Noah returned to the encampment without the hybrids. Even if he could control them, he couldn't bother to keep them in check all the time. He had far better things to do.
A lot of cultivators had been injured in the previous battle. So, the armies were waiting for everyone to recover before going after the remaining domains of the Empire.
Noah could use that time to train and to analyze his latest gain.
Thirty-seven had given him a few tomes that researched schools that seemed to have similarities with the theories applied by the Body-inscription spell. He had even written a few notes where he explained what he had found on the incompatibility between his darkness and the Blood Companion.
According to his understanding of the spell, the automaton believed that Noah's darkness couldn't fuel the functioning and the abilities of the Blood Companions because they imitated the original beast too much.
The problem wasn't in the spell but Noah's individuality. His existence had simply become so specific that his energy couldn't just activate effects that were too different from its nature.
Thirty-seven suggested to apply substantial modifications to the spell by studying schools that researched similar topics, but Noah directly disregarded that approach.
The formation field was vast and required a lot of general study before approaching one of its schools. Noah had the time to memorize that knowledge, and Thirty-seven would help him, but his expertise covered entirely different types of inscriptions.
Also, his field of expertise worked well with his individuality. The powerful wills that his mind was capable of producing were perfect both for his destruction and creation. They had even influenced each other as Noah grew in the human ranks.
So, spending decades studying another inscription method that didn't suit him just to modify a spell wasn't worth the effort. Noah could just create other spells in that time.
Thirty-seven's notes didn't stop there. He suggested other approaches to the spell where he would directly remove the core of the beast to create some sort of amorphous puppet. Yet, Noah discarded that idea too since the final product would be far weaker than his usual Blood Companions.
Some other ideas of the automaton saw Noah taking out necessary materials of the spell like the blood, the tattoos, or even the wills than he injected in them. However, all of them led to a weaker final product too, so Noah simply discarded them.
The last idea was something that Noah had considered too in his spare time, but that he didn't analyze yet because he was waiting for Thirty-seven's opinion.
The issue with the incompatibility was that there wasn't any magical beast in the world capable of making use of Noah's individuality. After all, that was the whole point of the heroic ranks. A cultivator had to become a unique existence that would eventually develop a personal law.
Then, the solution to the problem was to create a magical beast that could be compatible with his individuality.
'Organic inscriptions to create a being that won't conflict with my darkness once turned into a Blood Companion,' Noah thought as he closed the tome containing the automaton's notes. 'Basically, a chimera.'
The Divine Deduction technique was already working at full speed as Noah pondered about the matter.
He had already stepped on the organic inscriptions' field when he created the living weapons, but that project would require an entirely different level of expertise. Noah would need to build an entire body that could use his darkness as a fuel!
Also, the Beast Core for such a creature would be extremely complex to create since the will of a random beast would just endanger the entire project.
In the end, Noah would still need to perform the procedure for the creation of a Blood Companion on the creature, which meant that he would have to kill his creation.
'Troublesome indeed,' Noah thought in the silence of his cave, 'But possible nonetheless. I just don't know if it's worth just for something that I will change every time I experience a breakthrough with my sea of consciousness.'
There was another doubt that lingered in his mind.
Creating a chimera would be a clear expression of his individuality. Yet, he couldn't help but think if such a project would have more chances to succeed if he had access to his higher energy.
As he lost himself in his thoughts, a message reached his mental sphere, and Noah decided to put a hold to his meditation to head out of his cave. He reached for one of the luxurious tents in the encampment and was surprised to find Faith calmly drinking some wine inside.
She wasn't alone. Daniel was in a corner, staring at her with a curious gaze, while Elder Austin was sitting near her.
"I was saying," Elder Austin said before clearing his throat when he saw Noah entering the tent, "Fire isn't always violent. It can flow as if it was a river ready to burst out of an underground canal. Our elements have a lot in common, but the general opinion of the current experts puts them on opposite sides."
Noah had never seen Elder Austin speaking so much about the fire element, but it wasn't hard to understand the reason behind that strange behavior.
The Elder sat straight as if he wanted to appear more manly to Faith, who was simply replying to him with her enchanting smiles. The jug of wine on the mat was one of those retrieved in the Mortal Palace, and its aroma had a calming effect on the minds of those smelling it. Even Noah felt more relaxed as that scent entered his nostrils.
It was more than evident that Elder Austin was trying to hit on Faith.
"You wanted to see me, right?" Noah said as he went for the jug and filled a cup before sitting on one of the available couches.
"Yes! I've meant to come sooner, but the Elders wanted to make sure that I could put up a fight even if I've just become a complete rank 5 cultivator," Faith said. "Then, that poison came, and my body had a strange reaction to it. My pores started to secrete smelly pus, which seemed even infective. They sent me away from the tent until I managed to put the disease under control."
Elder Austin cleared his throat again when he heard those words and suddenly stood up.
"Elder Julia just contacted me. Let's do this again." He said before leaving the tent.
Noah didn't know Faith as well as June, but he had spent fifteen years with her in the wilderness. She was childish, but she was far from stupid, especially when it came to handling men.
When he turned to look at her, Faith winked at him and poured another cup of wine for herself.
It had already been more than thirty years since they had last seen each other, and Noah appreciated what she did for June.
"How is she?" Noah asked at some point.
"In perfect shape!" Faith exclaimed. "That dual cultivation did wonders."