Chapter 53: Praying to Mr. Fool — Nyx's Choice!!!
Luke had a distinct feeling as if Miss Justice was looking at him with her jaw hanging low.
He gave the System a moment to process the request, no matter how odd it sounded inside his head.
Nyx was truly the most unique case when it came to Bioalchemy.
Technically, because of Luke bestowing Intelligence Quirk upon her for years in his childhood, she did have a Quirk.
However, that's also why she didn't have a Quirk.
When Bioalchemy's bestowed-Quirk became permanent, as Luke had found out after researching it in his previous life, it didn't result in a distinct gathering of Quirk Factors.
The Intelligence Quirk that had rooted itself in Nyx was now an inherent part of her, as if she had born Quirkless, but with a heightened intelligence.
That's why Luke could bestow more Quirks upon her. If he were to do the same with Nezu, it would definitely fail.
So, Luke waited for the System to confirm his logic.
After spending a year interacting with Miss Justice, he could hardly tell if she was truly a super-sophisticated AI or just a young adult female.
He dearly hoped it wasn't the latter because… that would be embarrassing and would kill him with social anxiety on the spot.
As Luke smiled at the humor, Mis Justice finally replied.
…
[
It — should work.
I mean, I have known cases where animals… smart animals, have become Beyonders, Luke.
If we go by that logic, Nyx, who possesses intelligence on par with many intelligent human beings, should be fine. Moreover, by being with you, she's already aware of the mystic knowledge and the dangers that stem from it.
But, it would be best not to take any chances regarding this, no?
If something went wrong, I wouldn't be able to suppress the mutations inside her.
]
…
Luke licked his lips.
He shared Miss Justice's reasoning with Nyx.
Sure enough, the moment she heard it, Nyx's entire body shook. "No… No! This is not good. I already thought of the image for my Cogitation!"
Luke smiled wryly. "What would that be…"
Nyx cawed out loud. "Momo's massive pair of… glbyup…"
Why did I even ask? Luke shook his head, holding Nyx's beak. Miss Justice, is there really no way around it? Can we not confirm it?
…
[Well, if you are willing to do so, you can ask Mr. Fool…]
…
Luke suddenly stood up, his blue eyes glowing. Yes! Why didn't he think of it before?!
Before consuming the Apprentice Potion, Luke couldn't use Ritualistic Magic as he had no target to pray to.
However, that had changed after his recent visit to Mr. Fool.
The System within him had strengthened enough to temporarily maintain a very weak connection with Mr. Fool.
Luke hurriedly set up a table with scented candles.
He then drew a pupilless eye on a piece of paper, as Miss Justice had taught him.
From the side, an excited Nyx watched everything as Luke poured essential oils onto the candles, lighting up the space within the wall of spirituality with a beautiful, minty aroma.
When it was all done, Luke took a moment to calm his heart, using Cogitation.
"Should I… use Hermes, Miss Justice?" he asked, remembering the strange language the System had taught him.
…
[
Normal language should work, but there's nothing wrong with being cautious.
So, this time, let's go with Hermes. Chant the words properly. We don't want you to end up contacting some wild, unknown existence.
]
…
Despite the solemn words, Miss Justice's voice felt humorous to Luke.
He took another deep breath and let it out, chanting out those words in an alien language.
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;
The Mysterious Ruler above the Gray Fog;
The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck."
…
For a moment, there was no reaction.
Then the gust of wind hit his face out of nowhere.
The flames of the three candles, placed in an inverted triangle position, burgeoned.
Instinctively, Luke felt a gaze upon him. In his vision, a mass of gray fog surrounded him, and — when he looked up — he found a silhouette seated on a massive, high-back chair — like a god.
"Can…" Luke gulped. "Can I choose Nyx as my first follower?"
As he had already discussed with Mr. Fool that he would be buying the followers' faiths by turning them into Beyonders, there was no need to mention exclusively what he intended to do with Nyx.
After a moment, just like His gaze, the word fell upon Luke as well. "Yes."
Then, like a snap of fingers, everything quietened.
Luke kept seated in his place, his back drenched with sweat, though. This was an experience like nothing. Even dying and then coming back to life hadn't felt so… unnerving and mysterious to him.
Taking a deep breath, and recalling Miss Justice's teachings, Luke put his right palm on his left chest, bowing.
"Praise be to Mr. Fool."
Then, he burned the paper resting between the candles before distinguishing the candles by rubbing the wicks between his spirituality-coated fingers.
"And?!" Nyx cawed, hopping right on the table, the candles falling off the table.
Luke couldn't help it and ended up smiling, making the bird go wild. Now I will need to get more Inorganic Ingredients from Momo…
…
[Oh, no!]
…
An alarm rang up inside Luke. What?! What happened, Miss Justice?!
…
[… I forgot to tell you something…]
…
"…?" Luke's blood pressure took some time to calm down.
…
[
It's about the Followers and how their becoming Beyonders would play out.
You already know the most important thing — Quirk Users can't become Beyonders.
What you don't know is that even if you give someone a well-brewed Potion, they still can't become a Beyonder.
There is more to it. So much more. But, first, let me tell you a piece of good news — You don't need Momo's Quirk for those Potions.
We can create, semi-real Inorganic Ingredients using your Quirk, and add your blood to the potion, fooling the entire thing.
]
…
Luke's eyes widened.
This wasn't something he had thought would be possible.
Like his Quirk, which the scientists from the Blue Site had failed to copy in his previous life, despite having full control over Dr. Kyudai's research, Luke too had failed to bestow Momo's Quirk to Nyx. Much less needed to be said about another animal.
It was like some inherent shackles on Bioalchemy and Creation Quirks didn't tolerate tempering.
Of course, Luke, being Luke, had researched his way out of it, creating a new, blood-based Creation Quirk instead of Momo's lipid-based one.
However, the results failed to reach even 10% of Momo's capabilities, ending up getting discarded by Luke.
But, unlike Inorganic Ingredients, Luke could freely create Organic Ingredients.
So, with Miss Justice claiming that he could fill the gap with his blood…
…
[
Yes, we can use Blood Creation Quirk for those semi-real Inorganic Ingredients, but, of course, there's a catch to it.
First, the core powers granted by these Potions won't be permanent.
Beyonders will have to replenish these Powers by drinking these Potions periodically until they digest the mysticism within.
This is how Mr. Fool wished it to be, Luke.
We can't depend upon someone's loyalty as, technically, we are buying their faith.
These Beyonders would need to pray to Mr. Fool once their core powers run out. However, as they don't have me, these prayers will reach you. You can then bestow the next batch of potions to them.
Also, you can make it a reward-based thing, no?
It makes them dependent on you, and you can choose if a Follower deserves the next batch or not.
]
…
Luke kept silent. "What the second?"
…
[
Second, these Beyonders can only consume Potions of one Pathway, and not three like you.
Third, they would always remain a step below your current Sequence, as it's your blood that would be acting as an ingredient for them.
]
…
Luke didn't want to, but he ended up analyzing and coming to a conclusion.
This all felt to him a very well-thought-out plan to make sure that the Followers would never lose faith in Mr. Fool…
…
[… Maybe… You can think of it as a Subscription that you can't cancel…]
…
Luke smiled and then sighed.
Let it be… it wasn't like he would be forcing someone.
Thus came the time to ask the most important question of the moment.
Luke looked at Nyx and shared what Miss Justice just told him, and asked, "Which…"
"Seer!" Nyx replied instantly, holding her neck high. "I want strength… I want you to fill me up… with Quirks!!!"
**************
AN: Original Image of Luke as he sees Mr. Fool is available
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