“The greatest and the rarest Resources are often the most overlooked Resources.”

 

“Yet, I do not talk about the Physical Resources.”

 

“Neither am I talking about the Spiritual Resources?”

 

“No. I am talking about Instructors.”

 

“A bad instructor will be just there to provide the Resources.”

 

“A good instructor will provide the Resources.”

 

“A good instructor will nurture the Individual.”

 

“A good instructor will nurture the Guide.”

 

“Ultimately, a good instructor will create the Next Generation.”

#30 Quote - Book of Races and Species.

 

*

 

Central Continent - Wild Zone - Ho’ney

Out of all the things I have achieved today, nothing beats rubbing and petting this ‘oversized’ creature with a stocky build, black and white fur, and beady eyes.

 

True, without the calming effect radiated by my Sphere of Perception, Maximus would have ripped me apart. 

 

Or at least, he would have tried. I doubted his teeth or claws would pierce through the barrier, I could spring forth instantly by collapsing the Sphere of Perception back to a skin-tight natural state. 

 

Even if his teeth and claws were magical, or something like that, and pierced through that barrier by any chance, when every single cell in my body is one giant field emitter, energy transfer from cell to cell is near perfect. 

 

That includes any kinetic force hitting me.

 

It would take but an instant of Intent, for the designation of the energy distribution and any force hitting me to be transferred to the ground or returned back on the opponent.

 

All in all, with Auril, I became a superconductor for quite a few forces and energies.

That aside, my new and improved eyes stared at the content face Maximus gave off. 

 

With them, my vision returned to the normal human one I had before, or at least how my memories told me I once had.

 

And with them, I observed Maximus as best as I could before my eyes shifted to the horizon around us. 

 

It's so nice seeing Reality with my own eyes. But there is time later for enjoyment.

 

“Maximus.” I said. Instantly his attention switched on, and while it was hard to read his beady eyes, I once again saw some alertness inside them.

 

“How about you introduce me to your Family.” I proposed to him. The last word was a bit more nuanced so he would understand its meaning.

 

“Grrr” 

 

Whoops, I can't read him like I could read Alexander.

 

Still, while I couldn't read his exact thoughts, his body language was familiar. 

 

“Don't worry. I won't harm them. Trust me. Let's go.” I repeat and stop petting and rubbing him. Yet, despite me saying it, it took a few more words of conviction and a physical nudge to have him guide me.

 

I simply had no idea where they were, and while I could navigate the Savannah without a problem. I am not actually that proficient in it. Living more than a decade concurrently with Alexander had given me enough know-how to survive, and with Auril by my side, survival only became easier.

 

Still, I will probably get lost anyway trying to explore Reality.

With Maximus as my guide, we slowly made our way to his home, yet it still took about a half hour of walking, as Honey Badger's territories were huge.

 

Once I saw the immediate area, I instantly recognized we were there. Although, seeing the giant hole only made it that much more apparent.

 

Coming closer to their Den, my Sphere of Perception overlapped it, and inside I saw three Honey Badgers. 

 

One mother and two of her cubs.

 

Nonetheless, when my Sphere overlapped with their Den, I pierced Magi’s instant alertness. Within moments she came outside to search for anything bothering her. 

 

I was neither surprised that she sensed my Sphere of Perception, as I was not particularly trying to make it subtle. But my inner mind figured that Honey Badgers, who had spent far more time in my Dream Realm, were far more familiar with its sensation.

 

Anyway, when her beady eyes came to rest upon Maximus and me, I recognized an instant alertness/confusion spike inside her.

 

My presence caused both, but I knew the perfect counter for that.

 

“Magi, my dear. It is so good for us to finally meet for real.” And she was gone.

 

Her body stilled just like Maximus had done. “Don't worry about her, Maximus. You did the same when you heard your given name. Give her some time to acclimate.”

 

“Hgnh” A snort of agreement, or at least I assume it was what reached my ears. 

 

“Go stand by her side or go inside the Den and look after the cubs. I will come and pay a visit again later.” Instantly I concocted a plan for the future. 

 

With no excuse but work, this became the perfect opportunity for me to have a better relaxation trip. 

 

At the same time, I would provide and teach the two parents about this and that.

 

“Hgnh” Maximus snorted again at me.

 

Giving him a few more pats and rubs, I shifted my awareness inside me and searched for a connection that I knew was there. It took me a few moments to realize that I did not need to search for it because I am the connection. 

With simple Intent shoved inside me, I instantly vanished from Reality and returned to my Dream Realm. 

 

Exiting through the Arching Portal and its shimmering Stars, my next thought brought me beside Goldy on the observational platform.

 

“Master. Congratulations on your success.” Goldy said.

 

Nodding, I reply. “Thank you, Goldy. It was a success for the most part. We'll talk later about the details. There is something that I have to do immediately.”

