MM - Chapter 138 - SECRETS LAID BARE

Dr. Pamalaiha Shroufand

- Carter City, Raine’s Abode -

Pamalaiha was no fool. She was well aware of Raine's subtle maneuvering. By letting his woman take the supplement first, he revealed a desire to put her at ease. Being raised in the Noroji Clan made her instinctively wary of such manipulations. There was never a moment where trust was rewarded, ever. Her earliest memories as a little girl were of Nanny Grey attempting to kill her and her sisters. Pamalaiha was made aware that the masters had commanded Nanny Grey to do so. If her clutch could not kill the old woman together, they would not survive.

That had been merely the first in a long line of harsh lessons. Each was designed with no purpose other than turning her into a cold-blooded killing machine. No, there could be no trust within the Noroji Clan walls, only loyalty or death.

That was precisely why Pamalaiha was so startled by the reasoning behind Raine’s actions. From his thoughts, she knew his true aim was not to maneuver her into a trap but to honestly allay any misgivings she may hold. He wanted her trust merely for the sake of having it and to deepen their bond.

It is working. I want to trust him. I want-need to believe that not everyone is as vile and self-serving as the Noroji masters. Is this not why I fled in the first place? To find that which we were raised to believe did not exist. With others, I never know for sure the true meaning behind their actions. Always, I doubt. The voice that the Noroji created in my heart is too loud in its distrust, in its suspicions. Yet with him, I can know the truth.

Unfortunately, Pamalaiha’s time with Mel solidified one of her paranoias. Raine did not know others could hear his thoughts. That was a troubling weakness. Before, she had thought him a pseudo grandmaster with mental strength so powerful that his desires were projected to those around him: he was no grandmaster. Her questing of his mental strength in the car also proved her initial estimate of his owning a domain were false. He was at the same stage as her, wielding a mere mental ability. Worse, he was untrained, clumsy in his manipulations.

In essence, he was slightly stronger than her, which was not comforting. Her enemies were powerful beyond imagining. If she were to follow Raine, then he must become even greater than them. That was not to say there was no hope. His raw mental strength was many times greater than what should be possible at his age, especially before unlocking a domain.

He was not the monster she initially thought. Yet that proved he would eventually be more than her initial estimates, for he had even more growth ahead. The thought of what he would one day become sent shivers tingling up Pamalaiha's spine and sapped the moisture from her lips. She wanted to stay. She wanted to trust that he could do it. There was no doubt in her heart that if she could keep him alive, eventually, Raine KongRu would become the next Old Monster.

Then, the Noroji would face extinction. A fitting punishment for their endless crimes.

I shall begin with Krillian Mccleeary. That man and his thieving assistant know too much. My choice is made. There is no longer reason to hesitate.

Inner determination shone brightly through Pamalaiha's eyes. Every experiment she’d done made her aware that drinking the formula in its current state should kill her, yet this was the path she chose, a path of trust, a path wholly opposite from the Noroji. She held Raine’s gaze as her head tilted back, swallowing the concoction painstakingly developed from an ancient, faded script. The tingles she felt while looking at him were a pale shadow of what swept through her body upon contact with the liquid. She spasmed helplessly, much like his woman had done. The lights above faded, unimportant to her seizing brain.

When rational thought returned, Pamalaiha immediately knew the treatment was successful. The agonizing claws that raked through her guts every hour of every day were no more. For the first time in months, the pain was gone. Pamalaiha felt like wings had sprouted from her back. She was free, she was alive, and she was powerful. She stared at her puss-stained hands dumbly, clenching them repeatedly, unable to understand why there was so much strength in her fingers. 

Raine’s voice drilled into her head from behind, “Incredible, isn't it?”

Pamalaiha found him sitting in a chair, seemingly relaxed. Like a true warrior, he was ready to explode into deadly action at any moment. That was good; it would make it easier to keep him alive. Mel was still asleep, the girl lying between them, snoring softly and covered in a layer of disgusting gunk that had leaked from her skin. Realization struck that she looked no less foul, and Pamalaiha’s eyes grew wide.

She didn’t know why she wanted to flee, only that she didn’t want to be seen in such a state. Raine’s smile was not the comfort he meant it to be, but his words helped, “Shower’s right there. You must be hungry. Food’s waiting in the kitchen.” He hopped to his feet and glided from the room, movements reeking of the martial prowess that originally fooled her into overestimating his strength.

The door slid shut, blocking the sight of his muscular back. Pamalaiha showered, scrubbing herself vigorously while the quickwash cleansed her clothes. As he said, her stomach was indeed doing its best to consume her spine in search of the vital nutrients she lacked. She had a few left in the lab from the last dose of ReGen. After eating the mundane food he prepared, she would return to consume them lest her body destroy itself.

Amazing. The effects are nothing like what was described. All I did was isolate the binding proteins in the vital nutrients after filtering out the macro and micronutrients. How has my fitness improved so much? Was it the remnant poison? Did the purified origin energy absorb it to enhance the effect? Too many questions. I must return to the lab without delay.

Pamalaiha found the kitchen easily. An irresistible aroma drew her in. It did not tickle the nostrils so much as it gripped her by the throat and bodily yanked her feet in the right direction. By the time she reached the small space, instinct had turned her into a primal animal, overwhelmed with the need to devour. She set upon the food with a vengeance, only realizing what she was doing when it was gone and her bowl licked clean.

Again, Raine's voice hit her from behind, “I took the liberty of ordering you some Qi Ock Gri. Only food I know of that can actually sate the hunger from ReGen.”

Pamalaiha cleared her throat. She turned around, still a little breathless, “Where did you find vital nutrients in such quantity? That is to say, thank you. That must have cost a small fortune. Your timing was impeccable.”

