Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 20: Chapter 20 — A Quiet Routine

Chapter 20 — A Quiet Routine

Jacob and Victor walked through the market, each holding a strange vegetable-like food called bodun. At first glance, it looked almost like corn on the cob, with rows of small green kernels packed tightly around a long body. Instead of the white cream Victor remembered from elote, an orange sauce covered the surface, followed by a light dusting of red spice.

Jacob had introduced Victor to bodun several weeks ago, and it had quickly become one of his favorite foods in the Tower. Victor took another bite as they walked, savoring the rich, savory flavor. It reminded him strangely of steak from Earth, with an earthy taste almost like mushrooms. The orange sauce added a slight sweetness, while the red spice left a pleasant warmth on his tongue.

Victor took another bite.

The market was beginning to quiet down for the night, though it was still far from empty. Lanterns hung above the stalls, casting warm light over the crowded streets while merchants called out to the last few customers. The smell of cooked meat, spices, and unfamiliar fruits drifted through the air.

After a month in the Tower, this had become almost routine.

Work.

Dinner.

Then back to their quarters.

Victor took another bite of his bodun before something caught his attention.

Across the market, a familiar face sat on a wooden bench.

Kevin.

Victor immediately remembered the Quartermaster’s office from his first day. Kevin had been the good-looking one arguing with Edward, who had accused him of messing around with his girlfriend.

Victor hadn’t thought about that incident in weeks.

Until now.

Kevin was sitting beside a young woman.

Victor continued walking, barely paying attention to them until he heard the girl speak.

"Kevin, I don’t want Edward to find out about us. We said we would stop doing this, but I just don’t want him to find out."

Victor’s eyes widened slightly.

Kevin glanced around before smiling at her.

"Don’t worry, babe. Edward’s never going to find out."

Victor stared for half a second.

No way.

So Edward had actually been telling the truth.

The memory of their argument suddenly became much funnier.

Victor quickly looked forward again, hiding the small smile that appeared on his face. He didn’t bother telling Jacob. There was no reason to explain something so ridiculous.

He took another bite of his bodun and continued walking.

The rest of the walk passed peacefully. Neither of them said much. After spending twelve hours working together, silence between them was no longer uncomfortable. They had become accustomed to simply walking beside each other without needing to fill every moment with conversation.

Eventually, they reached their quarters.

As soon as they entered, Jacob headed straight for his bed.

Victor watched him with amusement.

The moment Jacob’s head touched the pillow, he was asleep.

Victor stared at him.

How does he do that?

Victor always needed at least a few minutes before sleep came. Jacob somehow seemed capable of falling asleep the moment he decided he wanted to.

Shaking his head, Victor sat cross-legged on his own bed.

He still had work to do.

His eyes closed, and his consciousness descended into his Inner World.

The familiar darkness surrounded him.

At its center, the Black Flame burned quietly, its dark fire flickering above the bronze Core. Victor focused on the energy surrounding it.

A steady stream of refined spiritual energy was flowing from the Black Flame toward his Core.

His Core was already roughly a quarter full.

Victor guided the energy toward it.

The bronze sphere began to rotate slowly as the spiritual energy entered it. Its surface gradually brightened, faint waves of light traveling across its surface as more energy was absorbed.

Victor watched the process carefully.

The Black Flame had made cultivation almost entirely different from what it had been before.

Instead of slowly gathering impure spiritual energy directly into his Core, the flame refined it first and then sent only the useful energy forward.

The process was steady.

Reliable.

Victor continued cultivating.

Four hours passed.

When he finally opened his eyes, his body was tired, but his mind remained clear.

His attention immediately shifted toward the Black Flame.

The familiar connection to the Library appeared.

Victor followed it.

When his vision cleared, he found himself standing among the endless shelves of the Library.

The library spirit noticed him almost immediately.

The Spirit’s face brightened, and he took a small step toward Victor. There was an obvious excitement in his expression, but he seemed to catch himself before saying anything.

Victor couldn’t help but smile.

Over the past month, he had repeatedly told him that he didn’t need to greet him with a long speech every time Victor entered the Library.

Apparently, the Spirit was finally learning.

"Hello, Library Spirit."

The library spirit smiled.

Victor paused.

"You know, we’ve been doing this for a month, and I still don’t know your name."

The library spirit tilted his head.

"I have a name."

Victor raised an eyebrow.

"You do?"

"My name is Jack."

Victor stared at him.

Jack?

For some reason, the name seemed almost too ordinary for the spirit of an ancient Library hidden within his Inner World.

Still, Victor simply nodded.

"Alright, Jack."

Jack smiled again.

Victor turned toward the Knowledge Trial.

The enormous collection of books stretched farther than he could see. Thousands upon thousands of volumes filled the shelves, each one containing information Victor would need to remember if he wanted to unlock the Alchemy Training Grounds.

He sat down at one of the tables and opened the next book.

A familiar percentage appeared in his vision.

Knowledge Trial — 42%

Victor glanced at it briefly.

He had made good progress over the past month, but seventy-five percent still seemed far away.

Not impossible.

Just time-consuming.

He turned the page.

The first herb was Cross-Eyed Worm — Tier One.

Victor read through its properties. It was primarily used for body cultivation and healing, particularly in pills designed to strengthen the physical body or repair damage caused by cultivation defects.

Useful.

Victor continued.

The next herb was Greenleaf Lily.

It was commonly used in detoxification potions and had a notable effect on stamina. Victor continued reading until he reached the final note.

"Interesting."

He turned the page and continued.

The hours passed quietly.

One book became another, and another. Victor memorized names, appearances, properties, uses, and dangers. Some herbs were common enough that he wondered why they were even included, while others were so strange that he couldn’t imagine where they could possibly grow.

But he continued.

He didn’t need to finish everything today.

He simply needed to keep moving forward.

Eventually, eight hours had passed inside the Library.

Victor closed the book and stood.

His eyes moved toward Jack.

The Spirit was watching him from between two shelves.

"I’ll be back."

Jack smiled.

But as Victor turned away, that smile slowly disappeared. His shoulders dropped, and his expression became almost comically sad.

Victor glanced back.

Jack looked like a dog watching its owner walk out the door.

Victor almost laughed.

He shook his head and focused on the connection to the outside world.

The Library faded.

Victor’s consciousness returned to his body.

The room was still dark.

Jacob remained completely asleep.

Victor glanced at him one last time before lying down.

Four hours.

Then work.

Then cultivation.

Then the Library again.

It was a repetitive life, but Victor had stopped seeing that as a bad thing.

Every day, he was becoming stronger.

Every day, he was learning more.

And in a world where weakness could mean death, that was enough.

Victor closed his eyes.

Soon, sleep took him.

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