 

“Yes, Master.”

 

With that said, I vanished and appeared in the Galaxy Core, where black was king. 

 

Not even bothering with taking any stupid meditation poses, even if I could take them now that I am back in a humanoid body, I just left myself floating there. With some distance away from Alexander, I focused on my inner physical self. 

 

Specifically, I focused on the cells my body had suddenly gained, and there were a lot of them.

 

Because the Ascendancy happened without any of my input, I was left with half of my body being able to produce Auril and half belonging to an average mortal. 

 

That had to be fixed, asap. 

 

Primarily because the distribution is spotty in quite a few places.

 

The fix was easy. I just had to have my produce new cells containing parts of my Consciousness and replace the ones that do not have. 

 

The method was not only safe, but the process was automatic. All it took was Time and Auril.

 

During this… recovery/enhancement, I came to the simple conclusion that Original Mir liked to play games. 

 

He left out a few things here and there. 

 

Probably some test of his. Or maybe an adventure to be discovered. 

 

*

 

Central Continent - Wild Zone - Magi

 

Once again, Magi felt that special feeling of being back inside that unique and colorful place.

 

It bathed over her. It soothed her alertness away with ease, and all that was left was calm/security, and contentment.

Every time it came to visit her and her mate and their cubs, he would teach them a few things. 

 

Usually, it was names for stuff, alongside explanations of what they defined and some of their purposes.

 

Most of it went over her head, as she could neither replicate the sounds he made. Nevertheless, some had stuck with her. 

 

Of those that did, Snack names were the easiest to recall.

 

Today she was expecting something similar when she felt him. 

 

Yet, today’s visit was special even to her, much less to her cubs.

“Magi, how are you today.”

 

Again the growls out of its mouth made no sense to her. Somehow she understood that this two-legged being of her kind wanted to understand her health.

 

“Hngh” Snorting in reply, she stood on her rear legs. Her front paws flared around as if expecting something. 

 

Something she had only recently learned from this being.

 

Something he called a HUG.

 

*

 

Central Continent - Wild Zone - Ho’Ney

 

With abandon, Mir grasped Magi’s outstretched paws and guided them on his shoulders. 

 

What followed was a growling/cheek rubbing and sniffing session that could loosely be called a Hug.

 

Done with Magi, Mir turned to Maximus and repeated the same hug.

 

In all honesty, it was an unneeded gesture to teach them, as they still did not have the actual mental capacity to understand all the social inclinations of Mir’s hugs. 

 

But Mir decided it was a nice start to making a difference in their life. 

 

Especially, for the future, for when they achieve Humanoid form.

Done with both of them, Mir sat down on his ass, and two adult Honey Badgers followed in his footsteps, and the moment Mir was down on the ground, two smaller Honey Badgers began to climb into his lap. 

 

They did all that in favor of receiving their scratches/rubs and pats. 

 

“Gosh, you two are so cute.” Mir said with all his heart. 

 

Yet, he also knew it would not last. 

 

The Cubs are already nearing adolescent size at nine months of age. The stage where the mother usually kicks out the growing children to make a living for themselves. 

 

Most species did that, and most reasons stemmed from biological needs. 

 

Still, female Honey Badgers never returned to the mating scene immediately. They always took some time for themselves. 

 

Hmph. Almost as if it was vacation time for single mothers. 

 

I know my intervention worked. The cubs will grow much bigger than the typical Honey Badger. 

 

I just wonder if it will rival Magi and Maximus.

A bit of time passed as Mir played with the cubs when, all of a sudden, his right paw freed itself of the insistent attention it garnered and summoned forth the ultimate treat for a Honey Badger.

 

It was made in a hexagonal pattern. 

 

From the hexagonal patterns flowed liquid natural sugar, Honey.

 

The Honey had come from Mir’s Dream Realm, as it could be utilized as a storage place. Still, it had taken Mir quite a few tries to find the right way of making use of it.

 

Either way, only a fist-sized Honey Comb appeared. Mir knew that, as the ultimate treat, it had to be repeatedly and sparsely used for the best effects. Therefore, he had taken just a few Honey Combs from a large bees nest.

 

It was simple for him, as his Sphere of Perception became the crutch of thievery. Not only does it show him where and how much there was, but it could also calm down the bees if used properly. 

 

Even if that approach had not been viable, Mir could still collapse the Sphere into a skin-tight barrier around himself. That way no bee would ever be able to hurt him.

The cub's reaction to it wasn't that spectacular, as they had not come across it before, but Magi and Maximus's reactions proved that they knew what Mir led in his right paw.

 

“NO!” Mir said to them sternly. “This is for the Cubs.”

