What? I Actually Reincarnated As Stepping Stone In Another World?

"This..." Arthur exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise as he turned to the next page.

To his astonishment, it displayed a detailed illustration of human chest anatomy, complete with labeled body parts.

The drawing showcased the heart on the left side, surrounded by a cluster of elemental cores, exhibiting Rian's impressive knowledge of human anatomy.

It was evident that Rian was a true genius, well-versed in the complexities of human body parts.

"Perhaps it's because he's a killer that he knows so much about the human body," Arthur pondered, his thoughts racing for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"Yes, that must be it!" he exclaimed, his certainty and conviction evident in his voice.

He then turned his attention to the bottom page, which contained an in-depth explanation of the theory Rian had mentioned, and he read it attentively.

After immersing himself in the text for half an hour, Arthur shook his head, a smile gracing his lips.

He felt as though he had stumbled upon a new continent!

"Crazy, what a crazy thought!" Arthur muttered, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"I never considered it from this perspective before—that if I read this theory without any prior knowledge of the entire novel process, I might think Rian was crazy!" He exclaimed in disbelief, releasing a small sigh.

Rian's theory of mana manipulation was undoubtedly unique.

Typically, mana manipulation involves gathering mana through the heart and channeling it to the core.

Afterward, the core would distribute mana throughout the body, allowing the formation of elemental arts.

However, in Rian's theory, mana is not collected through the heart but through a rather substantial component of the human body—the brain.

From there, it is channeled to the Core.

Never once did Arthur consider such an idea, as he believed the brain to be entirely vulnerable, and the thought of sacrificing himself as an experimental subject was far from appealing.

Yet, with Rian's theory now before him, he couldn't help but reconsider how it might actually function.

In Rian's book, the explanation halted at that point.

After all, Rian himself had not perfected the theory, and it took several more months of dedicated work.

"I truly desire to study and delve deeper into this, but it appears that time is slipping away," he murmured as he closed the book, aware that night would soon give way to morning.

Feeling fatigued and yearning for sleep, he returned the book to his space pouch and settled onto the bed, his mind still pondering the intricacies of the theory.

Yet a sudden realization crossed his mind, causing his face to contort slightly into a frown.

"By the way, I left Runa while she was still asleep," he said, releasing a small sigh as guilt washed over him for leaving her behind.

"I hope she forgives me for departing without her permission in person and only leaving her a letter," he added, a faint smile crossing his face, feeling somewhat reassured.

Gently lifting the blanket, he turned his head to look at the white fox, who remained fast asleep. 𝙗𝒆𝒅𝒏𝙤𝒗𝒆𝙡．𝙤𝒓𝙜

"This little fox is truly like a lazy pig," Arthur chuckled, running his hand through her soft fur.

He then closed his eyes slowly and drifted into a peaceful slumber.

...

Morning

Arthur and Vivian pressed on with their journey towards Arkham, seated comfortably in their horse-drawn carriage.

Glancing at the passing scenery, Arthur turned to Vivian and inquired, "It seems like we'll arrive in Arkham tonight, right?"

Vivian nodded, a gentle smile gracing her lips. "Yes, most likely we'll reach there tonight at this carriage's speed."

Taking a casual sip of her tea, she spoke in a relaxed tone, savoring the moment.

Hearing this, Arthur didn't reply immediately.

Instead, he leaned back, crossed his legs, and let himself relax.

His gaze fixated on the teacup resting on the table as he lost himself in thought.

Eventually, he looked at Vivian and asked, "By the way, Mother, can you continue your story?"

Arthur's tone softened slightly, and upon hearing his request, Vivian paused for a moment with her teacup in hand.

Taking a deep breath, she carefully set down her teacup.

"Are you sure you want to hear it, my dear?" Vivian looked at him with a hesitant expression.

Last night, she had contemplated deeply and started to doubt whether she should tell him this.

After all, what his brother had done was terribly cruel, and she feared that Arthur might be influenced by it.

She loved Arthur dearly and didn't want her son to change after hearing this.

Arthur himself was slightly surprised to see Vivian acting like this, as she had appeared relaxed before.

"Could Emperor Alex's actions really be so terrible that he killed his own wife?" He pondered, his head lowered in deep thought.

Soon, he raised his gaze and looked at Vivian.

"Please don't worry about that, Mother," Arthur answered confidently.

"Because the more I learn about Emperor Alex, the more I know about him." He held her hand reassuringly and spoke calmly.

Upon hearing Arthur's words, Vivian let out a small sigh, knowing her son had been stubborn since he was little.

"Alright, please listen." Vivian spoke lightly and began to explain.

"Do you know about the Light Elemental Art, my brother, Emperor Alex, which is famous throughout the Balka Empire?" Vivian gazed deeply at Arthur and asked him.

Arthur nodded and replied casually, "Of course, I know a lot about it."

"The Elemental Light Art is widely renowned in the Balka Empire and perhaps throughout the entire continent due to its devastating and destructive effects, earning it the name 'The Land-Destroying Elemental Light Art!'" Arthur praised it honestly.

This elemental art is incredibly powerful and kept at a secretive level.

He could only imagine that this elemental art was beyond his wildest imagination!

In the novel's description, it was revealed that Emperor Alex had used it during his battle against Emperor Savara in the past.

And in the upcoming war, he would lead the troops and wield this elemental art!

Vivian nodded upon hearing this, but her expression didn't show admiration; instead, she seemed slightly worried.

Observing this, Arthur sensed that there must be a connection between Vivian's question and the Empress of Balka's death.

"Is there a connection between that elemental art and the Empress's death, Mother?" he asked softly.

As expected, Vivian nodded and sighed.

"Do you know how my brother obtained that elemental art?" Vivian looked at Arthur with some emotion.

Startled, Arthur rubbed his chin and began to think, but he couldn't recall anything related to it.

Seeing Arthur remain silent, Vivian quickly continued her words.

"It's because the primary condition to obtain that elemental art is by sacrificing the soul of someone beloved!" Vivian's words hit Arthur like a bomb, causing him to stand up from the sofa.

"Are you saying this is true, Mother?!" Arthur asked in disbelief.

However, he soon remembered that he had read an ancient book in the library that mentioned twenty types of forbidden ancient elemental arts.

These elemental arts were only possessed by special elemental holders, and among those twenty elemental arts were three light elemental arts!

Without waiting for Arthur to speak, Vivian resumed her words.

"I don't know the specifics of how he obtained and learned that elemental art that led to the Empress of Balka's murder." Vivian closed her eyes, and a wave of sadness washed over her.

She had a very close relationship with the Empress when she was alive, treating her like a sister.

Learning about her death at that time deeply saddened her, and she couldn't accept it.

But the harsh reality was in front of her, and she couldn't do anything about it.

Moreover, the Empress had been suffering from illness for a long time before eventually succumbing, all caused by her own husband, Emperor Balka!

Vivian knew this because her brother, Emperor Balka, had briefly informed her!

Arthur, who had been pondering, was now quite shocked and began to link this fact to the twenty ancient elemental arts he had read about.

"Did Emperor Alex study this forbidden elemental art?" He was slightly hesitant because the twenty ancient forbidden elemental arts were not extensively explained in the ancient book he read, leaving him lacking information about them.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at Vivian.

"Mother, I want to ask you," Arthur inquired.

Vivian, looking somewhat saddened, replied, "What is it, my dear?"

Taking another deep breath, Arthur furrowed his brow.

"Where did Emperor Alex obtain that elemental art, and was the sacrifice meant to happen slowly to the victim and not result in an immediate death?"

This was the core of what he wanted to ask because, as far as he knew, Emperor Alex seemed to have used that ancient elemental art even before the Empress died.

Hearing this, Vivian shook her head and answered, "I don't know how he learned that elemental art, but what I know is that since he started studying it, the Empress began to fall sick, and it eventually led to her death." Vivian responded softly, with a hint of sadness.

Arthur nodded, gaining some understanding.

The possibility was that the Light Elemental Art that Emperor Alex had learned must be related to the twenty ancient forbidden elemental arts!

"But... wasn't it said that the twenty ancient forbidden elemental arts had vanished into the river of history? So how could they resurface?" Arthur pondered, furrowing his brow.