Infinite Mana In The Oasis

"Can we do that though?"

Eren asked while observing adventurers coming into and leaving the hall. He had observed that they were wearing all kinds of armor and gear. Some looked archaic while others looked like they had been industrially manufactured.

And they all seemed to be in their element. Like it was normal for everyone to wear any outfit or gear. He was thoroughly undressed compared to them.

"Do what?"

Miranda asked. Reece had left the duo alone and had moved ahead to check up on a few things displayed on a spectral screen that was floating in the air. She was selecting a mission for Eren. Against her wishes, he had decided to commemorate his entrance into Gilahaan by embarking on a mission.

"You know… die. Can we die here?"

Eren asked and stopped looking around. This question's answer would determine how to behave in the Numbered Oasis.

"Didn't you read the information that was given to you?" Miranda asked.

"I did. But that was quite ambiguous. I want to hear it from you."

Miranda sighed when she heard Eren's question and replied.

"I'm afraid my answer won't be any different. The synth bodies we use are not our real bodies even though they feel like it. So dying here shouldn't affect our main body and ultimately us for that matter."

Eren narrowed his eyes and replied, "I'm sensing a "but" coming."

Miranda nodded before responding soon after.

"In normal circumstances, dying here would mean your soul would find its way back to your main body eventually. Your body would be in a vegetative state till that happens. This state can last from a few minutes to days or weeks. The time varies according to the ranker's circumstances."

Eren was taken aback a bit when Miranda said it might take weeks for a ranker to wake up in his natal body after his synth body perished here.

He wondered if any of those who had taken weeks to wake up experienced something similar to him.

"Did those who died here find themselves in a different place they couldn't describe or meet with some thought that they couldn't visualize?"

Miranda looked at Eren funnily and chuckled before saying.

"No, silly. They just feel like they have been woken from a short nap. They don't experience anything or dream of anything.

It's like they close their eyes and die here. The next thing they know, they are back on their planet. They don't experience the passage of time their bodies or those who look after their bodies do."

Eren concluded that what had happened to him was completely different from dying in Gilaahan. He was wondering if he could bring back Tory with synth bodies. But it looked like things weren't going to be as easy as he was making them out to be in his head.

Eren dropped the subject of finding a synth-body option for Tory for now. It was indeed a viable option if he added those mysterious Lazarus pods into the equation. However, he needed much more information and experience to think about this project.

Plus, he needed to get his hands on those pods first before thinking about anything else. For that, he needed to travel to Latvia where the Lazarus pods were. For a ranker living in the Elysian city on another continent, this task was going to be difficult.

Even if he gets his hands on the Lazarus pods somehow, how was he planning to smuggle them back into the Phoenix without raising alarms? And this was assuming Raquel didn't get her hands on them first.

Eren believed that a huge part of the reason Raquel had decided to sabotage her lab and had the Lazarus pods stolen was that they could make synth bodies a permanent solution for those who she deemed fit. If these Lazarus pods were one of a kind like he thought they were, she wouldn't stop looking for them even now.

Eren had multiple roadblocks in his path to bringing Tory back to life. He didn't even know where he was supposed to find him as an Osho in Bourgy's Oasis. For now, he decided to focus on what was in his hands.

After settling the storm of thoughts in his head with his head down, Eren looked at Miranda once again before asking her another question.

"You said normal circumstances. What are the abnormal ones?"

Miranda was expecting Eren to raise the question. So she replied soon after.

"There are certain things here in Gilaahan that can kill you and make your body back on your real planet stop breathing for real. Artifacts and potions that can affect souls are present here. Ruins and dungeons that can trap your souls.

Array traps that can harm your soul after destroying your body are also dangerous. Mana beasts that have special powers. Even some restricted zones can replicate the damage you receive here on your main body.

Although these products are banned in almost every kingdom and illegal to use. Things like these do exist in Gilaahan, thanks to the various black markets."

Eren raised his eyes and gulped when he heard Miranda's words. He was glad that he didn't just stick to official information and asked her about this.

Miranda watched Eren's expressions and found some relief. She didn't want him to treat the physical death here as something very casual. Most of all, she didn't want a suicidal team member in her team who would jeopardize their missions because of his unfounded bravery.

She smiled mirthlessly before adding up.

"In short, dying is unacceptable here. It's bad for business. Regardless of the circumstances of your death. You were not given the synth body for free. The guild has paid a price for it, which it won't do next time.

You'd have to bear the cost of destroying your synth body and getting a replacement. Trust me, you don't want to hear the price for it with your current financial condition."

Eren felt like there was mockery hidden somewhere in Miranda's statement about his status as a broke ranker. But her expressions soon told him that was not the case. The price was going to be expensive even by a veteran Meta Ranker's standards.

Miranda allowed Eren to process what she had said to him for a bit before continuing in a serious tone.

"Furthermore, you can't just die and hope to have a new body every time just because you are rich. Synchronization with the synth body would continue to deteriorate until you would not be able to walk.

What's more? You are not spared from the pain just because it is your synth body. We call them synth bodies, but are they any different from our real ones? For me, it's as real as your natal one if not more.

I guess when the synth body dies, some part of you dies with it."

Miranda paused and took a deep breath before concluding.

"So… destroying your synth body here is bad. Like really bad. Understood?"

"Understood," Eren replied simply.

Miranda smiled and thought that she wasn't supposed to paint such a grim picture of Gilaahan for a newbie. As she walked toward Reece, she gestured with her eyes that Eren follows her.

"As long as you're careful and don't act like you are immortal, there's plenty of riches to be had in Gilaahan. Just waiting for you to claim them.

Come. Let's get you your first mission."