Otherworldly Affairs Office-Chapter 54: What is Awakening?

Hearing Pei Yan’s question, everyone at the table paused and looked at Wang Wenze. He leisurely peeled the shrimp from the plate, tossed it into his mouth, and took a long breath after wiping his mouth with a napkin. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "This is a long story...".

Sitting opposite him, Xia Yu crumpled a napkin and threw it at him. "Always being mysterious and evasive, Liang Qian, you tell us."

Wang Wenze dodged the paper ball thrown at him and waved his hand helplessly, "Look at your temper. Why are you in such a hurry? I didn’t say I wasn’t going to tell." He ignored Xia Yu’s eye-roll and turned to Pei Yan, saying, "Pei Yan, when Captain Hu talked to you about internal energy, did he also use some water puddle and swimming pool theory?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" Pei Yan nodded repeatedly and asked.

"He uses that set on everyone he talks to," Xia Yu chimed in with a cigarette in her mouth, laughing.

Wang Wenze pointed at Xia Yu and continued, "Exactly, so I don’t need to explain further. You’ve understood where our limitations lie. Before understanding what awakening is, we need to know the prerequisites for awakening, which is the release of internal energy."

"Oh, I know. I’ve seen Xia Yu and Elder Lin demonstrate it. It’s about attaching that mystical energy form to oneself?" Pei Yan immediately said.

Wang Wenze spoke as he pulled out a cigarette, borrowed a light from Xia Yu, sat back down, and continued, "That’s right. The release of internal energy can be understood as Captain Hu described with the metaphor of the tap, filling our swimming pool inside for the first time, naturally overflowing with splashes. When you first experience uncontrollable internal energy release, you should understand that you need to expand your swimming pool."

"So I’m about to awaken, then what should I do?" Pei Yan asked with a furrowed brow.

Just as Wang Wenze was about to respond, the room door opened, and a waiter came in with freshly roasted leg of lamb. Seeing this, he immediately fell silent.

After the waiter set up the lamb and left the room, Ye Jiumu, sitting by the door, glanced outside, closed the door, and said, "Awakening is very simple yet complex. This thing cannot be taught. Some people awaken immediately after their internal energy releases, while others struggle to comprehend it. In simple terms, it’s about achieving a high level of harmony with your abilities, and then it responds by telling you its name."

"Name? Abilities have names? Are they conscious entities?" Pei Yan asked with his mouth wide open in astonishment. Ever since he joined the Investigation Bureau, every question he asked was answered in a way that constantly challenged his worldview.

Xia Yu pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray and said solemnly, "We don’t know. Even the leaders who’ve awakened to very high levels don’t have a conclusion, so what can we say? However, I think they are conscious."

"I think so too," Liang Qian said, looking at her fingertips with a sigh.

Wang Wenze patted the somewhat dazed Pei Yan. "Don’t be scared. Jiumu’s description is just a metaphor. I think it’s like a new awareness opening up in your mind, suddenly realizing, ’Oh, that’s the name of my ability.’ You can think of it as a mantra, or a spell, and reciting it allows you to awaken. Each improvement in your ability is like this. As you gradually awaken and improve your abilities, you will not only understand your abilities better, but you will also notice the harmony between your internal energy and your abilities. Some abilities are mental or spiritual attacks; others enhance physical attributes. Some can even change the surrounding environment, with countless types and varieties. When you reach the fourth stage of awakening, there will be a significant leap in improvement. We haven’t yet reached that level, so it’s still unknown. It’s rumored that some people can even awaken a second ability, but this isn’t something you should be thinking about now. Take it step by step."

After saying this, Wang Wenze clapped his hands and called out, "Alright, everyone, don’t just sit there. This roast leg of lamb won’t taste good if it cools down. Come on, Jiumu, give a hand!"

Saying this, Wang Wenze and Ye Jiumu got up, picked up the knives and forks, and cut the roast lamb into smaller pieces, distributing it to everyone at the table.

As Pei Yan chewed on the lamb meat and digested the information he had just learned, he took a sip of cola and casually asked, "So, what are everyone’s abilities?"

After asking this, Pei Yan noticed that everyone present visibly stiffened and their actions paused. Quickly realizing something, he hurriedly said, "If I said something offensive, please don’t take it to heart. Just pretend I never asked."

"It’s not a big deal for us since we’re familiar with each other, but Pei Yan, you should only ask us. If you’re not very close to others in the bureau, it’s best not to ask this question directly," Xia Yu earnestly warned, her head lowered as she toyed with the lamb on her plate. She then looked up and gave Pei Yan a slight smile, "By the way, my ability is ’All Things in the Universe,’ embodying the power of strength."

"My ability is also ’All Things in the Universe,’ corresponding to the phenomenon of explosion," Liang Qian said, exchanging a glance with Wang Wenze, who immediately understood and tossed an empty Sprite can into the air.

Liang Qian raised her arm slightly and snapped her fingers at the can. A crisp sound of air explosion was heard, and the Sprite can in the air was blasted open with a big hole, flying aside.

"How did you do that!" Pei Yan exclaimed, picking up the broken can that had fallen beside him. The opponent simply snapped her fingers like shooting a bullet. If he had committed a crime, the bureau wouldn’t need to send anyone else; they could just have this gentle-looking lady walk by and snap her fingers at his head, and he would be done for.

"My ability isn’t as magical as theirs. It’s ’Nature’s Gift,’ corresponding to cameras and photos. As for Wang Wenze, I’ll speak for him. He has ’Nature’s Gift,’ corresponding to a tattoo pen," Ye Jiumu said, pulling the hair tie from her hair and letting her hair fall freely, stretching out her arms.

Seeing everyone looking so serious, Pei Yan tossed the damaged Sprite can aside, poured himself a beer, stood up, and raised his glass, "I didn’t know it was a taboo before, but everyone still shared this secret with me. Thank you for your trust. I have nothing more to say; everything is in this drink." With that, Pei Yan drained his cup.

Then he shook his empty cup with self-deprecation and said, "But, if this is truly a taboo, then I’m at a disadvantage since T M the whole bureau knows my ability!"

"It’s a taboo only after awakening. Abilities before and after awakening can drastically change. Take Xia Yu as an example. Before awakening, she was just rated as an ordinary power-type ability user. But after awakening, her combat power doubled instantly, becoming one of the top abilities in our cohort," Wang Wenze explained patiently as the group inside laughed heartily, stopping Pei Yan from pouring more alcohol.

Ye Jiumu shook her head, scratching her scalp with her fingers, interjecting, "That’s right. That’s also why no one stopped you from observing the previous training. I guess your training after awakening will be conducted in confidentiality, so we won’t be able to see it."

"Is that so? Well, then I’ll take my curiosity that kills the cat and ask one more question. If you find it hard to answer, don’t bother; I don’t mind. Why is this considered a taboo?" Pei Yan thought he already had an answer in mind, but he still wanted confirmation from them.

After hearing this, Xia Yu leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs, and squinted with a smile, "Pei Yan, I’ve watched your battles, and I know just how naive you can be. Do you honestly have no clue why?"

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