Inala had gained significant body mass. He still maintained a lean body frame but his muscles were ripped, bursting with physical strength.
The effects of his Fragment Disease were almost non-existent, not because he had cured it, but because he was only a sliver away from awakening his bloodline. If he absorbed Gannala's blood for a couple more hours, he would become an Empyrean Tusk.
That wasn't his goal. Even though becoming an Empyrean Tusk would net him the greatest strength, it wasn't realistic. The resources required to build up an Empyrean Tusk body would take a century to accumulate. Even if he took all the chance encounters, that would only shorten the duration.
The most he could accumulate was two Empyrean Tusk bodies. Meaning, a cultivation of a 3-Life Stage. He would be entering the 3-Life Stage right as the Fourth Major Disaster starts.
What did that mean? He would die a dog's death under the hands of the Boar King. Besides, Inala was confident Resha would figure out a way to become an Empyrean Tusk. Meaning, two people would contest for the same resources.
The Mammoth Clan couldn't afford to support even Resha in Sumatra Chronicles. If they had to support two such individuals, they would become bankrupt and the result wouldn't be anything worth mentioning. Their fate of being annihilated by the Boar King wouldn't change.
So, Inala's goals remained unchanged. He was still set on obtaining the Zinger Queen's power. 'By grabbing the fortuitous encounters, I'll reach the peak of cultivation before we face the Boar King. I'll truly be able to harm him then.'
Therefore, he stopped right before awakening his Empyrean Tusk bloodline. This was the condition necessary to mutate the Zinger Queen's power, thereby granting him both Primary and Secondary Natures at the same time.
Moreover, he knew the condition to attain a Nature. It was why he subjected himself to an extreme environment, sustaining himself solely with Gannala's blood. Thanks to that, he could feel it, "I have already obtained the qualifications to attain my Tertiary Nature. It'll naturally appear once I enter the Body Stage."
His Tertiary Nature was involved around the Pranic Beast he would become, hence it would only be available upon entering the Body Stage.
'It has been ten months since I arrived in Sumatra.' Inala thought, relieved at the completion of his plans. Originally, he intended to become fully prepared in a year's time, right before the First Major Disaster started.
But upon seeing the attacks of the Zinger increase in intensity thrice the original as stated in Sumatra Chronicles, Inala knew the course of the plot had changed. He could clearly feel the difference in treatment the Zingers were giving to the 43rd and 44th Empyrean Tusks.
'Something happened. One of us probably sabotaged us.' Inala thought as he focused on his ears. All he met with was silence. But that too was a confirmation, 'Indeed, one of us is behind this.'
By now, Gannala used the tail slaps to confirm every single thought he had. This was to ensure he had a solid grasp of everything.
But there was always one exception. It was when a reincarnate was involved. Gannala expressed zero intention to reveal the plans of other reincarnates, or for that matter, Clansmen with the Fragment Disease. That included Resha, the reincarnates, and even Granny Oyo.
If Inala had any thoughts regarding the people part of that list, Gannala would pause her tail slaps. This was to prevent him from learning of their plans. Whether that plan was beneficial to her cause or destructive, like the Zinger-focused attacks on their two settlements, Gannala remained tight-lipped about it.
But that also meant that the moment any of his thoughts were met with silence, it meant one among the list was involved.
The day he learnt about it, Inala understood he couldn't proceed with things according to the original plan. He felt that things were proceeding at a faster pace than the book and hence rushed his preparations too.
Once he accumulated enough Parute Fruits, in the name of closed-door cultivation, Inala stopped his portrait activities. He hadn't gone out for the past two months.
Before he entered closed-door cultivation, he taught everything necessary to Asaeya, urging her to succeed in advance to the schedule.
He calmly wore his dress and inspected his Storage Tower, checking up on its four floors. On the first floor were his Spirit Weapons, a whole lot of them, with each meant for a variety of purposes.
On the second floor was a bag of Parute Fruits and miscellaneous items, from clothes to a puppet of himself. The Parute fruits only numbered 200, all that remained with him after his expenses. But they weren't his top priority, the reason being the contents of the third floor.
On the third floor was bone powder, the primary ingredient necessary for building up his Pranic Beast body. This was hard to obtain, especially since the Clan rules stated only elites could procure it.
Inala had to do a lot of unfavourable deals with elites from the other settlement—that had arrived for portraits and Imagination Art. Through them, he procured the bone powder—the highest quality—derived from the tusks. The quantity was more than enough to finish building his body. Even Gannala confirmed his calculation.
And on the fourth floor was his emergency ration—Prana Bombs. They were all filled with Prana, obtained through his fights with the Zingers. Thanks to Instructor Mandu's assistance, he used the Prana Bombs on the Zingers and stole their Prana.
Of course, before entering closed-door cultivation, Inala took care of Instructor Mandu, granting the latter the Puppetry Skill. Instructor Mandu was emotional upon receiving it, treating Inala as his most prized student.
But that was a bribe. When the situation turns dire, Inala counted on Instructor Mandu to protect him. Considering Instructor Mandu's character, and since he received such a powerful Skill from Inala, he would protect the latter with his life.
This guarantee was worth giving the Puppetry Skill away. Besides, in the past few months, Inala derived a potently powerful Skill that he considered his trump card for fights.
Since he had made all the necessary arrangements, Inala felt ready, 'Now, I only need to wait for the First Major Disaster to begin, whenever that might be.'
Thinking as such, he turned the doorknob, intending to return to his house. But strangely, the door failed to open, seemingly stuck, 'Strange, that shouldn't happen.'
In response to his thought came a tail slap, causing him to calm down. Inala grabbed his Storage Lantern and slung it to his hip. He donned his battle gear and equipped himself to the limit with Spirit Weapons.
As he waited, Inala observed the space in the room began to shrink, 'Already?'
He was aware of Gannala's condition, knowing very well that she wouldn't be able to maintain this space for long. But the timing of its collapse couldn't be any worse.
An hour passed in such a fashion. By now, there was only enough room for him to crouch within, feeling like he might get crushed at any moment. Since there wasn't enough space to open the door, when it was his time to exit, Gannala crushed the entrance, allowing him to crawl out.
"Phew," Inala sighed once he exited the space, turning around to stare at the narrow entrance. The space that had existed within it vanished. 'But, why did it have to collapse now of all times?'
As he wondered, Inala arrived at the living room, stunned upon observing the roof that had caved in. He understood the cause, "As I suspected, it has been brought forward."
Placed in the centre of the living room was a Prana Bomb. But considering the rapid pace at which it absorbed Prana, it wasn't a Prana Bomb but an egg. And the fact that an egg had been planted here meant…
The First Major Disaster had begun!