I'm having trouble with the next part so that might take a while. This whole set of omake was me trying something new. Hopefully it works out.
@occipitallobe EDIT: Actually should I edit this into the original post?
Emmanuel 2
An AEE Omake
Cobbled together
From your will and ambition
Is his legacy
The next time you heard from Ariadne was during a mission into the Shimmering Soup Sect's area. You received an invitation to dinner to an establishment called The Imperial Soup in the middle of Mogui City. It wasn't the type of place that you were familiar with. Generally, you ate food prepared by the nutritionists of your legion or on special occasions went to the thermopylae run by more specialized legions along with your shield-siblings.
That was incredibly different from this. It reminded you of the few times you had been invited by your centurion or anyone else from an older family. Rich food, private rooms and other amenities that would be available to guests from a host.
While thermopylae certainly had kitchenhands working as auxiliaries, the food there was generally prepared fast, delicious and energetic. The Imperial Soup seemed like it followed a different approach. They offered soup personalized to the eater and their cultivation similar to your nutritionists, but it seemed like a much more involved affair.
It was with some apprehension that you arrived there. It was a large building with its name written in stylized letters at the top of the building. A tower jutted from it's roof, part of some array that allowed the establishment to work. It made it seem much larger than the buildings around it.
The entrance was a large hall filled with many people, most from your realm but many also in foundation establishment. The atmosphere was rich with qi of a deliberately neutral nature. You tried to appear confident as you approached the staff. A mention of Lady Taurus had the man lead you down one of several hallways lined with private rooms until you arrived at the one you needed to be in. Ariadne and Eleanora were seated on a table talking to a man in a white uniform similar to other staff you had seen outside.
"Emmanuel, come in." Ariadne called, smiling as you entered. She was wearing an evening gown without any visible weapons, though you did wonder if a thread user would ever be unarmed. She waved you over and you noticed two extended seats on both sides of the table with both the ladies seated on each. "Have a seat and feel free to order anything from our server."
You paused as you looked at both of them and decided not to sit next to Ariadne. As a cultivator of the Taurus clan and personally powerful at the first pillar, it probably wasn't appropriate to squeeze in next to her. You glanced at Eleanora, who smiled probably guessing your thoughts and moved to make space for you.
"Thank you," You said as you took a seat. Eleanora was dressed the same as she had in training minus her quiver. Curiously, she seemed to have added a pair of jade bangles to her clothes though it was possible you didn't see them before.
You looked to the server as you settled in. He smiled at you with a pen and a piece of paper in his hand. "As it is your first time here, please allow me to guide you."
You nodded in acknowledgement and noted that no one had ordered yet. You turned back to him curiously. "What would you suggest?"
"Hmmm." The man takes a moment to think. "Can I ask you about your cultivation first? In case we need to account for anything."
You nod. "I'm a body cultivator who focuses on enhancing and manipulating the bronze in my body. Anything standard should be fine, I think."
"In that case, how about the meridian-cleansing soup paired with the demon-flushing spice?" He offered."It is a standard blend that aids the meridian opening process and encourages an open mindset for thinking."
"That sounds alright," You told him, glancing towards the others for their opinion.
"That sounds fine, Emmanuel. Mine is also a standard blend," Lady Ariadne said, answering your unspoken question. "I'm having the soul-reinforcing heartsoup and the dao-tempering hellspice."
You frowned, unsure what that did. "The Heartsoup simply reinforces your dao-heart," The server explains. "But the hellspice draws out your doubts. Together, they allow you to confront faults in your logic in order to think them through. It is popular among those in Foundation Establishment."
"That makes sense," You nod in understanding and then you glance at Eleanora curiously.
"I'm having distilled soul-severing venom." She said, an eyebrow raised. You glance at the server for an explanation but Eleanora answers first. "It's not really for cultivation. I'm mostly trying it recreationally."
"As the lady said, it's not something we've found a use for at the qi condensation level." The server explained. You nod in understanding. He takes the moment to note down your order and then hides both the note and the pen with a flourish. "Your order will be here as soon as possible."
