Ball of Nothing

Karris recovered quickly under the watchful and experienced care of Hua Tuo. Seff had grown very attached to Ruth and the two were almost inseparable. Not even Karris could placate her child when the vampire was away for more than two hours. Lovina had taken over feeding duties and Ruth explained the unique circumstances of baby Seff's diet to the recovering mother.

"I understand," Karris smiled and grabbed Ruth's hands. His skin felt cold to the touch much like all undead but the lady didn't mind.

"Please visit us often..."

Zero smiled at his combat tutor's awkwardness. Ruth was going to learn that there were many kinds of humans and not all of them were horrible like in the tales passed down by the elders in his village. Although the grumpy vampire didn't say it aloud, he'd grown very attached to little Seff.

"The portal is ready," Lovina announced and Zero turned his attention back to the circle drawn in the centre of the village. They decided to turn the clearing into the receiving area for guests. Cleo and Latitia did a great job of decorating it with flowers and magical flowers. It was a very beautiful place in the day and it was simply mesmerising at night. There was a small constructed pond and stream that crossed portals and dimensions. Raj was able to make a device that transferred water from the Spring of Vitality into the village.

As of now, the origin of the miraculous healing water is a well-kept village secret. Schaf certainly did not pass up the opportunity to create attention and started spreading rumours to the neighbouring kingdoms. With so many powerful people eyeing the village, there would not be another incident like Count Carrabas. Nobody would be foolish enough to wage war against a village full of powerful warriors and a rumoured Hell Hound guarding it. Moreover, Endow Hill's reputation hasn't been great... nobody wanted to anger the Dragon guardian even if nobody had heard about it for years now.

Zero didn't even bother to inspect the drawn circle and simply poured his mana into it. The formation on the ground lit up and the ground trembled slightly. Throughout the village, the same bluish-white light could be seen. The lines on the ground drawn in chalk and salt glowed in unison, humming to the same vibration of the main formula. Lovina didn't waste time and immediately started chanting. Normally, fairy circles were not very complicated to make. However, this array differed slightly from the regular ones she made all over the village. It was meant to allow Zero to control the village's terrain entirely. In other words, Half Moon Village was a transforming fortress.

Zenobia exchanged looks with Grandma Moppo. They were the selected 'keys' to activating the formation in Zero's absence. Lovina was able to create a blood-binding spell that tied their lives to the village. The array stored the mana that Zero was pouring into it and would be used when the village needed to be transformed into a fortress. Currently, a huge amount was needed to awaken the Earth beneath the village and Zero monitored his status very closely.

"Zero, it's reaching limit orange..." Mii warned. After the mana depletion incident, the system upgraded itself and implemented a safety meter that will alert Zero of falling levels of mana. Other items in Zero's void inventory will be converted to mana automatically if it falls below critical levels and Zero was in no position to disable that function. The first time that happened was when Zero had to hold open the portal to allow Raj to bring Spring Water over. He wasn't happy when Mii told him the system had forcefully converted his sand instead of seawater to sustain the mana safety levels.

"Hold on, I still need about 30% more to complete the starting phase. Please convert the seawater this time... I would still like to keep my sand for other experiments."

Mii smirked. "Got it. We're going to convert them in the units of a thousand mana at once in about a minute from now."

Zero nodded and continued feeding the hungry array. Seriously, Lovina was a genius but this formation was a beast. If it were any other ordinary mage, they would have to gather at least a hundred of them and spend two weeks to completely activate it.

"Almost there," Lovina told Zero who was starting to shake by now. The more Earth that was converted into living plates, the heavier it becomes on Zero. They felt sticky to the array and Zero hasn't learnt any reinforcing magic to support his physical vessel. His muscles were weak and the weight was almost unbearable. He could feel his body becoming one with the village grounds and panted harshly when another huge part of the village assimilated with the array. Who knew that the underground tunnels were so extensive? It stretched all the way past the river and into the forest.

Everyone watched with bated breaths as Zero let out a scream of agony with his knees buckling. Hua Tuo immediately cast some tranquil magic to stabilise Zero's panicking state while Ruth started chanting body reinforcement spells. Lovina was sweating and her face was flushed. Soon supported the witch and held down the stabilised part of the array to take the pressure off her.

Yxaan and Xvyal jumped in to hold the collapsing portal. Magical plants started withering and the Spring of Vitality boiled. Latitia tried to hold up a barrier with Cleo but it simply broke and all their mana were eaten up by the greedy array.

"Leave them alone!" Zero yelled when he saw how disobedient the formation was becoming. Bob was ready to jump in himself to stabilise the rampaging magic circle when someone unexpected turned up from the emergency portal.

