Chapter 71 Cultivating Marc

When Ethan hit nineteen, he got a gig at a factory, putting together electronic parts. The work was the same every day, and he felt like he was just going through the motions.

He began to feel like a total slacker, thinking this job was pointless.

So, he hit up a buddy from the tech department, someone he used to grab lunch with and share hobbies. He wanted to know about some exams and borrowed a few study guides.

His friend didn't think much of it and handed over the books without a second thought.

Ethan spent his days on the assembly line and his nights cramming under a lamp.

One payday, he got a package in the mail at the factory. It was his certification for a mechanical designer.

A coworker opened it, and the news spread like wildfire. Everyone thought only the tech department folks were smart enough to pass that exam.

In the end, one tech department guy passed, but to everyone's surprise, so did Ethan.

The factory manager called Ethan in, learned about his situation, and promoted him to deputy director of the tech department.

With the promotion came a sweet pay raise, like three or four times what he was making. He led the factory in creating new products and capturing the market. Soon, the factory became a company and went public, but Ethan got bored again.

He wanted a new challenge, so he thought about starting his own business.

Right at that moment, Ethan got diagnosed with ALS, which threw him into a tailspin. The idea of starting a business somehow leaked out.

Colleagues who didn't like him made fun of him, and with his illness, Ethan was a mess.

Lorna's words gave him a glimmer of hope.

"Thank you! You're a lifesaver!" Ethan cried, all choked up.

Lorna got it; anyone who went from a death sentence to a second chance would be on an emotional rollercoaster.

"If you want to beat this, you gotta believe in yourself. You've got the skills and the luck. Just relax, and you can be who you want to be," Lorna said with a smile.

Ethan suddenly felt hopeful, left a hundred bucks, thanked Lorna again, and headed out. He still had to go to the hospital for a re-check.

Marc wandered over, curious. "Is it really that amazing? ALS can be misdiagnosed, what luck."

Lorna shot him a look. "Go practice your runes."

She had taught Marc to draw runes yesterday, and he still hadn't finished a big sheet.

Marc pouted and went back to his runes.

It was almost noon, and Lorna was thinking about lunch.

She stood at the door and looked at Marc, who was still drawing runes. "You gonna eat?"

Marc shook his head. "Nah, I'll just have a cupcake!"

"Here's the key." Lorna tossed the key to Marc and headed home.

After lunch, Lucas went for a nap.

In the living room, it was just Lorna, Bernard, and Eloy.

Eloy, being a good kid, brought over the runes he had practiced in the morning for Lorna to check.

Looking at the runes on plain white paper, which even had a hint of golden light, it was clear they were a success.

Lorna was surprised and looked at Eloy. "Eloy, did you feel anything while drawing?"

"When I finished, there was a moment of warmth in my chest, does that count?" Eloy seriously recalled his usual rune drawing process.

Lorna took Eloy's hand and felt his wrist.

In an instant, Lorna sensed the energy flowing within Eloy. Her eyes widened a bit, and Bernard noticed and came over. "What's up?"

Lorna shook her head and smiled. "Good news, Eloy's bloodline power can naturally absorb elemental energy from the air around him."

No wonder Eloy's luck vortex became transparent after the seal; now he could absorb the power of four elements.

Eloy, with his big round eyes, looked up at Lorna and asked, "Lorna, is it a good to be able to absorb elemental energy?"

Lorna ruffled his hair. "Absolutely! It means the runes you draw will be just as powerful as mine, especially the defensive ones. They'll be even stronger!"

Even though Eloy was still a kid and hadn't been practicing as long as Lorna, his runes were already good enough to sell.

Lorna gave Eloy a small practice task, a part of an order from the Supernatural Affairs Bureau. She planned to surprise them with magic scrolls powered by all four elements, which were pretty rare.

Feeling proud, Eloy hugged Lorna around the waist, burying his head in her arms.

Bernard watched their close interaction, feeling a pang of jealousy.

"Lorna, how about signing Eloy up for an interest class?" Bernard finally suggested.

Eloy quickly looked up at Lorna, silently pleading for help.

To his surprise, Lorna seemed to be seriously considering it.

"Sounds good. Eloy uses a lot of energy drawing runes and could use some exercise. How about a martial arts class?" Lorna suggested, looking at Eloy.

Eloy hesitated but eventually nodded.

Bernard's smile grew wider, and Lorna noticed.

"What's with the grin?" Lorna asked, a bit annoyed.

Bernard just shook his head, still smiling.

"Bernard, why don't you take Eloy to check out some classes this afternoon?" Lorna assigned the task to him.

Eloy shot a resentful look at Bernard, who was already pulling him towards the door.

"We'll go check it out now," Bernard said, still smiling.

"Bernard, slow down! I can't keep up!" Eloy complained, his short legs struggling to keep pace.

Lorna watched them leave, muttering to herself, "What's the rush? Is the interest class that urgent?"

She went upstairs for a nap and then headed to the studio.

Marc had been drawing runes all morning, and when he saw Lorna, he immediately sought her approval. "Look! I finished drawing. How is it? Am I talented or what?"

Lorna looked at the paper in her hand, speechless.

She gave Marc a dark look. "You managed to mess it up even while copying? Mixing this rune head with that rune tail, just combining them however you wanted?"

Marc's face fell. "I didn't mean to."

"The first few were correct, but what happened after that? How could you be so careless?" Lorna pointed to the first few well-drawn runes.

Marc sheepishly tried to cover the table.

Lorna walked around and saw several small paper figures sleeping soundly on the table.

"You were playing while drawing?" Lorna was shocked, regretting using the small paper figures to entice Marc.

"Did the small paper figures drug you?" Lorna was so mad she laughed.

Marc protectively covered the small paper figures.

Lorna took Marc to the inner room and brought out a jar of Spirit Alcohol.

"This jar of alcohol is specially prepared for you. From now on, drink three cups daily. After drinking, go to the front desk and sunbathe for two hours," Lorna instructed, handing him the jar.

"Why do I need to sunbathe?" Marc asked, sniffing the jar and finding the fragrance overwhelming.

"To improve your constitution. Don't you feel you get tired easily?" Lorna smiled mischievously.

Marc had noticed that since coming to Fortune Studio, he got tired easily even without doing much.

"Alright, got it." Marc obediently went back to drawing runes, just as the small paper figures were asleep and wouldn't disturb him.

Lorna shook her head with a smile. Marc's psychic abilities were starting to manifest, which invisibly drained his energy, making him easily tired.

The alcohol Lorna prepared for him would help expel the excess chaotic energy from his body, and sunbathing would allow his energy to flow naturally, helping to regulate his body.

This way, Lorna could slowly teach him about psychic abilities, grooming him into a good assistant.