He bows to each of you and leaves, closing the door behind him. Ariadne turns to you. "So while we are waiting on our order, why don't we start with your business? I'll be cultivating once we begin eating so we won't be able to later. "
"Right," You nod at that and then glance at Eleanora. "Should I give a breakdown of my family art?"
Lady Ariadne smiles encouragingly. "If I remember correctly, your father broke into the foundation establishment while chasing perfection of the blood of bronze. Have you made any personal changes to it?"
"I followed broadly as well as I understood it." You answered. "The art is known as the Body Sculpting Bronze Smith," You glanced at Eleanora who was listening attentively. "My father seems to be quite proud of the Blood of Bronze and was focused on increasing it. After studying under several smiths, he managed to combine it with my legion's body cultivation to create an art that concentrates and reinforces the bronze in our body."
Eleanora nods at that. "How did that affect the standard strengths and weaknesses of your bloodline?" She questioned you. You frowned at that but decided to answer.
"It amplifies both," You replied. "I'm stronger, tougher and recover even faster but my speed and reflexes are proportionally more slowed."
"And the next step was the application of the Taurus Alloying process?" You regarded her with some surprise. That was the next step but you were surprised by how she knew that. You looked at Ariadne for an explanation.
"Our arts showed some interesting effects when used together," Lady Ariadne explained. "In return for letting us explore that further, we agreed to teach her some of our secrets related to Living Bronze."
"It's the step I am currently on." You explain, looking over Eleanora with fresh eyes. With her bronze-sewn dress, you wondered if she was as unarmed as she seemed. "My father wrote that he performed it alongside meridian opening so that the process didn't accidently damage his internal qi flow."
"That would let you manipulate where in your body the bronze was concentrated." She said, thinking out loud. "Perhaps your father thought that things like concentrating it away from joints might limit the reduction in speed. Did it work?"
You shake your head. "Honestly, that was why I reached out. For whatever reason, the whole process somehow ended up weakening the effect he already had. While the increased metal concentration remained, it brought the improvements and weaknesses closer in line to other members of the clan. The only major benefits he kept was an increased mass."
"I see," She mused, looking at you thoughtfully. She glanced at Ariadne. "Did anyone from your clan have the same issues?"
She shakes her head. "We only practise our arts to create our threads and any alloying is done outside the body, so it isn't really an issue. How would you solve that issue, Eleanora?"
Eleanora shrugs. "I wouldn't know where to begin," She replies, her forehead creased. Then she turns to you. "Unless… even though the metal balances out, it's still present in high concentrations in your body right?"
You nod, wondering where she was going with this. "Yes, many of my fighting techniques take advantage of the increased mass."
She closes her eyes to think. "Then… if you could infuse the metal in your body with qi finely enough," She looked at you thoughtfully. "You should be able to amplify the effect of the bronze as long as you are channeling qi. I doubt it'll be useful to most of your sect, but it would be well worth the qi expended with your bronze concentration."
"You work with materials as well?" You ask her curiously. Obviously, she worked with bronze but as an outsider, it was unlikely she was specialised in that.
She nods. "My Jade Archer's Peerless Eye teaches the infusion of qi into materials at a very fine level to draw out their innate qualities. With your bronze, I can even selectively draw out the effects of tin and copper if I need to."
If you could add that to your clan arts... You glanced at Lady Ariadne who inclined her head in acknowledgement of your thoughts. Was that why Eleanora was here?
You turn back to Eleanora who's looking at you with an eyebrow raised. "Would you be available for a collaboration?" You asked her hopefully. "My father did a lot of research into smithing and the interaction of metal within the body. I would be willing to let you look at his notes in exchange for your own knowledge."
Eleanora nodded and glanced at Ariadne. "I can vouch for the value of those notes," She said, answering the unspoken question. "And I would hardly have brought you here if I didn't think the son wasn't trustworthy."
