Cultivation… I should be someone who has ties to cultivation or the Dao.
The only problem is… That knowledge barely narrows down the list of potential candidates that I have awakened…
I suppose it's pointless to think about it and just work on what I know first. Eventually there's bound to be more clues when I awaken more abilities.
There's another problem though… I may know about cultivation and the concept of Dao and all that through the stories I've read, but the thing is that I'm not really that big of a fan of the genre to begin with.
Like yeah, I get the Qi and the cultivation stages and what not but my knowledge of them are only surface level deep. I would definitely lose out in terms of knowledge of this genre if I were to compare myself to a hardcore fan of these types of stories.
Then again… I suppose just knowing the theory and actually applying it practically is different as well so there's still that problem too.
Earlier, I tried to do the meditation thing again where I gather the light balls which I suspect might be the Qi in the air to absorb them but it seems like there's way fewer of them after I absorbed them the first time.
I'm guessing that I've absorbed pretty much most of the ambient Qi in the air around this place and if I wanted more, I would need to go somewhere else instead.
Just to test it out, I decided that I would try moving a distance away from the camp to see if the amount of the Qi balls, which I have now decided to call them, increases.
I stepped outside of the tent, the area still bright with light despite being night time thanks to the numerous floodlights that had been set up around the area.
Almost immediately, Olivia appeared beside me as if she had been watching the entrance of my tent this entire time.
"My Lord? Is there something you need? Do you need another ice pack? Is your wound hurting you? Should we call off the expedition?" She asked, looking worried.
I never thought that she would be that big of a worrywart…
I guess I understand, if something were to happen to me, she would probably be blamed for it by her higher ups as well so she has to prioritise me above everything else.
"I'm fine, no need to worry. In fact, my bruise has already healed, see?" I assured her, lifting up my shirt to show that the bruise was gone.
"O… Oh. I… I assume this has something to do with your powers?"
I nodded, "Yes. Though now there is something I want to try. I need to move a distance away from here to try something which might help me better understand my powers."
"Then I will follow you, my Lord."
I frowned, "I don't think that's a good idea. You are still needed here to oversee the place right? Taking you away from here might disrupt the workflow. Furthermore, they would need someone to command everyone in case an emergency happens too and you're the only one here that can do that while I'm away. I will only go a short distance away anyway so it should be fine."
Olivia paused for a moment before nodding, "I understand. Please wait here for a moment."
She turned and left quickly, making me wonder just what she was trying to do.
I didn't have to wait long before she returned though this time with another person in tow. Or more specifically, a horse.
Ok, that was a little mean, but she brought along the centaur that had been fighting alongside with us earlier.
Now that I had a better look at the centaur, I could actually inspect their gear which I had been curious about earlier.
They were wearing full body armour which looked pretty bulky and heavy but they were walking around in it like it weighed nothing.
Also, it seemed like I was wrong about the armour being made of kevlar. The helmet that covered the centaur's head and the armour on both their human top and horse bottom seemed to be quite sleek in design and looked almost metallic, like it was something that was straight out of a sci-fi movie.
Even the front half of where their horse legs were was armoured up all the way down to the hooves.
They were still armed with that heavy machinegun they were holding in front of them. That wasn't their only armament either as another rifle was strapped to their back and there were grenades and several spare magazines strapped to their chest and abdomen.
They even had a rocket launcher slung to one side of their horse half as well.
This centaur was basically a walking infantry company by themselves.
Olivia bowed, "My Lord… It would not do to let you go alone so please take Leena here with you."
I suppose I can understand that sentiment. It would be foolish of me to think that I will be completely safe and able to deal with any Anomalies on my own. That was how one of the Mortal Gods died after all.
The centaur raised their arm to hold the bottom of the helmet, prompting it to let out a hiss as it released its lock and allowed the centaur to pull the helmet off their head.
It was only then I realised that the centaur was a female with how her feminine face came into view and she shook her long auburn hair that was tied up in a ponytail lose.
I also realised that the chest area that jutted out wasn't just because it was stuffed full of weapons but those were her boobs that looked like they were bigger than my head in size.
She saluted, "Leena, reporting for duty, my lord!"
She even acts like a soldier… Maybe because she's actually one?
I nodded at her, "I will be in your care then, Leena."
Olivia bowed again, "Please be careful, my Lord. You may be strong, but unexpected things can still happen."
"I will keep that in mind."
I turned and headed out of the camp, passing through several Vanguards and workers who stared at me as I passed by.
Naturally, I tried to ignore their gaze as I made my way outside of the camp. This was definitely something I needed to get used to with all the stares and whispering as I passed by.
I stepped out of the camp and allowed myself a moment to suck in a breath before relaxing slightly.
Leena turned to me, having already put on her helmet again which hid her face completely.
"My lord, is there a specific place you wish to head to?"
I shook my head, "I just need to head away from the camp. There's something I want to do."
"Understood, my lord. If I may be so bold as to suggest something, however?"
"What is it?"
"In the event that we meet an enemy force that we cannot defeat, may I be allowed to carry you and run back to the camp?"
"Of course. Please prioritise safety above all else."
"Understood, my lord."
I picked a random direction and started walking since I didn't exactly have a specific destination in mind. All I needed was to create some distance between me and the camp to see if the number of Qi balls I could gather would change.
The idea of riding on Leena's back did occur to me but I know that in some instances, it might be considered degrading for a centaur to have someone ride them so I wasn't sure if she had the same idea as well.
Anyway, it's not like I can't walk so I decided not to test the waters in case I accidentally offend her.
Both of us walked for a good ten minutes before I decided that this was far enough.
I was simply testing my hypothesis about absorbing the Qi balls to confirm if changing locations would allow me to absorb more of it so there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
"We'll stop here. I'll be meditating a bit so I'll have to rely on you to guard me, Leena. If any danger approaches, just grab me and run back to camp."
She saluted, "Understood, my lord."
"Oh… And I might start glowing as well so no need to worry about that."
"Is it safe to grab you while you are glowing, my lord?"
Honestly… I don't know but…
"Just grab me, no need to hold back," I decided.
She saluted once more, "I will protect you with my life, my lord."
That's reassuring.
I settled down in the lotus position again, focusing on my breathing once more and trusting Leena to protect me.
Since I've already done this several times, I entered the meditation phase a little faster than before and the Qi balls appeared around my vision again.
And it seems I was right… The number of Qi balls that appeared had increased which means I can move to other locations to gather them after I have done it once.
That's good to know.
Does that mean… In order for me to grow stronger, I have to travel around and absorb Qi balls from different places?