The Oracle Paths

Jake let Jeanie falsify editable information like his weight, height, or species, then retrieved his brand-new ID card.

"Thanks."

The little fairy panicked again, blushing as she received his gratitude. Plainly, this didn't happen every day.

"I thought mage was an important status. Why, are you reacting like you're afraid of everyone?" Jake probed quietly.

He hadn't said anything from the beginning, but when he wanted to he could be very observant. The door at the bottom of the tower was padlocked from the outside. This detail in itself was already suspicious, but this Minmin's small size could have explained things.

The problem was that there was no window in this room either. In fact, he had not seen any form of ventilation large enough to let a tiny fairy like Jeanie through. Because of this, the tower was unnaturally damp and most of the walls and grimoires were eaten away by mold. It was not a healthy working environment.

If Jeanie didn't suffer from some form of social phobia, it could give the disturbing impression that she was trapped in this tower.

"Haha...ha..." Miss Rumplesky let out a bitter laugh upon hearing his innocuous question. "I get why you don't want to eat me. You have no idea what I'm worth. Even if it's slavery, even if I'm sequestered, I'm better off in this tower than outside. If I get out of here and walk around in plain sight, it will be wonderful if I can watch the next sunrise."

"That bad?" Jake was taken aback. "If your species, the Minmins, doesn't suffer from racism or discrimination, and the humans of Icarden aren't traditionally cannibalistic, then your body or part of it must have some exceptional value or properties."

He found it hard to imagine what that might be. The notion of material wealth, or value through scarcity didn't mean much to him, but perhaps not to other Evolvers. Still, it seemed excessive to him to persecute a sentient, almost human-looking race for its taste. It was an acceptable reason from other alien species, but not from other humans.

"No need to maintain suspense. The Minmins' treatment on Quanoth is not much of a mystery. Those still alive are hiding in the Xatathtorgits' primeval lands, or have sought refuge in Ret'Asi for the ones with a human appearance like me. In either case, our status is close to slavery." Jeanie lamented without hiding her dismay.

"I was told that our sweet and fruity flesh tastes good, but indeed most humans condemn cannibalism and the Empire of Ret'Asi does not allow it either. However, Minmins do not always look human like I do and in this case they have no choice but to isolate themselves completely. No, the reason my people have been hunted to near extinction is because of the benefits you get from our consumption. Even humans are willing to perjure themselves to get a bite of a Minmin..."

"I see." Jake yawned listlessly. "If there's nothing addictive about your flesh, then eating you is probably a shortcut to more power."

This puzzle was less convoluted than he had originally feared. Jeanie was shocked by his profound indifference, but inwardly she still thought it was because he didn't yet clearly understand their value.

[Jake, keep in mind that the species created on Quanoths are based on those of the Players who participate or have participated in the past.] Xi pointed out in a low tone. [Minmins also exist in the Mirror Universe and are persecuted there as well.]

'Hmm? Let me guess. Did those memories just come back to you?' Jake teased the Oracle AI.

She had a recent knack for divulging information after he had already heard the gist of it from someone else. He suspected she was enjoying his clueless reactions every time he learned something new that she already had in her database.

[Correct.] She replied laconically. Of course, she would never admit that she loved being a know-it-all teacher, or her dignity would be gone.

[Back to the topic, Minmins are a special kind of fairy. Their nature is more like that of a Spirit and they are born from the elements, Mana, Aether and sometimes even imagination. Some folk legends ended up being verified years later in this way. As opposed to a demon, often born from the negative thoughts of other living beings and a lot of energy, Fairies appear in sentient worlds or a place, nature, or even the Planet itself has developed a form of sentience. These Fairies are then a manifestation of its will and its generally compulsively devoted to maintaining its balance.]

[The Minmins are a manifestation of the Mirror Universe's will to resist, or the Oracle's according to some. A defensive measure that was thought to help Evolvers fighting Digestors survive better and quickly become stronger. Do you see the color of the halo enveloping Jeanie? Doesn't that remind you of something?]

