After asking the kids in the carriage what had transpired after the three Magi showed up on the battlefield last night, he learned that they had killed over a hundred wolves in a single move.
The three were still speaking excitedly about it, they had been completely amazed by the Magi's fighting abilities last night. Adam, on the other hand, was thinking of something else entirely.
The number of bright spots that suddenly popped up in that mysterious space was also about the same… Adam connected the two dots and felt that it was too good to be a coincidence.
Thinking back to the scene he had seen when he first acquired the white lotus, Adam was slowly beginning to uncover the mystery behind this strange artifact.
In that scene, when the black-armored Magus activated the white lotus, all the other Magi died as a result… The lotus took the lives of those thousands of Magi. Close to four thousand, to be more precise…
Slowly, the veil was being lifted by Adam.
Suddenly, he thought of a terrifying possibility that caused him to shudder. The number of bright spots in the mysterious space should also be the same as the number of Magi that had died…
Adam subconsciously touched his forehead, his back drenched in cold sweat. The white lotus can actually absorb souls! And not just that… I'm also able to consume these souls and strengthen my own!
His mind was extremely conflicted. On one hand, he was beyond happy that he was able to acquire this heaven-defying artifact. But on the other hand, he feared what would happen if information about him possessing such a treasure was made known.
From now on out, he had to be extremely vigilant about it. He had no idea if soul-related artifacts were common or rare, but he still decided to stay cautious. If such artifacts were common, no one would bat an eye if they found out that he had a soul-related artifact.
But if they were rare...
Thinking of this, he looked at the three kids in front of him and asked in a slightly tensed manner, "What happened after I passed out? How did I get in the carriage? Who dressed my wounds?"
The children didn't think much about Adam's sudden change in behavior. One of them truthfully replied, "The blond Magus carried you to the carriage, and then a mercenary dressed your wounds and applied medicine."
Shit! Adam cursed inwardly. Was the Magus made aware of the white lotus?
He began to get nervous thinking about this possibility. But he soon calmed down and thought, No, I'm probably just overthinking things. How can an artifact that has the ability to vanish inside a person's body be so easily found?
Thinking this, he gradually calmed down. But still… I should confirm my speculations.
For now, he decided to get inside that mysterious space. He could still feel the presence of the lotus inside his body. To be precise, he believed that the lotus was actually inside his mind!
He decided to give it a try and closed his eyes. Soon, he entered a tranquil state, his breathing was stable, and his face calm.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself floating inside the mysterious space once again.
"Success!" Adam smiled brightly. The process of entering this space was very instinctual to him, similar to how a newborn baby would start using their limbs to crawl and move around.
He looked around and saw that the number of bright spots was about the same as the Magi that died in that vision. "As I thought… this lotus really did suck all their souls."
Adam swam towards the closest white spot and observed it. One by one, he observed the pure white spots around him and nodded. "So this is what a soul is…"
Some spots were smaller than the size of his nail, giving him a very calm feeling. Others were bigger than a watermelon, making his heart palpitate. There were even some that were bigger than boulders! Clearly, he wasn't ready to absorb these big motes of light.
Suddenly Adam's vision fell on one of the smaller spots that seemed a bit peculiar.
"Hmm?" His brows furrowed and he swam toward this mote of light. On the surface of this white spot, there were all sorts of colors flickering from time to time.
"What's wrong with this one?"
Adam thought for a long time and couldn't figure it out. Since he didn't feel any sense of danger from the mote of light, he decided to do just absorb it.
The moment he touched this white spot, along with the sensation of his soul strengthening, there was something else that Adam felt. And he was shocked by it.
A massive influx of information!
Inside the moving carriage, Adam, who had his eyes closed at this moment, suddenly trembled and his expression twisted. He began sweating profusely. This continued for a few minutes until he finally opened his eyes.
He took a large mouthful of air like he'd been suffocating for eternity. He grabbed his head and groaned. It felt as if a thousand ants were crawling all over his brain. His face had turned red and veins were popping on the sides of his temples.
The children panicked seeing Adam in such a miserable state. Another minute later, the pain subsided and Adam looked up at his three peers and spoke with difficulty, "I'm fine… My wound is acting up, I just need some sleep."
Without waiting for their reply, he closed his eyes and lay down. He then went through this new information, or rather, foreign memories that were suddenly inside his head.
After absorbing that white mote of light, not only did his soul become stronger, but he also received a small portion of the memories of, what he assumed to be, one of the many Magi that had died in that vision.
It took him a long time to sort out these new memories that were clashing with his own. Finally, just before sunset, he was able to organize these memories. Thanks to the strengthening of his soul, the whole process didn't seem arduous at all.
Adam opened his eyes and sat back up, he had a strange look on his face as he mumbled, "Herbalism?"