"So what's the new ability?" John asked, his finger still on the book that was in front of him, not yet opening it.

Jake looked at him, slowly shaking his head. "I can't, not for this one," he said.

John nodded at hearing that. "I understand," John said. He picked up the small book and waved it slightly.

"Are you sure about this one though? Allowing me to read the content of whatever is inside?" he asked.

"Yes, take a look," Jake said.

John flipped through the first page. He read the contents, and without even going a few words deep, he paused.

"Where did you get this?" he asked.

"After the trial, the Whisper gave it to me," Jake replied.

"Your end-of-trial reward was this?" John asked.

"Yeah, is something wrong with it?" Jake asked.

"No, that's not it. It's too valuable for just the first trial. Information on how to advance your path—that's something you would have to go through a hellish amount of research to get," John said. He closed the book and placed it on the table.

"Let me explain how the nine levels of the paths work. I'm sure you already know that abilities exist within each level.

The end goal of all paths is to end at one exact spot. From what I know, the final ability or state of the Timeless path is something called the Chrono God.

Everything I do, every advancement I make, is all so that I can reach that final ability. But the thing is, the steps leading to the Chrono God differ from one person to another.

And it is all tied to their understanding of what Timeless is." He pulled out a piece of paper from his ring and placed it on the table. He took out a quill and ink as well.

He dipped it in and drew a circle at the top of the page. "This is the Chrono God, the final ability," he said, and then drew five lines from it and drew five more circles.

"Now, these five circles constitute your understanding of the path when you are at level eight, the stage before the final stage.

See how they are five different circles, right? That means on that level, everyone's understanding of Timeless is different, yet all headed to the same place."

From there he drew five lines from each of the five circles and created five circles attached to the five circles, making twenty-five more.

"Now I'm guessing you already understand what I'm doing," John said.

"I do. It's a pyramid scheme of sorts, and it's all tied to the person's understanding of the path that they have," Jake said.

"Exactly. And that's why even if records of people with the same path exist, there will be differences that exist.

You can use them as a reference on what to do, but you can never really copy any. That's how the paths work," John said. He picked up the book again.

"But this—this is so different," he said, opening the book and flipping through the pages. "This is an actual guide that's for you and you alone." He paused, eyes lingering inside the book. He looked up.

"But I have never heard of the Path of the Broken Logic.

From what I understand, there are thirty known paths, and there are a few hidden and unique ones as well. Maybe this one is one of them.

If your path is one of them, then it is a blessing and a curse. You use a power that no one can prepare for, but you also won't be able to gather resources to grow.

Honestly, this book might be your best information source right now, because beyond that you would need to dig and dig and dig to get something valuable," he said, picking up his cup and drinking what was left inside in one go.

Jake looked at the book. He let out a silent sigh. I can't tell him that the Whisper said it was a discontinued Chosen Path. I don't think that's information that I should give that easily, Jake thought.

"But if I wanted to, say, read some books and gather some information on the issue, where would be the best place to go?" Jake asked.

"That would be the city library. It's the massive building next to the house of the Count that governs Olen.

It's easy to find, and you just need to pay a carriage to take you there," John said.

"Thank you, that was all I needed to know," Jake said.

John pushed the book back to him and got on his feet. "If that's all, then I'll be leaving now. Oh, and we will be heading back to the ruins the day after tomorrow. The issue of the tainted still exists there, and with us getting that egg, it means we are on the right path," John said.

"I understand. I'll be here," Jake said. John walked up to the counter and placed a silver coin on it for the beer. Rogen glanced at the money and sneered.

"Since when did you pay for drinks here?" Rogen asked.

"I'm a bit happy today, so that's why," John said, already leaving.

After John left, Jake also got up. He walked to the counter. "Ophelia, it's time to go. Say goodbye to Rogen," Jake said.

Despite the fact that she was happy helping out, her eyes lit up when she could finally be back with Jake. She bowed to Rogen and was about to rush out.

"Wait up, kid," Rogen said and took out two silver coins. "Never work for free. Your skills are worth money," he said and handed her the coins. She gladly took them. "Thank you very much, Uncle Rogen," she said and walked out from behind the counter.

She held onto Jake's hand and they left the bar.

"Alright, so what do you want to eat? I'm sure I can cook something good today," he said.

"Meat. Lots of meat," she said, her eyes shining.

"Alright then, meat it is," Jake agreed.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.