 

“Grr” “Hngh”

 

Clear rebellious growling ensued as four beady eyes stared at the HoneyComb in Mir’s hand. With such a delicious treat before them, there was no way these adult Honey Badgers would ever deny themselves the pleasure of liquid Honey. 

 

When the two adults stood up to fight for the tasty treat, Mir knew it was time to teach them some facts. 

 

Hence, he used the greatest card a parent could ever use on their children, Shame. Only in his case, it was amplified and better transmitted.

 

“You two don't deserve it.” Mir said with an unmistakable delivery of Shame. ”You two destroyed all the nests in your territory. THUS, NO, HONEY, FOR, YOU, TWO. Don't look at me like that. If you had taken less from the nests in your territory, you could have at least had some Honey from time to time. Now you don't get any. Sit down.”

 

Whining and yelping their protest, they sat back again. But their eyes never left delicacy in question, and from their mouths echoed a sort of purring sound. 

 

Similar but different to cats.

 

Really, it's so much easier when you can just project emotions to others. 

The two adults aside, Mir broke up a bit of the HoneyComb. 

 

Instantly, some of the honey stored in the hexagonal pattern began to flow away, yet it never got far as Mir was careful to use every tiny bit of it. He delivered it directly under the cub's noses. 

 

As if instinct took over, the tiny piece was gone in a second. The two cubs even licked everything from the fingers. Only when they desired more did they realize that there was far more in the other paw.

 

What ensued was a fight between Mir and delirious Honey Badgers Cubs in their desperate desire for more sweets. 

 

Well… not really a fight, per se. 

 

However, it could be understood that way, as Mir desired to instill some obedience into them.

 

The results? Barely there, even after he used emotional projection as a test. And this being a test, Mir did not actually go hard on them as he did with their parents. 

 

Still, it did not take long for the honey to vanish inside their little stomachs. 

 

Following that, another licking scene occurred. 

 

After that came the begging. But when there was no more, it had to eventually stop. Yet, they did not stop on their own. 

 

No, Mir grabbed them by the loose skin on their neck, similar to how it was done with cats. Once each one of them was grabbed into one paw, he gripped and lifted them into the air. 

 

Immediately, their beady eyes stared at Mir directly, and inside them, Mir saw no remorse. 

 

“Little rascals, there is no more Honey. If you behave, maybe, I will bring more next time I come.” As the three of them stared at each other, Mir stayed silent and ignored the whining and yelping of the little buggers. 

 

In the end, it was Mir that gave up with a sigh as the cubs did not want to stop yammering for more Honey. 

 

With the defeat, Mir placed them back on the ground, yet as if the cubs were full of energy, they did not stop pestering Mir for more Honey. 

 

Realizing the said fact, Mir resigned himself with a sigh one more time and began playing with them. All in the hopes of tiring them as much as possible. 

 

Still, it wasn't such a bad thing, as Mir enjoyed himself as well.

Either way, that too was a learning experience for two adults, as Mir commented from time to time, to nobody in particular.

 

His goal was for Magi and Maximus’ to get used to the complex sound catalog,  also called a Language. 

 

Contrary to this case, with Mir cheating, even if they did not understand, the sheer exposure meant that over time, their brains would store and categorize the sounds as much as possible. 

 

In all Mammalian species, babies get exposed to a language, even in their mother's womb. The only difference is the complexity behind them.

 

That old saying of ‘To get ahead in life you have to cheat.’ does have its merits. 

 

Everything is so much easier when you can infuse Intent and Meaning into every single sound you make.

As the hours passed by, soon in the distance, the horizon began to blur the divide between day and night. 

 

With that as the clue, Mir’s time for the day's visit came to an end. 

 

With another practiced hug from Magi and Maximus, he vanished from their vision. 

Back in his Realm, Mir appeared beside Goldy on the Observation Platform.

 

He gave Goldy one look and saw Goldy doing Goldy stuff. So he ignored him and entered inside the Laboratory that was still missing a ton of Laboratory stuff. 

 

Nonetheless, what it did not miss was a comfortable couch. 

 

While it was made out of obsidian gold, if Mir wanted it to be comfy for his bottom, it had no choice but to be comfy towards his bottom.

Once he was seated down, Mir’s mind replayed all the things he had done up until this point with the cubs, and like a small stream, all of the gathered emotions trickled away. 

 

They were not lost or erased away. 

 

No, they were stored, but only a thought separated them from being recalled.

At that point, Mir tapped his forehead. And from inside his skull, a fist-sized glowing ball emerged.

 

What emerged was a Soul. 

 

A soul Mir acquired from a World Spirit. 

 

It was inherently linked to him, yet this one was a bit special because it used to be smaller. 

 

Much, much smaller, than it was now. 

 

After some testing and probing, Mir had figured out how to manipulate its size. 

 

Being able to do so presented Mir with the perfect opportunity.

 

So, glad I made that Deal.