Heath.

His words of praise brightened the cheeks of Aydin, as the latter kept a calm face.

"...a noble from the Silver Kingdom. If so, why is he not on the Oel Island, but instead her?" asked Alyssa.

"You remember what happened four months ago? The attack on the ships. Well, Aydon was one of the few lucky ones to survive," explained Heath.

Eden and Alyssa knew not to stick their nose in where it didn't concern them.

They each brought out a large bag of [Energy Crystals] and slid it to Heath, not letting the latter decide for them, "I suppose this is what you want?"

"This is alright," smiled Heath as he gulped the two bags into his [Spatial Ring].

"What now?" questioned Alyssa.

Thinking on his feet, Heath gave an answer, "I will send Aydin to the walls right away. On your side, pick one person each to protect him, just in case the other teams try to be mischievous."

The moment he said that, a person from Eden's team volunteered.

"You?" doubted Heath.

He engaged in a staredown with the person, but the person didn't cower like Aydin to his surprise. Yet, this was someone that looked younger than Aydin.

Smiling, Heath said to Eden, "So, this is your new recruit, Jake, the silent one….."

"Yes," Eden returned the smile.

He looked at Jake, asking again whether the latter wanted to volunteer. Jake nodded back at him and he didn't worry himself anymore. Jake could take care of himself.

After Alyssa had picked one from her group, the meeting was dissolved and the three people were allowed to go to the walls of the town.

.........…

If the view from the campsite was beautiful, then the up-close view was majestic!

Minutes after the end of the meeting, Jake found himself face-to-face with the walls. 

When he touched the intricately designed wall, a bright blue light popped up. It formed a beautiful pattern around the walls as it lighted on all parts of the walls, even to places Jake couldn't see.

It released a blue veil that covered the entire town!

'The Array…..' smiled Jake.

The [Array Path] was a difficult auxiliary path. It involved creating constructed, called Arrays, that performed specific tasks.

It required concentration, high control of energy, a fluid mindset. Something that Jake possessed, That was why he volunteered to watch over Aydin.

Jake could himself an Array Beginner, but he wanted to see an actual Array Beginner at work!

He reckoned that Aydin might have chosen the [Array Path] as his main path. Hence, he would have devoted himself to the study of arrays.

The only reason that Aydin could not become an Array Master would be because that becoming a master would require a higher level of energy. In a way, his cultivation base limited him

Meanwhile, Jake had just begun learning the path a few months ago. There was no way he could match up with Aydin. That was why he was here. 

Looking at the young man, who was already embroiled in the beautiful array, he wondered, 'What would he do?'

As he could not talk, he could only write down his question and show Aydin. 

Aydin was a bit timid. So, he wouldn't ignore Jake.