Chapter 22: Skill collection.
The emperor had given Aric an ultimatum of seven days to depart for the Byzeth Kingdom, of which he had three days left. Having been ordered to embark with no support from the empire, Aric's preparations were minimal.
First, Aric had gone to the exchequer and gained access to his personal vault, where his twenty million gold coins were stored. He was able to store five million of those in his inventory, while dedicating two million to the renovation of his estate while he would be away.
However, the final and perhaps most important preparation was visiting the imperial library. Aric was no scholar; he had no interest in books of history or war. He was one who acted by his own experiences rather than relying on that of others. However, within the grand confines of the imperial library, there was a section of great importance to the fourth prince.
Aric stepped forward to the desk of the librarian.
"Your highness, surprised to see you here," the librarian greeted, only glancing at Aric for a moment before continuing to write on a scroll.
"How may I help you?" he inquired.
"The martial arts vault."
The librarian paused as the prince responded, then glanced up at Aric again, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Hmmm… what reason would the prince have to go there?"
'That's strange.'
Aric didn't show his surprise, but he was. It seemed even the librarian was unable to sense his ki.
"For personal research," Aric gave a simple response. If even the librarian didn't know he had ki, there was no reason for him to say it himself.
The man, aged with a beard the color of fading silver, stood and gestured for Aric to follow him. They walked through the large library, and with each turn they made, it began to seem more and more like they were traversing a maze.
After several moments, they finally reached a door. It was made of wood and looked anything but sturdy, as though Aric could burst through it with a single, effortless kick. He had assumed a place holding the most valuable martial arts techniques of the empire would offer better protection.
"Walk closely behind," the librarian gruffed, his tone a warning.
Aric nodded, moving closer to him.
He pushed open the door, and with an almost inaudible creak, it swung open. Following closely behind, Aric entered the martial vault.
It was… well, a room.
Frankly, nothing special could be said about the space. It was not very large and simply had shelves lined with manuals. However, at the end of the room was another door, made of the same wood.
"You are not authorized for the next vault. Please do not try to go through that door; it's quite the painful experience," the librarian warned as he turned back toward the exit. "You are allowed six hours in here per day. I will return when your time is up."
Without a word, Aric nodded again, watching the librarian exit the vault, if it could be called that.
As the door closed behind him, Aric turned to the guide, who had been floating beside him the entire time—unseen.
"Okay, what now?" Aric asked.
"You may begin to search for martial techniques you are interested in."
Aric clicked his teeth as his eyes began to scour the room, trailing from one manual to another.
He grabbed one from the shelf, its cover made of hide-like leather, as were most of the manuals. He flipped it open.
[Scanning technique]
[...]
[Scanned]
————————
// Mouth Gust //
Allows the user to create significantly stronger force when blowing from the mouth.
Skill rank: Basic
————————
[Would you like to copy this skill?]
"When you scan a martial skill, it can be copied and saved, and then be 'learned' afterward."
Aric nodded in understanding before glancing back at the screen displaying the technique's details.
"That… doesn't seem very useful," Aric muttered, clearly disappointed. It was just a random pick, but he expected more from the sacred martial vault. "Well, I should probably copy as many as I can. They may be useful later on."
The guide shook her head in disagreement.
"Currently, you are allowed to save four techniques only. I advise you use the slots wisely."
Aric sighed, stroking his chin. He then returned the manual and picked another one closest to it.
Aric continued this process, picking a manual, scanning it, and when the system displayed its details, deciding if it was worth copying. If so, he set it aside, allowing him to see if there was something of more value.
After about an hour, Aric had scanned every single manual in the room. It was understandably done quickly, as the room was quite small and didn't contain many manuals.
The ones he had no interest in were returned, while the ones he did were stacked on a nearby table.
He glanced down at the twenty or so manuals piled up before him, and with a sigh of exhaustion, began to go through them. Not long after, his decision was made. Aric had now spent a total of an hour and thirty minutes in the vault.
He copied the skills he had settled on and then prepared to leave.
"Say, could there be a reason why my ki cannot be sensed?"
The guide's already large eyes widened as though contemplating for a moment before answering.
"I can't be certain, but it is most probable that your illness not only limits the flow of ki within you but also prevents it from radiating outward, making it difficult for other martial artists to sense."
"I see" He said, exiting the room.
Recalling the route he had taken to reach the vault, Aric retraced his steps. He reached the librarian, offering a quick "thank you" as he walked past him.
Aric could not see it, but the librarian's face had frozen pale with shock.
"Without my presence, I'm certain that vault door can't be passed through by someone lower than the 8th rank of the Martial Warrior realm… So how have you managed this without ki… Fourth Prince?" the librarian muttered to himself, amused.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone