Naruto: Training is My Ninja Way
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At the bottom of Hell, a world of darkness and dust, time lost all meaning.
Roy wasn't sure how long they'd been walking. Even Eluretha's usually consistent sleep schedule became erratic, leaving the trio with no sense of time.
This aimless wandering, with no clear destination or temporal anchor, was torturous for anyone's psyche.
Even the ever-optimistic Eluretha grew listless, her usual energy drained.
During one of their breaks, Alma suddenly spoke up.
"Roy, we can't keep going like this! What if that old man tricked us?"
From Alma's eyes, Roy could tell she'd long regained her memories, though she was pretending otherwise for some reason.
Her lack of social experience made her act unconvincing, but only the naive Eluretha failed to notice.
Roy chose not to call her out. Whatever Alma was planning, they were better off sticking together for now. Exposing her would only make things awkward.
"Why would he lie? What's in it for him?" Roy countered.
Alma had no answer. The last Nephilim had no apparent motive to deceive them.
"Then why can't we find the Tower of Babel?"
Roy closed his eyes, pondering a possibility.
"Maybe the old man never went to the Tower himself. He might've just passed on what he heard, missing some key condition."
"So what do we do? Keep wandering? Even if we turn back, finding him again in this place would be nearly impossible."
The Abyss of Darkness had no directions. They could wander forever and never find the Tower.
Perhaps one day, they'd end up like the demons who fell here, reduced to dust.
Then Roy remembered an item he'd obtained from a chest.
Maybe it was worth a try?
"Roy, why aren't you saying anything?" Alma asked, noticing his silence.
Roy pulled a golden compass from his pocket. Alma's eyes were instantly drawn to it.
"What's that?"
"The Alethiometer. It's supposed to reveal the secrets of the world, but I don't know how to use it."
Roy hadn't seen The Golden Compass movie or read the His Dark Materials trilogy, so he was clueless about its operation.
Using it recklessly could lead to unpredictable consequences.
"Can I see it?" Alma asked, mesmerized.
Roy handed it to her without hesitation.
Alma carefully examined the Alethiometer, her fingers tracing its surface.
It was a steampunk-style square box. When opened, it revealed a circular dial divided into 36 segments, each marked with a symbolic icon.
An hourglass, a sun, a snake, an angel…
(The Alethiometer from the movie.)
Some symbols were straightforward—like the hourglass clearly representing time.
Others were more abstract, like animals: a bird, an ant, a bull.
These might tie to Western astrology or folklore, but as an Easterner, Roy struggled to grasp their significance.
For instance, in the East, a bull symbolized diligence—everyone knew the "old yellow ox." In the West, it represented wealth and power, hence the term "bull market."
Another theory was that bulls attack by raising their horns, while bears swipe downward, symbolizing market rises and falls.
Regardless, the cultural gap made it hard for Roy to interpret the symbols.
Inside the circle of symbols was a mechanical dial with four needles. Three could be moved using a spring mechanism below, while the fourth was fixed.
Roy guessed the Alethiometer worked by turning the three needles to select symbols, posing a question. The fourth needle would then point to an answer. The process was incredibly abstract.
The question's symbols could have multiple meanings, and the answer's symbol could too, making it less reliable than consulting a prophet with clairvoyance.
At least Iris didn't play cryptic games.
Alma toyed with the Alethiometer absentmindedly, catching Eluretha's attention.
"I want to try! Let me play!"
Alma handed it to her. The little succubus fiddled with it briefly, found it boring, and returned it to Roy.
"Roy, are you sure this thing works? I can feel some mysterious power in it, but it seems… ordinary," Eluretha said.
"It should… probably?" Roy replied uncertainly.
The system described the Alethiometer as capable of revealing truths or predicting the future. So far, the system's judgments had been accurate, but its warning about a hidden cost made Roy cautious.
Activating the Alethiometer might require paying an unknown price, which was why he hadn't used it immediately.
"The main issue is figuring out how to use it," Roy said.
Then he remembered another item.
The Magic Mirror, said to answer any question, though not always truthfully.
Could he ask the mirror how to use the Alethiometer?
Might as well try!
It was amusing—Maryann and Gretchen, who never got along, had dropped items that could work together.
Roy pulled the Magic Mirror from his inventory. It was much larger than the Alethiometer.
Alma gaped as Roy produced a massive mirror frame covered with a cloth.
The mirror itself was a large oval. When Roy uncovered it and recited the incantation inscribed on the frame, the mirror's surface rippled.
A golden metallic figure emerged, reminiscent of the liquid metal robot from Terminator 2, though it didn't mimic shapes, appearing as a small golden humanoid.