"Help has arrived!" the cheerful puppy wagged its only tail and howled in harmonies of threes. Zero didn't have time to entertain Kerberos and told the Hell Hound to hold the collapsing portal.

It was a tough battle but eventually, Zero got the array under control and decided to smack the disobedient thing with a minor Charm Blessing. Unable to resist the teen, the array gave in and became extremely complying.

The mages collapsed onto their knees, completely drained from battling Lovina's living fortress formation. Who knew that it would develop an intelligence of its own?

Zenobia and Grandma Moppo looked unsure now. "Will it be alright? What if it doesn't listen in an emergency?"

Zero grinned and gave them a thumbs-up. "It won't. I slapped it with Charmer and added it to my party. Everyone in Half Moon Village is added to a sub-category group called "Friendly" so it won't be causing any trouble. If you're in trouble, simply mark the enemies. The array will deal with them as the first level of defence. It will give everyone time to get ready for action."

Ruth didn't know what to think about such a crazy explanation. Kerberos was sulking when Zero thanked him. The Hell Hound eventually returned to his isolation and Hua Tuo looked impressed. Externally, nothing seemed to have changed. However, he could see the magic in the air and the ground that the village stood on possessed its own life signature. It contained qi energy and the Sage God wondered if it was possible to create souls. Not even Gods have understood what it took to create a soul. They could replicate the structure of a soul with refined mana but nobody has successfully made one. Was it something only the creator could accomplish after all?

"Hooray! The teleportation mark and portals are done. The emergency back up works and the fortress transformation is activated. I guess this is it for me... I'll be back from time to time so don't miss me too much, okay?"

Clowis rolled his eyes. "Nobody will be missing your du-"

Zero chuckled. For a head warrior, Clowis still had a lot to learn. Lowis glowered at his nephew and apologised. It was Clowis' bad habit of not being able to be honest but Zero didn't mind. Ever since Amaraline decided to stay in the abyss to help Coux out, the big brother had gotten a lot more sensitive when someone mentioned the possibility of Amaraline finding a lover where she worked. In a way, Clowis still blamed Zero for his sister's decision. The teenager didn't really mind. In fact, he found the sibling's affection rather adorable.

"The portals are open so there is no reason for everyone to continue staying in the village when there isn't anything to do. Mitchnew, there is a gate to Amon's territory in the Garden of Roth. I believe I've handed the talisman to Lovina for anyone who wants to visit Hell. That is Ball's personal mark of protection so I only have five. The portal here leads straight to my sanctuary so Qin Yun, feel free to cultivate there and meet up with your fellow sisters. I don't want to be constantly distracted by their messages while I'm training. Schaf, Mammon has given you a special badge to use on your business trips. If there is anything urgent, the portal to Hua Tuo's hut is always on standby. With that, we will be taking our leave. Zenobia, I leave the running of the village in your hands now."

The Chieftess nodded and placed her hand to her chest. "We will await your return, Leader. Travel safely."

"Travel safely!"

Zero took one last look at everyone and grinned before waving at them and jumping into the portal with Ruth and Hua Tuo following. Baby Seff's cries could still be heard as the vampire disappeared through the gate but he didn't look back in fear of not being able to leave the child.

Once the woozy feeling passed, Ruth found himself staring at something rather familiar looking. Compared to Half Moon Village, the solitary hut with a strange wooden device behind it reminded him of home. With Zero's love for grand things, it was difficult for the vampire to enjoy the simplicities of life. Thankfully, Hua Tuo didn't allow Zero to introduce his modifications here.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Hua Tuo smiled and briefly showed Ruth around. The vampire was surprised that he wasn't burning under the sun. The salve cream worked well but there was still discomfort here and there while they were back in Half Moon Village. Right now, it was as comfortable as night and Ruth wondered how that was possible.

Hua Tuo took them around to the fields where there were herbs growing. He also saw some drying under the strong sunlight in Hua Tuo's small workshop. The house smelled heavily of grass and plants but Ruth thought that it was better than smelling food all the time. Back in the village, Ruth had to remember that he was now able to eat regular food. He still occasionally craved blood and offered to join the hunting team when it got really bad. the smell of medicine here calmed him and Ruth found himself feeling lazy.

"Home sweet home!" Zero declared and immediately got to tidying the place. It had been some time since they were at Half Moon Village. Thankfully the fairies that helped Hua Tuo with the fields did a great job. None of the herbs had withered and some were ready for harvesting.

Hua Tuo left the cleaning up to Zero who insisted that he was the best candidate for the job with his improved cleaning magic. Ruth was then dragged to the fields to help Hua Tuo with harvesting. He worked quickly and mindlessly, cutting through the plants with his sharp nails while Hua Tuo worked with his sickle.

