Plague Doctor

Mental Pillar Training Manual, Gu Jun materialized the scroll from his mind. The gilded skin was made from an unknown material. It felt like a fabric. The scientists did not dare to perform too much analysis on it lest it ruined the scroll's magic. The scroll opened up to 1 metres long and 35 cm wide. It was filled with ancient Chinese characters and some mysterious symbols. Among the symbols, the most conspicuous was the hexagram. The straight lines formed 6 sharp angles. The centre was covered with smaller symbols. Different from the dark ritualistic symbols and ancient seal technology, when Gu Jun focused on the hexagram, he felt warmth like being blessed by the sun. This hexagram was the foundation of the mental pillar.

Gu Jun grasped from the scroll that this was a kind of mental technique created by the City of Dusk through the combination of various techniques. It was most suitable for human beings. The technique was very similar to the spirit barrier Deng Ximei drew from the foreign world but it had its differences too. Spirit barrier was a false barrier constructed through self-deception. It could be an experience or even a second persona. When one was exposed to dark corruption, one could direct the corruption onto the barrier to protect the real self from being impacted. Despite its effectiveness, the technique was not that easily mastered because constructing the barrier required a long time and a second persona would have a direct impact on the stability of the main persona. If this was compared to a drug, then it was an effective one that came with severe side effects.

The Mental Pillar was different. Through psychological and mental technique, combining with the hexagram foundation, it solidified a person's memory or belief and used that as the spiritual pillar. There were different kinds of mental pillars but which was more effective, that was dependent on the users. This was because everyone had their own unique memory and belief and that appreciation and protectiveness was the foundation for the power of the mental pillar. For example, a family-orientated person could form a mental pillar through familial bond. It could be anything else. For example, if a person's strongest desire in the world was to witness the national football team win the World Cup, then that wish too could be a mental pillar, of course, it'd be a weak one. Family, love, friendship, dream, wish, desire, belief, religion… These could all form a mental pillar.

But the question was, 'are you sure your dream of your national team's World Cup win was stronger than your love of your family? Are you sure your love of the team would not change after their membership shifted? Are you sure this mental pillar will not be shaken when it is slandered, confused, deconstructed by the dark forces?' Once there was a crack, the pillar could crumble easily. This differed for every individual, some beliefs were strong, others weak.

For Juliet, her love for Romeo was her belief in life; for Romeo, Juliet was the thing that kept him going. For Wu Siyu, a comfortable couch, a television, an endless buffet were strong bases for mental pillars. A strong pillar could help one resist against darkness but the collapse of the mental pillar would break one's mind as well.

However, not everyone could build a mental pillar. Depending on the strength of one's mind, the possible number of pillars ranged from 0 to 6. One could gauge quite clearly how many pillars an individual could support by interacting with the hexagram in the middle of the scroll. With the average mental quality of the Spell Department's members, it was believed that the average member would construct 3 pillars. Gu Jun tested the theory on himself. All 6 corners of the hexagram lit up so he could sustain six pillars.

For those who could support multiple pillars, the pillar must be based on different foundations. Only then they could enhance and support each other. For 3 pillars, one could be based on love, another on belief and the last on desire. These pillars represented humanity as well. Gu Jun also believed these pillars were the reasons why the members of Rudolph Carter Foundation could retain their humanity.

When facing against darkness, as long as there was one pillar remaining standing, then the person could be rescued. They wouldn't lose themselves in madness. After recovery, the fallen pillars could be reconstructed or repaired. But these were merely how the technology could be used individually.

The other strong point about the mental pillar was it could connect people's hearts. Members of a close unit could share a similar pillar, for example, all the members of a Special Mobile Force could build a pillar on the basis of their group bond. The team pillar could help enhance the existing bond within the members and rejuvenate them with energy. Other than that it could also tell if and when an individual had strayed from the group. It would provide warning when a team member's mind was corrupted. If The One had mastered this technique when they tried to build the Cleansing Web, they would have succeeded.

There was another method that was more complicated but more secure. It was using each other as pillars. Gu Jun and Wu Siyu would form one from love; Gu Jun and Cai Zixuan could share one via their friendship. Through these interconnecting relationships, the pillars would form a hexagram within the team. The bond would be stronger than a team pillar. Naturally, to form this kind of interlocking pillar, the bond between the two users had to be very strong.

When Elder Tong and Yao Sinian finally understood this new technology, they realized how valuable it was. It could not only provide the frontline members with a greater defence against darkness, it also allowed a breakthrough for the issue of alliance between Phecda World and Mysterium World which had halted. If one of Gu Jun's pillars was Yu Chi and vice versa, then it would be much more trustworthy than any verbal promises. Since the foundation of the pillars was mutual trust, the moment the pillars cracked, the other party would notice it immediately. Therefore, this technology could push both worlds forward, even the formation of a cooperative unit was made possible.

Like everything else, the first step was always the hardest, after the first step was made, the rest would come a lot easier. To be honest, both human worlds were on the same ship, it would behoove both parties to keep the boat upright. This was also the solution provided by Gu Jun. After the meeting was over, the proposal was handed to the higher up and actions were made.

However, all of these plans were built on the premise that this mental pillar technology worked. Even though Elder Tong and the rest wished for another person to be the lab rat, Gu Jun volunteered to be the trial. The main reason was the real scroll existed within his mind and he was the only person who had interacted with the foundation. He was the one who contained the power of the City of Dusk within him. So if this was a trap, he'd be the first one to know.

When a person could sustain multiple pillars, the order they were formed did not correlate to their individual height and strength but normally the earlier the pillar was formed, the stronger it'd be because the important ones conventionally came first. The first pillar was thus often the hardest to collapse, it was equal to one's lifeline. Based on statistics, the first pillar was normally based on family, it could be anyone, father, mother, son, daughter. However, Gu Jun had no parents, his first kid was dead and his big sister was a vicious witch. The family unit did not work for him but he had a girlfriend, one that he shared the most stable mental bond with.

Therefore, Wu Siyu was naturally Gu Jun's first pillar. "With me at your back, I guarantee you that you'll be steady as a roly-poly."

"Then your first pillar has to be me as well." Gu Jun complained, "You better not make the sofa your first pillar." Wu Siyu's test result showed that she could support 6 pillars too. "Fine, fine." She agreed.

This technology excited Gu Jun and the higher ups. According to the scroll, the pillars would not take long to construct, and it was not a fake barrier. This was based on actual emotions, something that already existed within oneself, this technology merely provided people with the utility to further expand one's innate ability.

The sun set and that day, inside a quiet room at Mo Bei base, Gu Jun laid evenly on a soft bed. There was a camera at the corner. Gu Jun loosened every muscle and bone in his body. Based on the scroll's instructions, he used his mental power to draw out a golden hexagonal foundation in his mind. There was no need for spell or mantra but he had to draw out each of the lines, angles and details carefully. It was like he was doing a mental painting.

The hexagonal foundation only needed to be drawn for the first time but it was extremely important. Without the foundation, the pillars would have no ground to stand on. Gu Jun had no idea how long he spent on this exercise, it could be an hour or a whole night. Time became irrelevant. When all the details were done, the hexagram appeared to connect with his neural network. There was no resistance from his cells and receptors. His mental power melted with the warmth of the sun. The hexagram started to slowly turn.

Then, he focused his attention at one of the corners. That corner would be his first pillar. He dug up his most precious memory of Wu Siyu, her appearance, her voice and his feelings towards her. He chewed over them carefully before projecting it onto the corner…

Gradually a pillar of light rose on that corner. It was a magnificent and resplendent marble pillar, it radiated a smell of saltiness.