Death... and me

Rean looked at the old Zasfin before asking, "Is there a problem with me having high Soul Purity?"

The man quickly recovered before sighing as he replied, "Forget it. Would you like to talk more about those runes you came up with?"

Rean pondered for a bit and thought that this could be a good opportunity. There was nothing wrong with obtaining some more support, especially from a Zasfin. Besides, he was still puzzled as to why these Zasfins didn't seem to care too much about the humans around them. There were even a few humans in this formation room that kept the airship afloat. It's just that none of them seem to be involved with the formations, but instead were there only to help with a few more menial tasks.

"Well...is it really okay for senior to listen to the theories of a human? I thought all Zasfins would never care about even getting involved with us," Rean asked with a hint of confusion on his face.

The old Zasfin was taken aback for a moment before remembering that Rean was right. It wouldn't be easy to see a Zasfin willing to listen to a human on this planet. However, things were a little different in the Soul Rulers' territory. Humans were still considered slaves there, but because of how human kids with high Soul Purity were used, the Zasfins tried to not put too much burden on them. That's because doing so would accelerate the speed at which those kids' Soul Purity would deteriorate. Of course, deep down, they still looked down on all humans.

"Sigh...it's fine," Palaris replied as he introduced himself. "By the way, you can call me Palaris. Don't worry. I just want to hear more regarding these rune theories of yours. Whether you're a human or not won't matter as long as your words make sense." He was only interested in the formations, after all. However, he also had an idea in mind depending on what Rean had to add.

Rean faintly smiled in response, knowing that he had the old man take his bait. Following that, he began to 'more or less' explain 'his' concepts of runes. Of course, those runes were basically the ones used in Sunkan Planet. It's just that Rean wouldn't mention that. "Alright, let me start with the Three Phases Spiritual Regulation Rune. If what I'm thinking works out, we can control the..."

And just like that, Rean began to explain the runes he drew on the ground. He told the concepts and what he would need to make them work out...if they worked. Of course, he didn't give a perfect explanation. Rean had left several flaws on purpose regarding what he used. That's because it would be way too suspicious if his runes that he 'just theorized' worked perfectly from the very start.

Even with that, Palaris became more and more shocked as he listened to Rean's ideas. Even though he could also find a few problems there, he could tell that they were still feasible once he took some time to work on them. ' A Formation Master genius! Who could have thought that a human would show such proficiency.'

However, that thought also pained him since Rean had high Soul Purity. After all, he knew what he would be used for once they arrived at the Soul Rulers' headquarters. With that, he asked, "Rean, right? Tell me, where did you learn about formations? Even if you came up with these theories, you had to first learn the basics from someone. I doubt there were many Zasfins out there willing to spend their time teaching a human."

"Senior's right." Rean already expected that question, responding, "I lived outside the city with my brother during most of my lifetime. Our father...well, not really our father since he was a Zasfin. Anyway, he was the one who taught me about formations. Unfortunately..." Rean then showed a sad expression as if remembering a painful memory.

At the same time, Roan's voice echoed in Rean's mind, telling him, 'What kind of shitty excuse is that? Can you be any worse at creating stories? Not even a kid would believ-'

*Sniff, sniff...*

"I see, I see! Don't worry, young man. I'm sure your father is very happy with what you've accomplished so far," Palaris said as tears fell down from his eyes, trying to console Rean.

Roan, who was somewhere else in the airship, twitched his mouth as he could not help but say, 'What are you? A fucking baby?! First of all, should this idiot even feel sad because of a human? What the hell is happening here?'

Rean laughed mentally, though. 'Hahaha! Isn't that obvious? My acting skills are just that good!'

'Good, your ass!' Roan immediately replied. 'This guy must be mentally ill. That's the only way you could convince someone with that story of yours.'

Rean couldn't care less, though. 'So what? It worked, didn't it? That's enough for now.'

Roan sighed but didn't say anything else. Since it worked, then that was good. Perhaps Rean could get some crucial information from the old Zasfin.

"Hey, Elder Palaris is crying again."

"What? How many times has it been this week already?"

"Someone, go call his granddaughter."

Sure enough, the other Zasfins quickly noticed the changes in Palaris. From the looks of it, this guy was quite the crybaby even before Rean appeared.

'Is it really fine to have someone like him taking care of the formations keeping this airship afloat?' Rean could not help but think. 'Oh well, that plays well for me.'

Rena then put a hand on the man's should before saying, "Ahem...Elder Palaris, you don't need to worry. Our father died a long time ago, so my brother and I have already gotten over it."

Palaris nodded, but his tears continued to flow. "Alright, alright. I understand. That's the way of life, I know." He then patted Rean's head as if he was a kid. Well, considering their age difference, Rean might as well be considered a baby.

Sometime later, a female Zasfin entered the room and quickly made her way to Palaris, telling him, "Grandfather, how many times did I tell you to not get too involved with others? Look at you! Is that how an Elemental Transformation Realm Zasfin should act?"

Rean's heart froze for a moment after hearing that. Elemental Transformation Realm! The Formation Master taking care of this ship is that strong?!

'This guy is a monster!' Rean thought as he felt a chill on his back. The man in front of him could wipe him out with a finger, and he wouldn't even have the time to think about entering the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm.

Eventually, the girl was able to calm down Palaris, much to Rean's relief. However, she quickly looked in his direction with a dark expression and asked him, "Was it you who made him cry this time?"

Rean was taken aback for a moment but nodded in the end, responding, "Well...you could say so. I was just talking about my deceased father when he suddenly started to cry. I didn't expect that to happen, though."

Palaris then patted the girl's head as he shook his head, saying with still teary eyes, "It's fine, Ophele. I'm just not very good at controlling my emotions." Palaris then came forward and looked at the runes on the ground, soon muttering, "Sigh...such a waste. So many good ideas, but he won't have the time to work on them."

Rean narrowed his eyes for a moment but came back to himself right after. "It's fine. I know my status as a human slave. It's good to hear that someone else other than my father has recognized my abilities in the end, especially someone like you, senior." Rean then began to wipe out the scribbles on the ground...or so he tried.

However, Palaris held him back before he could do so. "Leave them be. I want to think a little more about your theories."

Naturally, that caught Ophele's attention. She was Palaris's granddaughter, so she was also well-versed in formations. "What theories, grandfather? Eh?! What kind of runes are those? I've never seen them before."

Palaris finally laughed after hearing that. "Hahaha! Right? These are a few theories this human came up with. He and his brother were raised by a Zasfin Formation Master outside the cities, so he knows a lot about them. These runes were his doing."

"But..." Ophele couldn't help but ask, "What do they even mean? Do they have any use whatsoever?" From the looks of it, neither she nor any of the other Zasfins gave a damn to Rean's story. She only wanted to hear about those runes. Sure enough, she was like the others. Ophele didn't care about who or from where Rean came because she was part of the Soul Rulers. Whatever he might be, it wasn't a problem for them.

Palaris nodded as he looked at Rean before asking, "Would you mind explaining everything once more?"

Rean nodded, noticing that only Palaris seemed to give some importance to him. Though, he could not help but think as he explained once more, 'Well, he might just be pretending to care, though.'

Roan, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes. He and Rean were sharing their vision of what was happening in their surroundings through their Soul Connection. That being said, Roan also saw the scene where Palaris wept. 'Unless he's one of the best actors of all time, that definitely wasn't faked. However, it seems like Palaris is an exception as the others around him don't seem to care. Is he really mentally ill? But then again, Elemental Transformation Realm. That's not just any cultivation realm.'

Roan then shook his head. Luck or not, everything worked out for the twins.