Hearing Ba Jogos's assurance, Ethan still remained skeptical.
Observing Ethan's hesitance, Ba Jogos picked up a piece of dried meat from the table, and then offered it with a prompt, "Just eat this, and then try to assume the poses from the book."
"Is this the jerky made from that meat Link gave us?" Ethan inquired.
Ba Jogos nodded affirmatively, reassuring once more, "Don't worry, you'll be fine this time."
After a moment's contemplation, Ethan accepted the jerky, biting into it without hesitation.
Immediately, a familiar sensation coursed through him.
His entire body felt as if it were engulfed in flames, radiating an intense heat.
"Follow the movements in the plan book now," Ba Jogos urged.
For Ethan, it wasn't a challenge at all.
He quickly assumed the stances illustrated in the training plan book.
It was then that he noticed the anomaly.
The power within him seemed to have mellowed, gently circulating throughout his body.
The sensation was not only warm but allowed him to perceive his body's growing strength directly.
"It's truly miraculous!" Ethan exclaimed in wonder. "How on earth is this possible?"
Such insatiable curiosity was the inherent nature of every Alchemist.
Ba Jogos pondered for a moment before explaining, "Think of these movements as a kind of special magic rune. Ordinary magic runes are drawn using specific materials and are activated when infused with energy. These movements, however, are executed using the body itself, channeling energy from external sources to amplify the body's strength."
Ba Jogos's elucidation was straightforward and made complete sense.
Yet, one had to admit that the creator of these movements was undoubtedly a genius.
"The handwriting here is different from the previous experimental records; it likely wasn't written by the same person," Ethan observed after the energy was fully absorbed.
Lana Mokos nodded in agreement.
Ba Jogos responded, "Indeed, it's not written by the same person. Rather, it might be written by an organization, not just an individual."
"You mean the creators of the Scrapyard?" Ethan inquired.
Ba Jogos nodded, continuing, "Based on what you've previously mentioned, the current world only understands the Ancient Kingdom through remnants and ruins, not from historical records. So, we can hypothesize that there exists a powerful deity who erased the history of the Ancient Kingdom to conduct some clandestine experiments."
"Of course, these experiments are vast, and this deity couldn't carry them out alone."
"Therefore, this mighty deity needed assistance."
"By the same logic, if this deity had allies, there would naturally be adversaries trying to halt these experiments."
"And this Scrapyard is just a place casually created by that deity to discard waste."
"But now, a problem arises: all these are mere speculations, with no concrete evidence to back them up. So, I need your assistance to uncover the truth."
Ba Jogos's expression turned grave, even slightly menacing.
Moments later, he regained his composure and once again addressed Ethan and Lana Mokos. "There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. I'm offering you this training plan book and will also provide you with enough of that meat until you have honed your bodies to their utmost potential. In return, you will need to give me the compensation I deem appropriate."
"What do you want us to do?" Ethan inquired.
If they truly had the chance to amplify their power, shattering the physical boundaries, it would inevitably result in a monumental leap in their abilities.
Ethan had no intentions of missing out on such an opportunity.
Lana Mokos felt the same.
Both possessed an astonishing drive when it came to matters they were committed to.
Furthermore, their understanding of the world was almost entirely aligned.
In their eyes, it was a world where might made right.
Only the strong could live a better life and possess all things.
As for the weak, even the right to exist was a grace bestowed upon them by others.
"I need you to ascend and see for me," Ba Jogos said, looking upward.
Even though they were indoors, with a ceiling above, Ethan and Lana Mokos understood exactly what Ba Jogos referred to.
At that moment, a hint of melancholy seemed to cloud Ba Jogos's demeanor.
He spoke with a distant cadence, "I've lived for an age, so long that I've forgotten the span of my existence. Yet, fragments of many events, especially those of the Ancient Kingdom, feel as if I've lived through them personally. But when I try to recollect, those memories become hazy."
"I believe I once lived above, for a time."
"Yet, when that was, I can't recall."
"Now, all I seem to remember is needing to be at a specific place at a specific time. But even those specifics elude me."
"I wish to reclaim these forgotten memories, and I feel the answers lie above."
Ba Jogos's current demeanor seemed off.
From him, Ethan and Lana Mokos could sense an ominous power, one that felt even more potent than that of the High Priest from the underwater palace.
However, Ba Jogos soon regained his calm, which allowed the two to breathe a bit easier.
"How do we ascend?" Ethan posed the question again.
Although it was now clear that the sky was an illusion, it appeared undeniably real.
Its height from the ground was unknown, and with magic rendered useless, there was no way to simply fly upwards.
"Leave the means to me. For now, focus on amplifying your physical prowess," Ba Jogos advised, subsequently tossing a bag of jerky towards Ethan and Lana Mokos.
With no other options, Ethan and Lana Mokos began practicing the exercises.
They exchanged insights, quickly grasping the nuances.
Within a day, their progress was astonishingly palpable.
"I reckon it won't take more than half a year," Ethan mused, sensing an internal gauge of his potential.
As it turned out, his assessment was accurate.
Just three days later, when Ethan and Lana Mokos approached Ba Jogos once more, the look of astonishment in his eyes was evident.
It seemed he had not anticipated the duo's rapid advancement.
"Then let's get started," Ba Jogos declared, leading the pair to an open area.
In the midst of this space stood a rudimentary ballista, stretching five to six meters long.
The slot intended for a bolt was replaced by a boat, carved meticulously from colossal bones.
In that instant, Ethan grasped Ba Jogos's intention.
"You're not thinking of launching us up there, are you?" Ethan inquired.
Ba Jogos responded as if it were the most natural solution, "What else? Do you have a better idea? Besides, this is now your only way out. Leaving in the manner that young man from the Mokos family did is no longer an option."
"How did he manage to leave?" Ethan's curiosity couldn't be contained.
The 'young man' from the Mokos family Ba Jogos referred to was naturally Lana Mokos's grandfather, the formidable figure who established the Azure Empire.
"Him? I personally sent him on his way," Ba Jogos began, "I opened a random space gate, and he took a leap of faith right into it. To think that he not only survived, but also founded a kingdom." There was a sense of wonder in his voice.
Hearing about this method, Ethan couldn't help but be astounded.
Venturing through a random space gate was perilous, unpredictable.
One could never be sure if they'd end up inside the belly of some monstrous creature, or in an utterly inhospitable environment.
The idea of risking another leap through a random space gate was something Ethan certainly did not want to entertain.
"Let's give it a try," Ba Jogos suggested.
Once Ethan and Lana Mokos settled into the bone-crafted boat, Ba Jogos produced two green bones, offering them as he explained, "These are bones from a peculiar creature, capable of allowing distant communication. Should you make it out there, use these to contact me."
"To think such wondrous creatures exist," Ethan marveled, accepting the mysterious object.
With everything set, they were ready for launch.
Ba Jogos triggered the mechanism, and in a blink, the boat carrying Ethan and Lana Mokos was catapulted, hurtling towards the sky.
Yet, in that crucial moment, the unexpected occurred. The once luminous sky was ruptured by an expansive black void.
Caught off guard, Ethan and Lana Mokos were propelled straight through this opening.
Even Ba Jogos hadn't foreseen such an anomaly.
"They should be alright, I hope so," Ba Jogos murmured to himself.
However, he couldn't fathom the astonishment overwhelming Ethan and Lana Mokos at that moment, a wonder surpassing even the sight of a deity.
As Ethan and Lana Mokos emerged from the void, they found themselves not in some speculated exterior world, nor in the laboratory of some powerful deity, but amidst the cosmos.
Stars gleamed in the vastness of space, their radiant shine contrasting the inky backdrop.
Distant nebulae shimmered in dreamy hues, utterly captivating.
Yet, what truly seized their attention was the colossal being that loomed before them.
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