Ting! You have lost the Soul Damage Reduction general skill!

Ting! You have gained the Persistent State general skill!

Persistent State: You've managed to keep a state of focus while keeping your attention on something else; this will help you keep your state while your focus is elsewhere.

After eight hours of training, I finally got it! I can't cheat this one with multiple minds. While it is possible to have one mind dedicated to one state of focus, now I can simply have it running with less effort... sort of. The reduction in the amount of focus required is very low at [Persistent State's] current level. I'll still need to get the skill to level one hundred before I can just have the other skills running in the background with no focus required.

As it's currently the middle of the night, I have three minds working on making spell crystals. With three minds doing the work, I can get a large crystal with its battery done in three hours, as opposed to six days before I leveled up my [Mana Manipulation]. I am honestly loving my three new minds; I am getting so much done now that I can literally be in multiple places at once.

Over the next few hours, I work on leveling up my new skill and trying to understand how it works. I could just ask Kayafe, but for now, I want to figure it out myself. [Persistent State] seems to work by holding the ‘state of focus’ from another skill in your mind, like trying to keep a name or face in the back of your mind. It's just that the state of focus requires almost all of your concentration, like trying to remember a long string of words and repeating them over and over again. But just like many things, if you do it long enough, you can become acclimated to it, and it'll start shifting to an autopilot mode or, to continue my analogy, it's like repeating the numbers so much you've ingrained them into your memory.

Ting! Persistent State has met the requirements for a breakthrough and will continue leveling past level 10!

1st Breakthrough: You've become used to holding a state of focus; this will make it so that the longer you hold any single focus, the less concentration it requires.

Naturally, holding a persistent state will have to be tested against distractions, meaning combat, casting spells, fear, pain, sleep, and many more things. I need to get as many as possible done today as this is the last day before we go back to the dungeon, so off to Chyzu's I go!

First, though, I eat breakfast with my family and take a bath with them. I observe Myrou's projection, watching the mana shift and move.

It's not static; it flows; it circulates. I still have tons more to learn, even if I get all the breakthroughs and levels. I may have figured out how to "lock" mana in place but making the mana shift like this? This is true mastery.

As I walk to Chyzu's dojo, the twins follow me. "We want to see what it's like!" "Is it fun? We can play with our Bonds there, right?"

I pat them on the head and smile. "Just don't cause trouble for the others."

Chyzu is delighted to see the two adorable twins, picking them up and attempting to smother them in her crushing hug.

"They are too adorable!"

"Try not to kill them, Chyzu," I say, walking over to a wall and sitting down.

I enter my state of focus for [Sense Mana] after a few minutes of meditation, forcing myself to hold onto it and feeling the ability grant a large boost to my perception.

"Can you try to break me out of my focus?" I ask one of the other students. She complies and claps in front of my face, prodding me, poking me. It isn't until Yafel runs up to me and shakes me that I realize that seeing what is happening means that I am less surprised by it, so I reduce my vision so much that I can’t see anything beyond myself and try to keep my focus as I am continually poked and prodded. My focus is broken three times before I get the breakthrough.

Ting! Persistent State has met the requirements for a breakthrough and will now continue leveling past level 20!

2nd Breakthrough: You've held your focus despite being distracted; this will help you resist further distractions and attempts to break your focus.

Next is spell casting while trying to hold my state of focus. Naturally, I can’t use a state of focus like [Mana Manipulation] that’s directly related to casting spells, otherwise I'd just be casting spells as part of the focus. Yafel and Yafe are currently on the sidelines - having stopped poking me after I got my breakthrough - watching the sparring, oohing and aahing at some of the fights and spells being flung around.

I begin constructing my spell in my head, getting the image right... and I lose my state of focus. I try again... over and over again. The problem is that spell casting requires a lot of focus, which is one of the downsides to casters; I suppose that is why they have support skills like [Calm Mind] and [Strong Focus]. I sigh, spend a few minutes to regain my state of focus, and try again, and again, and again. Perhaps I just need to level my skill more before it's possible? Perhaps the reduction of needed concentration to maintain the state is just not enough yet to allow for casting spells at the same time.

I practice, with the twins as my distraction, for the next few hours. During that time, I work on my stances at Esofy's dojo with another mind. I also am weaving a dress for one of my customers with a third and have my fourth and fifth minds producing spell crystals. My two diligent minds have produced enough sets of linked spell crystals for each airship, something that was sorely lacking for a while now. Tusile will be very happy with four airships flying around.