Reacting to Xi's words, Jake scrutinized the little fairy in front of him more intently, who suddenly felt like a piece of meat in front of an expert butcher. Whether it was the halo or Jeanie's long electric blue hair, there was nothing special about it. When he scanned her, however, he got a very surprising result.

[Level: 21 (Digitized)]

[Species: Minmin (sub-fairies species)]

[Class: Intermediate Magic Appraiser (10% intelligence, perception and extrasensory perception per level)]

[HP: 1 (Regen: 0.033HP/d)]

[MP: 10000]

[Strength: 0.1]

[Agility: 1]

[Constitution: 0.1]

[Vitality: 1]

[Intelligence: 3100]

[Perception: 3.1 ]

[Extrasensory Perception: 31]

[Luck: 0]

Water Mana Core lvl 10]

[Reference for an adult human jobless level 1: HP:10, stats: 1.]

Jeanie could use Water Magic, but had chosen Magic Appraiser as her Soul Class. That explained why she was in this tower, but that wasn't what caught his eye.

At the sight of her stats and the halo surrounding her, Jake immediately made the connection with the Cyan Intelligence Aether. It wasn't exactly the same color, but close enough to arouse his suspicions. Her Bloodline's description confirmed his assumptions.

[That's right.] Xi confirmed solemnly. [You can't see it on her digitized status, but her Intelligence Aether stat is also identical. Devouring a Minmin instantly gives you the points of its master stat in all three Aspects, and there's no trade-off. Whatever your initial situation, devouring Jeanie will substantially improve your Aether and Body Intelligence.]

[You won't get exactly 3100 points if your stats are much higher, but consuming a Minmin will also condense the Intelligence Aether already present and purify your cells and soul, so that in the future you can easily increase your stats without having to go through high-grade Aether. So devouring Minmins is indeed a dream shortcut for anyone who wants to get strong fast regardless of the moral consequences of their actions.]

After these revelations, even Jake was tempted to have a taste of the little fairy. Of course, that was just a passing thought. At the end of the day, he still had ethics and principles preventing him from doing anything or he would have become a criminal long ago.

The truth was that most people were like Jake. Even if they knew that devouring an innocent fairy could grant them immense power, few would have the cruelty to act on it if they weren't completely desperate.

The problem was that it only took one person out of 100 or 1000 to be determined and unscrupulous enough to make the lives of Minmins a living hell. In a large, secure city like Lodunvals alone, that meant that at least a thousand people wanted to at least capture her to sell to the highest bidder, or at worst eat her themselves.

Now that Jake knew her situation, he could decide that it wasn't his business and go his own way or protect her at the risk of affecting his own Ordeal. While he felt sorry for these Minmins, he couldn't save them all without any retribution. He was neither a saint nor a philanthropist.

However, if this Jeanie was willing to keep his secrets and assist him on his journey, he could make an exception. Jake was still a gentleman at heart. He couldn't decently ignore the cries for help from a cute girl in distress.

As he headed for the door to leave the room, Jake turned his head to the little fairy flying nervously behind him and asked in succession,

"Do you know where the Celestial City is? How do you judge your understanding of Quanoth? If you know what I am, can you be of any use to me?"

With renewed hope, the fairy nodded hurriedly,

"Jeanie knows all about Quanoth! All Minmins are like encyclopedias!"

The corner of Jake's lip lifted as he heard her confident statement. He needed an excuse to ask her to come with him, and she desperately needed someone to protect her from that tower if she was going to survive this end of the world.

"In that case follow me. I'll protect you." Jake stated impassively.

No grandiosity, no heroic pride, just honesty. As long as he gave his word, he would keep his end of the bargain no matter what it took.

With this oral promise, a man who wasn't really a man, and a fairy who wasn't really a fairy, left this great tower of wet stone together to begin a great adventure. Trash, who was waiting for them downstairs, ran after them and the forged identity card passed the guards' control without a hitch.