For some reason, Raine was staring at her with his jaw hanging open. It wasn't until his thoughts tumbled into her head that the reason became clear.

[Fuck me. She was hiding them with makeup. Gods, she's gorgeous.]

Only years of training to mask her emotions saved Pamalaiha, “I-is something the matter, Mr. KongRu?”

“What? No. No, nothing's wrong. Just surprised, in a good way… Anyways, you're welcome. I would have ordered you a second serving, but Miracles Restaurant is sold out for the month.”

[What did she mean vital nutrients? Is that what they call the mysterious ingredients in Qi Ock Gri? Wish I could just ask her. Better if she keeps thinking I have all the answers.]

Again, Pamalaiha’s surprise almost betrayed her. 

He does not know? How is he so powerful if he does not know even that?! Such an enigma. Hmm... I can point him in the right direction without undermining his plans.

“They are sold out, but only for a month? They must have a steadier supply chain than Soulgen. As I'm sure you know, each dose of ReGen requires 300 grams of vital nutrients. That Qi Ock Gri must have contained at least 200 grams. Though unprocessed, its potency was perfectly heightened with classical, if ancient, cooking methods. It was exactly what I needed. Thank you again.”

Raine's expression remained perfectly neutral; he nodded along as though her words were only natural. Internally, he was freaking out. The juxtaposition of his two sides was enough to make Pamalaiha groan holding in her laughter.

[When was the last time I wanted to laugh? Before they killed Misha and Dareen?]

The memory of the last of her siblings to die in her arms doused Pamalaiha’s mood. She cupped her fists and bowed politely. Sensing her shift in mood, Raine interrupted before she could excuse herself, “What will you do now that you're a free woman?”

Pamalaiha responded with a reassuring smile, deciding to extend some of the trust he showed her earlier, “I will return to the lab and run tests, of course. Now that I have experienced the results for myself I am positive there is something very important that I missed. To be honest, I stole the original recipe from the Noroji Clan before I escaped. It was little more than a tossed-aside remedy, rotting on a shelf due to its lack of efficacy over other methods developed at the time. I sought to determine the underlying principles of the remedy and discovered the binding proteins within the vital nutrients had significantly more potency when isolated from the other nutrients around them. Unfortunately, that also caused them to become highly volatile, as you well know.”

Raine frowned, attempting to parse her meaning without knowing what vital nutrients were to begin with. “I'm afraid you lost me, doctor. My expertise in chemical compositions begins and ends at metallurgy.”

Seeing a way to fill in the gaps, Pamalaiha gave him another clue, “Then I will not bore you with the details. Suffice to say, the greater-than-expected outcome must have some correlation with how the plants are grown under the duress of a mental ability. Perhaps the binding proteins are actually what allows the mental strength to attach in the first place. Therefore, they hold the highest concentration of origin energy.”

[Son of a bitch! That's it? That's the big secret? Both Qi Ock Gri and ReGen are just a few hundred grams of plants grown around mental energy?!]

Despite phrasing her ponderance as though she just thought of it, none of what Pamalaiha mentioned was news to her in the least. The discovery of mental energy binding to proteins prompted the creation of ReGen to begin with. Seeing the shock finally bypass Raine's formidable defenses and spread across his face caused something in Pamalaiha's chest to swell. She yearned to make him react so strongly in other ways. The desire was nearly as great as the one demanding she return to the lab with all haste. As usual, logic prevailed.

“I really must be going. If any of the effects fade before I can take samples, it will severely disrupt the advancement of future formulas.”

“Right. Here.” Raine tossed her a small bag that clinked as she caught it. “My blood. Since you're going to be running some tests, do mine too. Keep me apprised if you find any issues. And thank you for trusting me enough to reveal the true secret behind your formula. I doubt I would have gleaned as much from the written portion you already gave me.”

“Probably not,” Pamalaiha agreed while refusing to allow the smile bursting inside her to reach the surface. She sauntered past him toward the front door. This was the second time she walked so close to him. She felt the same pull as before. All the cells in her body were being drawn toward him as surely as a black hole absorbed the matter around it. Thankfully, it was not as powerful as the all-consuming greed triggered by the aroma of Qi Ock Gri, but it was close.

***

After Pamalaiha left, Raine stared at the thick front door, thoughts whirling as snippets of half-understood conversations from the past clicked into place.

Using mental abilities on plants fundamentally alters their chemical composition. That's how the major families maintain their death grip on the world economies! With multiple mental ability users, they can produce these vital nutrients in quantity. With how pricey a single dish made with the stuff is, it's no wonder they're desperate to keep this secret. 

She mentioned something about origin energy, too. Whatever that is. This is huge. I've got to make my own now that I know.

Questions: does any mental ability work, or are specific types required? Is it a more-the-better type of thing, or will too much mental strength kill the plant? How long does it take? Is it better to start with a seed or wait till the plant is grown? Can the same thing be done with animals? Clearly, that one’s a yes since Qi Ock Gri has meat that's just as good as the rest of its ingredients. Is it because they're raised on vital nutrients? Wouldn't that be insanely expensive?

Hold the damn cred-counter! If there's anything the martial families like less than having their secrets revealed, it's threats to their bottom line. Since ReGen shortcuts the process to genesis, Astra Infernum will rapidly create a small army of mental ability users who can produce vital nutrients in bulk, therefore creating more ReGen, more mental abilities, more vital nutrients. The cycle is self repeating. The clans are going to come down on our heads like the wrath of God. The whole world will stop at nothing to snuff us out.

So... this is what the inside of Pandora's box looks like.