"Oww!" Yafel accidentally steps on the tip of one of my tails; curse its length... and I suppose having three has also increased the chances that they'd be stepped on!

Ting! Persistent State has met the requirements for a breakthrough and will continue leveling past level 30!

3rd Breakthrough: You've held your focus despite being in pain; this will help you maintain focus even through being wounded.

"I'm sorry!" Yafel droops her ears and tail apologetically.

"I know you didn't mean it," I say warmly, then flick Yafel’s forehead gently. "No using charm on me!" It was probably a trained reaction to use the charm function in [Acting].

I go back to trying to cast a spell, but it eludes me for the next three hours. Still, I slowly keep my focus for longer each time, first getting past the image phase, then the channeling phase, then finally casting the simple breeze spell I was aiming for the whole time.

4th Breakthrough: You've held your focus even while casting spells; this will help you cast spells while maintaining a state of focus.

Finally!

The next to gain is maintaining focus in combat… which proves to be a lot harder. I can take all the time I want when casting a spell out of combat, but in battle? I need to think about my opponent, cast spells, dodge attacks, try not to trip over myself, and many more things competing for my attention at all times.

"Alright, everyone," Chyzu eventually claps her hands. "It's time to go to the baths." I still haven't gained the breakthrough by the end of the workday, but I feel like I understand the skill more.

The after-work bath signifies the end of my training, so I go about the rest of my day without worrying further about [Persistent State], allocating my minds to other work and training.

I practice my music and [Acting] during the socializing phase of the Lojyo; however, at the end of it the local Storm Warden steps in front of everyone. The first thing I notice is that she isn't wearing her eye wraps; I prefer it this way, it never felt right to have them imitating me. This woman is of the later generation of Wardens– the ones I didn't directly teach – since my village was one of the last to receive a Storm Warden, my presence here meaning that the other villages needed them more.

"Our faith in Myrou has been declining for decades! We've let our children stray away from Myrou and follow the ways of savagery! We need to return to how we were; we need to return to the path of Myrou! I ask you, what do savagery and fighting bring? Why do we glamorize barbarism? We follow Myrou, beauty, and creativity, not bloody competition!" The Storm Warden takes a breath and looks everyone in the eyes.

"We need to pray more to Myrou for her protection instead. The recent disasters are because we've strayed away from her; we've rejected her and lost her protection. We need to pray more to receive her guidance and safety!" The Storm Warden brings her hands together and closes her eyes. "Please let us pray together. 'Myrou, we thank you for your guidance, and we ask for your blessing this Lojyo, bless us with inspiration and guide our hands to make arts and crafts worthy of you.'"

I am getting bad vibes from all this. Perhaps this is that priestess's answer to her wavering faith, to go even further into it. It doesn't seem too dangerous right now; garnering faith isn't inherently a bad thing, but it can lead to all sorts of problems. Fanatical oppression, mandatory prayer, trying to force religion into anything and everything.

The current faith is separate from most things and only has a place in art and craft, in cleanliness and other things one would attribute to beauty. It's a general way of life, not a strict set of rules to live by. I like this way of life, the focus on creation and beauty helps give purpose and gives a sense of accomplishment in one's life instead of chasing basic and surface level entertainment. However, philosophy and faith are separate, science and faith are separate and, as the part Storm Warden, part Priestess is saying, combat and faith are separate.

It seems like the priesthood wants to make changes... I suppose this was inevitable. The Priestess took over the Storm Warden training for the second-generation Storm Wardens and often included them in priestly duties so it makes sense that they'd be more focused on faith. I need to talk to the elders about this; it's not a large problem now, but it may become a massive one if given time.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Is everything ready?" Papuyo asks. She and two others are meeting in a small room with a round table in a corner of the temple.

"It is," the other two nod.

"Good, then we will start excavating the ruins tomorrow. We have other issues, the heretics are gaining strength, and we can't fight them head-on. Do any of you have any suggestions on how to deal with this growing problem?" Papuyo asks.

"We do not have a lot of public support right now, if we can get more we'll be able to put social pressure on them and prevent them from entering the dungeon in the future.” Thyka, one of the two priestesses, who are not Storm Wardens, answers. “I suggest we ban all heretics from entering the Temple when that time comes."

