Chapter 17: Chapter 17 Getting used to Runes
Now that we were through the worst of it for the time being, I lighted up a cigar. It was a nice find as I always liked smoking in my past life. This was the equivalent of a Cuban cigar here, just that it was called a Golden cigar due to it being made as a luxury good at the Golden Bay.
While I was smoking I considered the Rune I got from the shark fishman. Two runes was a lot for some nameless nobody but apparently Hyrisians living underwater were uniquely suited for the Aqua Rune.
Runes didn't have a physical manifestation but the person who has them has some kind of a mental space that houses these Runes. By meditation, and not like cultivation meditation, they could peer into themselves and see what Runes they possess.
Since Runes were technically letters of power you could learn their names by simply looking into your mental space and checking any records of them. But the most important Rune was the second one.
From what I learned through books, some people are naturally born with mana which allows them to acquire Runes with time and effort.
Mages of old discovered that these people were born with the Mana Rune and that it was the basis of all Runes. However, through research and experimentation, they also found a way to infuse a Mana Rune into someone who didn't have it at birth.
But this process only worked for the Mana Rune since the process with which they infuse them into people was made specifically for it.
There were ways to infuse other Runes as well but these were family secrets of the rich and powerful like big companies or nobles of nations.
The only other way to acquire Runes other than the Mana Rune was through time and effort.
I activated the contract for the Mana Rune and felt weirdly euphoric. Like I was blind in one eye and all of a sudden started seeing from it again.
The sensations of the Mana all around me were weird but also comforting.
I felt something stir within me.
"Well, no time like the present."
I put out my finished cigar and settled in on a chair. Closing my eyes I tried meditation. I didn't really believe in that self-help crap back in my past life but I did try meditation once to see if it was of any use.
I took in a deep breath and focused on the feelings my body gave off. Where I felt comfortable and where felt uncomfortable but didn't do anything to change it. I changed my focus to my breathing and took notice of a different feeling that I never had before. I focused on that feeling.
I found myself looking at a completely dark space with three symbols. One was the Mana Rune I saw depictions of but the other two were unfamiliar. I focused on those two and felt more familiar after closer inspection.
These must be my haki. One of them gave off a feeling of intention to protect or hurt which must be the Armament haki. The other one gave off a feeling of perception uniquely suited for spiritual power which must be the Observation haki.
There wasn't one for the Conqueror's haki due to me not having a proper place to practice it. Before I could learn to direct it I had to learn how to invoke it and using it while in a city full of people and a ship full of my crew wasn't a good idea for me but I'll get there eventually.
What this meant for me was simple. When I couldn't properly sense magic or mana with observation haki before, now I could. When my spiritual power was the only thing powering my armament haki before now it was possible to mix in mana as well.
Now I wish I got a proper Logia but oh well.
I also took out the Aqua Rune and felt a connection to water in general. The reason the Hyrisians were uniquely suited for this one was simple.
When I have this Rune and get into contact with water it gives me a boost to all my physical properties. It makes me stronger, faster, more durable, have more stamina, heal faster and empower other water-type Runes and spells.
For the Hyrisians who spend all their life underwater, it was one of the easiest Rune to get.
Of course, it wasn't all-powerful. The amount of water you are in affects the boost and once you go out of the water and dry off it loses its effects pretty fast. Even if you were underwater in the Sea it still had limits as to how much of a boost it could provide.
Nonetheless, it was good to have. Already I could feel the water under the ship. That gave me an idea.
"Queen, in exchange for your continued loyalty I will provide you with a copy of all the runes I possess at the moment. Do we have a deal?"
Queen wasn't sentient so she didn't have feelings or a mind of her own but she was still technically alive.
Of course, she agreed due to her loyalty to me.
There was a change in her that I felt in our connection. Now she could feel and use mana, make predictions with observation haki, reinforce specific parts of her body with armament haki and finally had a boost to her overall capabilities due to always being in water.
There were alchemical Runes on the Hyrisian ships that she couldn't acquire before due to not being an alchemical creation herself but now if she absorbed one she could incorporate those alchemical properties.
"This calls for a celebration I think."
I thought about what to do and finally decided what the hell.
"HELGA GET YOUR ASS HERE!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
BlackRock54
BlackRock54 okay look I said this before, I am an amateur writer so I don't know how well I can do this BUT if you want it I will make lemons for the next chapter. BUT only if you really want it. let me know what you think.
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