This figure was one of alchemy's greatest achievements.
Alchemy had three near-impossible feats, any one of which could earn the title of master alchemist: transmuting stone to gold, human transmutation, and creating a soul.
Even from a scientific perspective, these were monumental challenges.
Transmuting stone to gold meant restructuring matter at the atomic level, a feat as complex as building a Dyson sphere.
(A Dyson sphere is a massive energy structure encircling a star.)
Human transmutation involved turning inorganic matter—like stone, water, or steel—into organic life, far beyond cloning.
Creating a soul was the third. Science was beginning to explore this through AI, essentially a step toward artificial souls.
In a way, mysticism and science converged.
The golden figure moved before Roy, speaking in a low voice, though Roy couldn't tell where it came from.
"My master, what question do you have?"
Roy decided to test its accuracy first.
"Who's the most handsome man in the world?"
"Of course, it's you, my master!"
(Who's the best-looking person? Obviously, the readers who've subscribed to this chapter—Yanzu and Yifei fans!)
Roy nodded, pleased. This golden figure was honest!
Others might roll their eyes at the answer, but Alma, with her limited social experience and few encounters with men, didn't find it odd.
As for Eluretha…
"Of course Daddy's the most handsome!"
What a sweet little angel. Roy patted her head.
He picked up the Alethiometer.
"I have another question. How do I use this?"
"My master, place it inside my body."
Roy frowned but inserted the Alethiometer into the golden figure.
Instantly, a blinding golden light erupted, illuminating a wide area.
After so long in darkness, the sudden brightness nearly blinded all three of them.
After a moment, the figure returned the Alethiometer.
"My master, this is the Alethiometer!"
Roy was shocked. He hadn't mentioned its name, only calling it "this thing," yet the mirror identified it.
"Do you know how to use it?"
"My master, I can interpret the symbols on the Alethiometer. To use it, turn the spring to move the three needles to select symbols for your question. The fourth needle will point to the answer."
That matched Roy's guess, but the symbols' meanings were key.
Misinterpreting them could lead to wildly inaccurate answers.
Sensing Roy's hesitation, the figure spoke again.
"Or, you can ask me directly, and I'll answer your questions."
Ask the mirror for the Tower's location? Roy decided to try.
"How can I find the Tower of Babel?"
The figure answered swiftly.
"The Tower of Babel, also known as the Babylonian Tower, was built under King Nebuchadnezzar II…"
"Stop! I'm not asking for a history lesson! How do I find the Tower of Babel in the Abyss of Darkness?"
The figure fell silent, then replied after a pause.
"My master, that question exceeds my abilities."
"As expected," Roy sighed. "Then tell me what the Alethiometer's symbols mean."
The mirror explained the symbols' meanings.
As expected, they were layered with significance. The sun could represent the sky, truth, or authority; the moon, chastity, mystery, or hunting; a bird, the soul, spring, or marriage.
Different symbol combinations yielded multiple interpretations, making answers ambiguous.
Like cryptic prophets, the answers could be read any way you wanted.
Why don't riddlers just get out of Gotham?
Roy held the Alethiometer, unsure how to proceed. Alma suddenly spoke up.
"Roy, can I try?"
"Here."
Alma took it and turned the spring, pointing the three needles to different symbols.
The Alethiometer floated from her hand, its fourth needle spinning rapidly, emitting a soft golden glow.
After a moment, it stopped on an apple symbol and fell back into Alma's hands.
The apple, tied to the Eden's fruit of knowledge, could represent wisdom or original sin.
Roy, who hadn't seen which symbols Alma chose, asked, "What did you ask?"
Alma, looking dazed, didn't respond until he asked again.
"Oh, nothing! Just some personal questions. I think this Alethiometer might actually work!"
Roy was surprised. "You figured out how to use it? Can we find the Tower?"
Alma nodded. "I can try."
She turned the spring again, setting the needles to new symbols.
This time, something was different.
The Alethiometer floated, but all four needles spun wildly, unlike before, and its glow flickered erratically.
"What's going on?"
The golden figure answered, "My master, the question may be too difficult, causing this reaction."
That made sense. Finding the Tower in the Abyss was no easy task.
The Alethiometer hovered for five minutes before falling. Alma nearly dropped it, but Eluretha's quick reflexes caught it.
Roy noticed all four needles now pointed to the same symbol.
"What's this…?"
Taking the Alethiometer from Eluretha, Roy saw the base hadn't changed, but the needles seemed locked, as if the device had become a true compass, pointing one way.
Alma, pale, stared at it.
"I think… the direction it's pointing is the Tower of Babel!"
With that, she fainted.
"Alma!"