Bound by Darkness: Mastering the Immortal System

4

Chapter 4: The Ancient Pagoda Visualization

By afternoon, the snowfall had ceased, but the accumulated drifts remained, blocking the mountain passes and the roads leading to the county seat. Riverside Village had become an isolated settlement, cut off from the rest of the world. Within the Healing Apothecary, the manager and the blind man managed to scrape together two meager meals that day. Having eaten flatbread the previous night, they settled for a thin dough soup—essentially the same ingredients, just a different preparation to stretch their supplies.

After finishing the soup, a modest warmth returned to their limbs. Ellen finished washing the dishes and peered out the front door once more. Not a single soul had come seeking medical aid. In these times, even if someone did show up, Ellen doubted they would have the means to pay, or would offer very little in return. As Sebastian paced the courtyard with his cane, she checked the porcelain jar in the small side room.

It was still a third full of coarse grain flour. With careful rationing, it would last them more than half a month. Atop the lid lay a small bag of soybeans, a large bundle of various wild herbs and roots, a jar of millet mixed with a generous amount of chaff, and a piece of cured meat about the size of a palm.

"Sebastian, come give me a hand," Ellen called out.

Sebastian hurried over.

"Let's move this jar to where we sleep," Ellen said, her voice low and serious. "Keeping it here isn't safe anymore."

Sebastian nodded, fully agreeing with her caution. After a concerted effort involving lifting, pushing, and rolling, they finally maneuvered the heavy porcelain jar over the threshold and into the bedroom. Once the task was complete, they took their chairs and sat beneath the eaves, watching the gray sky.

Suddenly, Sebastian heard the sound of approaching footsteps from the distance. He was the first to turn his head, his inner vision sweeping across the void.

[Strength: 0 ~ 0]

[Affection: 60]

'Zero again. It seems Ellen is actually quite strong compared to the average person.'

Ellen noticed him tilting his head toward the entrance but saw nothing herself. She looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What are you looking at?"

Before he could answer, a stout woman dressed in a heavy padded coat emerged from behind the wall. The moment she appeared, her face broke into a wide, practiced smile as she waved her hand. "Doctor Ellen! Doctor Ellen!"

"Mrs. Martha!" Ellen called back.

From his predecessor's memories, Sebastian knew that Mrs. Martha was the village matchmaker, a woman whose influence extended even to the nearby city. Because of her talent for arranging marriages, she had accumulated a fair bit of wealth and was considered one of the more successful residents of the village.

Ellen rose to meet her. "Mrs. Martha, what brings you here?"

The stout woman, completely disregarding the presence of the blind man sitting nearby, chuckled gleefully. "Good news, wonderful news, Doctor Ellen!"

"What kind of news?" Ellen asked, her brow furrowing slightly.

Mrs. Martha's smile widened. "I should have come to you sooner, but with the old doctor's funeral just the other day, I thought it best to wait until today. Don't be cross with me for the delay."

"Please, Mrs. Martha, just tell me."

"Lord Walter from the city has expressed his desire to take another concubine. This time, he specifically wants someone who understands the medical arts. Lord Walter—you know him, of course—is a man of great renown in Upper River County. When word got out, countless families rushed to present portraits of their daughters, some even bringing the girls in person. And yet, do you know what happened?"

Mrs. Martha paused for dramatic effect, then clapped her hands together. "Lord Walter wasn't interested in any of them! He called out your name specifically. He said he once visited our village and caught a glimpse of you. What do you call that? That, my dear, is destiny!"

Mrs. Martha's words flowed like a rehearsed performance. Before Ellen could even open her mouth, the matchmaker continued. "I know, Lord Walter is twenty years your senior, but an older man knows how to cherish a woman. Not like these impulsive young boys who have nothing to offer."

"Mrs. Martha," Ellen interrupted firmly. "I am already with Sebastian. I won't be with any other man."

The matchmaker blinked in surprise, then let out a shrill laugh. "Lord Walter won't mind! You'll be a concubine, after all."

Ellen's hand reflexively gripped the wooden laundry bat resting nearby. Mrs. Martha gasped. "Doctor Ellen, what are you doing?"

Ellen tapped the bat against her palm with a rhythmic, menacing thud. "Get out."

Mrs. Martha, unwilling to give up such a lucrative deal, tried to speak again, but Ellen raised the bat higher. The matchmaker was forced to flee, shouting back over her shoulder as she ran, "Just think about it! Think about the life you could have!"

