Gravis told Yersi about the well-being of Aris and Cera, and Yersi also couldn't help releasing a sigh of relief. This was the first time they had been split up for such a long timeframe, which was why she had been rather nervous.
Gravis hadn't been as nervous, but there was always a certain degree of uncertainty when it concerned someone very dear to him. Even if the chances of death were only 1%, one would still feel nervous about a loved one.
Yet, even if the most important people to Gravis were still alive, he wouldn't forget the dead ones. A lot of Gravis' friends had died over the years. Skye's parent, Lasar, Aion, Gorn, and Nero, were good examples. Gravis would still remember them.
But now was not the time to be sentimental! After talking with Yersi for a bit, Gravis re-rented the Virtualization Array for the Law of Inferno. The clerk had already expected something like this and quickly finished the trade with Gravis.
After he received his Virtualization Array again, Gravis immediately went back to comprehending the Law of Inferno.
Fortunately, he managed to understand it this time.
It took him another 80 years for a total of 180 years, but he managed to comprehend the Law.
Gravis looked at the Inferno raging around him and activated his Will-Aura.
SSSSHHHH!
And the violent fire turned into Energy, which filled the room.
BRRRR!
But the Inferno quickly returned as the Virtualization Array created more flames. Yet, that wasn't important anymore. Gravis retrieved the Virtualization Array and left his room.
'Sadly, without the overarching elemental Law, I can't use the Law of Inferno yet. I can only destroy it, not summon it. This means that my offense has not increased, but my defense has increased under certain circumstances,' Gravis thought.
'If a dangerous opponent uses this element, I should be able to weaken it to the power of a level two Law, which is something I can deal with, and if they use it as their Avatar, I can weaken it to the power of a level three Law. That would still be very dangerous, but that would also be my opponent's most powerful weapon in that case. Like this, it would be like my opponent didn't even have an Avatar.'
'Yet, this took me 180 years. Sadly, I have to pay the full price of the second 100 years, even if I don't need it anymore. Originally, I had a total of around 125 million Immortal Stones, but with Orthar's disappearance, that sum reached around 200 million. This should be enough money to comprehend all the Elemental Laws.'
Gravis looked around the "living room" of his apartment and noticed a message from Yersi. Apparently, she had managed to comprehend another Law and already went into understanding the next one. She also told Gravis that he shouldn't wait for her.
Gravis chuckled a bit and left his own message, informing her of his own comprehension. He also told her that he would probably need more than a century again to comprehend the subsequent Law. If she wanted, they could meet up and maybe visit their family again.
Gravis went back to the Smart Cultivator and returned the Virtualization Array. The old clerk was currently not here. She was probably cultivating right now, which is why Gravis went to another one.
Fortunately, this store was very popular and had a trustworthy and reliable reputation. The new clerk was just as friendly and helpful as the last one. After meeting Gravis, the clerk quickly checked their in-store records and read about all the previous interactions with the customer. This was important to make the customer feel appreciated.
"Hello, Gravis," the clerk said politely. "You have returned early. I take it that you managed to comprehend the Law of Inferno?" he asked.
Gravis nodded. "Yes," he said as he gave the Virtualization Array back.
The clerk accepted it with a nod. "Do you want the Virtualization Array for Brilliance next?" he asked.
Brilliance was the name of the level three Law equivalent of light.
Gravis smiled and nodded. The clerk quickly retrieved the Virtualization Array and handed it over to Gravis after receiving payment.
"You will be surprised how fast this one will go," the clerk said with a smile.
"Really?" Gravis asked.
The clerk nodded again. "Understanding two related Laws is far better than only knowing one."
"Sounds good," Gravis said. "Let's see how long this one takes."
After that, the two of them split up again. Gravis immediately went back to his apartment and put the Virtualization Array into his room.
SHING!
Gravis had to close his eyes as bright light seemingly enveloped his entire being. He tried to resist, but nothing that he did could resist it. Even putting his hand in front of his face didn't protect him against the light. It was like the Brilliance shone through his entire body.
Gravis' eyes quickly burned away, but Gravis decided against regrowing them for now. Gravis also felt like the light was trying to reduce parts of his body into dust, but it didn't accomplish anything significant. Gravis only received some minor burns inside and outside. A mortal would have easily died from these wounds, but this was not something dangerous for an Immortal.
SHING!
Yet, after around a minute of burning, the properties of the Brilliance changed. The light started becoming gentler, and it felt like something was caressing his entire being. Gravis' eyes regrew, and his burns healed quickly. As this was happening, Gravis felt absolutely wonderful. It was like he was inside a warm embrace.
SHING!
But a minute later, the burning returned again, and Gravis' eyes were reduced to dust again.
'Great,' Gravis thought with annoyance. 'So I have no choice but to regrow and burn my eyes. One minute of torture and one minute of bliss. Is this a fucking abusive relationship!?'
This was one of the reasons why comprehending such powerful Laws also required a powerful Realm. Sure, someone with a powerful Will-Aura in the Unity Realm could deal with the pain, but would they be able to concentrate on comprehending a Law at the same time? Just dealing with pain was different from dealing with the pain and also doing something else.
Gravis sat down and went to comprehending the Law of Brilliance, but the constant changes between bliss and pain were annoying beyond belief. Even worse was the fact that the bliss felt that much sweeter due to the contrast to the pain.
Sure enough, light was basically a colossal asshole, nice when you did what it wanted, but violent when you didn't follow.
Fortunately, Gravis managed to understand the Law of Brilliance after only 90 years!
He didn't even need to rent it a second time.
'Sure enough, there is a big difference between knowing one related Law and knowing two,' Gravis thought. 'Man, I'm so glad that I don't need to get that one a second time.'
Gravis concentrated on the Brilliance again and destroyed it.
SSSHHH!
The violent part of Brilliance vanished, leaving nothing behind. Yet, when the blissful part came, Gravis did nothing. Now, Gravis completely countered the violent parts and could enjoy the blissful parts.
But that didn't matter. Gravis had grown annoyed by the element. The less he felt it, the better.
Because of that, Gravis retrieved the Virtualization Array and went out again.
He saw a message from Yersi, telling him that she would like to spend some time with him and their family in ten years. Gravis thought that this was a good idea.
This time, Gravis wanted to spend as much time with his family as possible before going to the higher world. He wanted to truly cement the faces, voices, and personalities of his family members into his very being. This was his home, and to truly feel like home, Gravis had to spend more time with everyone.
Gravis spent the next ten years with his mother, father, and Orpheus. He was not trying to get more powerful during that time. He was only taking a break and talking with them.
During this break, Gravis finally felt the routine feeling of being with someone else appear. Now, it was no longer something special to be among his family but something natural.
It was normal.
His family was now a complete part of his life.
When Yersi came out, Gravis quickly gave back the Virtualization Array.
Gravis appeared in front of the clerk and gave it back. "Comprehending this one was a giant cock," Gravis said.
The clerk laughed. "It sure is."