"That's a start, but we should allow them into the dungeon without any trouble this time. That way, we can garner public support while our enemies are away," Gutaly, the other priestess, says.

"We have other enemies. The village elders, they'll resist us," Papuyo says, leaning forward and placing her elbows on the table.

"We can't do much about them...yet. However, with enough popular support even they won’t be able to deny us.” Thyka leans back in her chair and crosses her arms, then continues. “Considering other problems, we also need to purge the heretics among the Storm Wardens, particularly the first generation, the survivors of the superstorm who respect and remain loyal to Alysara, the one leading our enemies to the dungeon to gain power. As long as the priesthood is infested, our efforts to bring the Runalymo back to Myrou will fail."

"People will start asking questions if anything happens to the heretic Storm Wardens. For now, we should make use of them," Gutaly says. "I suggest putting them to work excavating, or having them report to us on the movements within the dungeon. We can make up some excuse as to why we are sending them in there."

"That's a good idea," Papuyo says, smiling and brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes, cursing herself momentarily for allowing her bangs to grow too long while she was duped into thinking the blinding eye wraps were a good idea. "I'll let you handle both that and the gathering of public support. However, we should have only those loyal to us excavate the ruins, otherwise the secret might get out. Thyka, you manage the excavation of the ruins."

Meeting over, the other two leave. After a few minutes’ silent thought, Papuyo decides that she will investigate how to make an elixir. She'll need a source of Myrou water, and she thinks she knows a way to do it, to have Myrou bless the water. It has been years since she last did anything related to alchemy, but one of the few things that stuck with her is that she needs a good base for the alchemical mixture.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"I think the Priestesses are trying to get more influence. They want us to stop the yearly tournaments, which are a time-honored tradition, and they'll likely oppose the training of the fighters even though we need them to defend our villages."

I am making an argument before the elders. Normally children wouldn't be allowed to do what I am doing... but I'm not the average child, and the Elders have invited me to meetings a few times now already so it's hardly an unexpected outcome.

"There's nothing wrong with them trying to increase our faith in Myrou.” Yukika disagrees, frowning. “In fact, I agree that we haven't been sufficiently stressing the importance of Myrou in having a fulfilling life."

"That isn't the issue," Guklaro says. "The issue is the priestesses overstepping their role. By advocating against one of our longest-standing traditions, they send a message that they want to abolish all that is not overtly under Myrou’s domain. Yes, we need beauty and creativity to live a fulfilling life, but that has no place in other traditions."

"The number and quality of dedications to Myrou has not declined. At worst, our faith is merely going through a slump as it does every few decades," Tusile adds. "The dedications are proof that more recent events are more prevalent in the minds of our people, and once things calm down, faith will return as it always does."

The elders are making better arguments than I am; do I really need to say more?

"That may be the case, but you said it yourself, Tusile. We are on the cusp of a new age. We need to reinforce our faith now, so we do not forget how to live properly!" Yukika remains adamant in her stance.

"Then how about we make an airship dedicated to Myrou? To bridge the old age and the new? It will also be to prove our mastery of making airships" Tusile, who has gone back to airships for a solution as usual, turns toward me. "You can make Myrou metal now, right? Steel with both creativity and beauty mana?"

"You underestimate how much mana it takes, but yes, I can. I still need to observe in more detail how mana interacts with matter, but once I figure that out it should work... unless you mean to make it out of pure mana metal?" I reply, leaning back in my chair, relaxing as at least two elders understand my concerns.

"With you providing materials, we can hopefully train mana smiths. Perhaps with your teaching, we can find a way to do so without your cursed skill!" Tusile smiles warmly. "In either case, this is a project for the future. We'll announce it for all islands to participate in, but it will be months if not a year before everything is in order."

"Regardless,' Guklaro says with a frown. "We need to put a stop to the foolishness of the priestesses. I agree with Alysara; this gives me a bad feeling,"

The elders continue arguing and then discussing how to best deal with the priestesses.

"Alright,” Tusile says at last, “we'll talk with the priestesses and, if need be, we can threaten to withdraw our donations to the Temple."

"That's going too far!," Yukika says with a disapproving frown.

"They are the ones going too far, Yukika. The purpose of the priestesses has always been only to represent Myrou, nothing more than that," Guklaro replies.

I hate politics, but for this, I agree.