Ellen marched to the gate, slammed the wooden fence shut with a resounding crack, and returned to the chair beside Sebastian. "That woman infuriates me!" she hissed, trying to catch her breath.

Sebastian tracked Mrs. Martha's movement as she moved away. Her affection rating had dropped from 60 to 50. He frowned. Where people gathered, trouble always followed.

Winter days were short, and under the overcast sky, darkness fell early. It wasn't long before night had completely claimed the village. Ellen bolted the door and, after a moment's thought, pushed the table in front of it as an extra barricade. She began to undress, her movements a rustle of fabric in the quiet room. "Sebastian, come to bed. Let's lie down early so we won't feel the hunger tonight."

Sebastian agreed and followed suit. Outside, the reflection of the snow cast a faint, gray glow against the windows. Inside, the wooden bed creaked and groaned for a long time, until the gray outside turned into an absolute, velvety black.

The air in the room grew warm and heavy with effort. Eventually, the frantic pace slowed, turning into long, satisfied sighs that hung in the silence.

"Sebastian," Ellen whispered, her voice laced with a playful warmth. "Where did you learn all those shameless tricks? Have you been hiding a secret life from me?" She chuckled softly, pressing closer to him. "No, that's impossible. You've never left this apothecary. I suppose... you were just born with a talent for pleasing your wife."

Sebastian smiled, feeling the warmth of her skin against his. He reached out to trace the contours of her face. "Ellen... are you beautiful?"

Ellen understood the unspoken yearning in his voice. "When I go outside, I always smear soot and ash on my face to hide it. I only wash it off when I come to bed. Don't you worry about a thing," she replied tenderly.

Over the next three days, Sebastian tested his "Cheat Assistant" as thoroughly as he could. He confirmed one vital fact: as long as he maintained a harmonious marriage with Ellen, he would receive 5 attribute points daily, even if they didn't share the same bed every single night.

On the morning of the third day, the distant mountains were still white with unmelting snow, but the courtyard had been swept clean. Sebastian glanced at his panel.

[Attribute Points: 5]

[Skills: Mind's Eye (Complete) (8/8)]

He spent his points immediately, never leaving them idle. Having filled the bar yesterday, his Mind's Eye was now at the level of Perfection. At the entry level, he could sense shapes through touch. At the accomplished level, he could hear the wind. At the great level, he could hear the nuances of sound. Now, at Perfection, every air current and every resonance allowed him to "see" as clearly as if his eyes were wide open.

He noticed a '+' sign appearing behind [Mind's Eye (Complete)].

[New skill can be derived. Current success rate: 50%]

'Derive.'

He clicked the '+' sign. 5 points became 4. A strange sensation welled up within him. As a blind man walking through the world, he had no eyes on his face but an eye in his heart. Wherever there was wind and sound, he would not be oblivious. Yet, this was still inconvenient. On steep mountain paths, his pace was agonizingly slow because he had to stop and verify the terrain with every step. As for reading books or maps, it was impossible unless someone traced the characters onto his palm.

He searched his mind for a way to change this, but the first attempt yielded nothing.

'Failed.'

Sebastian didn't hesitate. He clicked again. 4 points became 3.

Failure.

3 points became 2.

Failure.

Sebastian frowned. 'Is this fifty percent success rate a lie?'

He paused for a moment, then clicked again. 2 points became 1. This time, the mystical sensation was stronger. He delved deep into meditation, imagining himself running through jagged mountain passes, forcing himself to react instantly to the changing terrain. He fell countless times in his mind, bruising himself and nearly tumbling into deep ravines.

After an unknown number of mental trials, he finally collapsed in exhaustion within his mind, slowly pushing himself up into a cross-legged position. It felt like late spring; the scent of flowers filled the air, and forest creatures scurried nearby. For a moment, he drifted into a state of trance. His body felt heavy, but his soul felt light and agile.

As his spirit moved within the confines of his physical form, a memory from his previous life surfaced. He remembered a time before his transmigration, a day he had spent at a scenic park. He had seen an ancient, towering pagoda and decided to climb it to see the world from above. Then, he had transmigrated.

The image of that pagoda grew clearer and clearer in his mind. Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him. When he opened his inner eye, the panel had changed:

[Attribute Points: 1]

[Realm:

Unranked]

[Technique: None]

[Skills]

Ancient Pagoda Visualization (Yellow Grade - Rank D) (Uninitiated) (0/2)