She nodded and turned to you. "I'd be lying if I said that wasn't on my mind when I came here tonight," She said, then paused. "Still, I'd rather not jump into an agreement so soon. How about we perform a few preliminary tests first?"
"I can make time on the coming rest-day," You offered, mind going over the logistics. You might need to skip the gymnasium.
Eleanora nods. "That sounds good."
"Well, this dinner was very productive wasn't it?" Lady Ariadne said, smiling and looking between you two. Then she settles on you. "Do you have any other questions for your Elder Sister before our soup arrives?"
You consider that for a moment. You didn't know if you'd have the chance to talk to her later and there was one question that you think you had to ask. "Well, this is something I've spoken to others about," You begin and at her nod you continue. "My shield-siblings and many others are seeking martial dao. Power, protection, battle and the like. I find that I'm not drawn to that but with the coming of the trials, I find myself wondering if I can afford not to take that path."
"What path are you drawn to then?" Eleanora asks curiously.
You shrug. "Honestly? I don't know at this point." You look at the table to settle your thoughts and then look up at Lady Ariadne. "At this point, it's hard to put a term to what I want to do. Perhaps I will seek physical perfection for its own sake? But combat doesn't call to me. I understand the need for it but the thought of dedicating my life to it simply seems… suffocating."
Ariadne looked at you thoughtfully."Are you aware of the history of my Great Ancestor?"
"Ariadne's Labyrinth," You said, nodding. It was a story you had heard growing up. "During a battle against another sect, a Nascent Soul level man-bull was released while our own equivalent warrior was occupied. Ariadne led a group of fellow creators to construct a world-maze in the middle of battle that trapped the beast until her father Minos could get free to kill it."
"It was one of the stories that inspired me to take her name. It was her purest moment of creation and it fueled her own cultivation for decades to come." Lady Ariadne smiles wistfully. "Her Dao was Creation yet her greatest creation was done in battle."
You frown. "So you are saying I should learn to apply whatever I pursue in battle anyway?"
"It's an avenue you can explore," She said instead, shaking her head. "My family is drawn to Creation but the weaving we practise primarily concerns the creations of battle. This is an issue many cultivators of our sect face and I can't give you the answer, only my answer. As they say 'To walk the steps of immortality, you must carve your own path'. I can only help you along the way."
You nod in understanding. You would need to think about that. "Can I add my thoughts on this?" Eleanora asks. "I think every cultivator faces this one way or another. In my opinion, you need to follow your heart. If your dao isn't truly your own, then regardless of the difficulties you face you would fail anyway."
You nod at that, considering both replies. "Thank you. Both of your experiences are sure to prove helpful."
Lady Ariadne waves you off. "It's no problem." She tells you.
"Well, I'm glad I could help." Eleanora adds, smiling.
For a moment there is silence as you consider anything else to ask. Then a voice interrupts you.
"I have your order." You turn to see a server stick his head into the room. He was carrying a platter of soup.
"Not at all, please." Lady Ariadne said, waving him over. He comes in, placing several bowls of soup in front of each of you.
"One Meridian-cleansing soup paired with the demon-flushing spice," He said, as he placed your order in front of you. You glanced at the other orders. Both of them radiated qi and for a lack of a better word felt incredibly spicy. Yours was a milky white soup that felt sweet.
"Thank you," You tell him and he nods before leaving.
You look at the soup for a moment and then back up at the ladies. "How should we begin?" You ask them.
"You just drink it and cultivate." Ariadne replied, mixing her soup. "Though I can get you another room if you need to do that. I'll be here till the morning and you wouldn't be able to cultivate next to me. Just don't disturb me and feel free to leave if you are done."
You glance at Eleanora who shrugged. "I'll be leaving once my soup is done. Usually you just book private rooms but Ariadne prefers company before she starts."
You nod. "Then can I trouble you for a private room?" You ask her and she nods. She calls for one of the servers and you are escorted to the room on the other side of the hall.