Time passed quickly and after gathering the herbs, Hua Tuo tasked the vampire with hunting for dinner. He chose to work on cleaning the herbs while Zero was made to revise whatever he'd learned previously.

"But I can help with making dinner..."

"No, leave that to Ruth. Those who don't work don't get to eat. Your task is to revise whatever I've taught you a few months ago as well as the basics of surgery as explained a few days before. I will test you before dinner. If you don't get everything right, you can forget about eating tonight."

Zero gasped in horror when he knew that his teacher was serious.

"No dinner?"

"No dinner."

"But I'm a growing child!"

Hua Tuo raised a brow. "Really? I thought that this body was a new vessel created by the Great Gods. No actual growing was involved. You may be bigger now physically but your mental age is still the same."

"That's not true," Zero retorted. "I'm at least four times older than I was... I gained new memories from four Divine Fragments."

Hua Tuo deadpanned. "Of the four, two behave like children, one is a jaded old man with a stubborn mentality and the other is a lazy bum. If you insist on being treated like a teenager, I would have you help with breakfast preparations and contributing to your living expenses here."

Zero thought about it and made a face before slinking back to his digital reader. Truth be told, he didn't slack off from his studies. He still remembered everything Hua Tuo taught him about acupuncture, herbs and how to identify illnesses. He wasn't lazing around in Hell. Baal might have done that but Zero was busy identifying new illnesses to treat. In fact, he learnt a great deal and wanted to talk about it with his teacher.

After ten minutes of reading through what he already knew, Zero decided to peek from his book. "Master..."

Hua Tuo sighed. He knew that his apprentice wouldn't be convinced to be quiet for too long but to think that Zero's patience was still as short as before made the Sage God wonder if Zero's growth was only in the physical aspect.

"Yes, Zero?"

"You know, the methods of diagnostics you taught me were good with humans. However, it's not very possible to use that when I was in the abyss. Many of them had no pulse or external signs of illnesses. How would you usually treat patients like that?"

Hua Tuo stirred the pot and tasted the soup before adding a little more salt. Ruth still wasn't back so the meat would have to wait.

Cutting the vegetables, Hua Tuo answered him. "The undead do not fall ill. There is no need to diagnose illnesses in the deceased. Virus and bacteria can only survive in living hosts."

Zero frowned and put the reader away. He was no cross-legged on the floor and staring at his teacher's back. "But then I discovered that the plague was still a thing! Miasma poisoning was common and vampires had sun allergies... how can we not diagnose them?"

Hua Tuo put the lid back on. It was a valid question and Zero had a point.

"Firstly, the plague is something that only affected the demons, not the undead. If we looked at demons, there should be similar signs with how it affected the werebeasts. secondly, Miasma Poisoning is not an illness that attacks the immune system. It corrupts those with chakra channels so the traditional medical diagnostics wouldn't work unless the poisoning has taken place. Lastly, I never knew sun allergy was a thing until you discovered it so I cannot tell you the best way to identify it. There are many mysteries in this world and although I am the Sage God of Medicine, I am not well versed with the magical and supernatural side of the world. Those are my limitations, Zero. I'm not almighty. Like how I taught you, the dead cannot be revived once the soul has left the body. Still, with your abilities far exceeding mine, perhaps you will find a way to do so one day."

Zero looked lost. Hua Tuo shook his head and told Zero to come over. The teen did so and found himself receiving a pat on the head. "Don't worry about all that. Not everything I teach is necessarily the right answer. You'll need to find your own answers when you travel. Ultimately, know that you are more powerful with Gods. I believe that if you truly want it, there is nothing that is impossible for you to do. We will all be rooting for you so don't be afraid to be yourself."

Zero smiled shyly. It wasn't very often that Hua Tuo acted like this. Although Hua Tuo was mostly a grumpy old man who was reluctant to try new things, Zero liked him the way he was. He didn't come to this world with a family but that was what made Zero excited about. If the Great Gods were like his older siblings and the Demon Lords his friends, then Hua Tuo felt like his grandfather.

"I'm back!" Ruth called out and Zero leapt to his feet to greet the vampire.

"What did you catch?"

A heavy thud at the front of the door made Zero squeal with delight.

"Roasted Pygmy Boar!"

Hua Tuo shook his head at Zero's infectious excitement. His student ran to the workshop to grab the herbs and spices. Ruth raised a brow as if asking Hua Tuo if it was a common occurrence. He received his answer in the form of a sigh as the old man went back to cooking stir-fried vegetables.

For the first time since coming to Earth, Ruth felt like making a deal with Zero was worse than the devil. never in history has hyper-activity gone well with self-discipline. The vampire knew it was going to be a rough journey as Zero's combat teacher and shut those thoughts away. He needed wine, really really strong ones by the barrels to put up with the troubles Zero will no doubt cause him in the near future.