Ashton didn’t understand why, but he immediately felt a short quiver deep inside him the moment he read those words. The feeling was short, even instant, so he quickly discarded it.
"Lords aren’t Gods; they are just humans that know what they want. As an Aspiring Lord, do you know what you want?"
That statement and the question were the next things Ashton read on the second page of the book. And upon reading it, he didn’t say anything; he just turned to look at Selene.
After that question, the next few pages slowly began introducing Ashton to the basics about Lords, some rules that guide them, and most importantly, how to become one.
The information was everything Ashton needed, and it was delivered in such a way that just made him want to read more, also as if he were addicted.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, Ashton was done with the book; a part of the information was now in his head, at least the part he needed the most at that moment.
’I finally know how to do it,’
’But I still haven’t decided what I want to lord over,’
Not being an overambitious person, Ashton didn’t begin with thinking of the grandest thing or the most powerful things. He started by listing out what he felt was necessary.
"It should be something that can help Selene, while also protecting her; it should be something that’s barely even noticed, which means it won’t require too much Willforce."
He wasn’t willing to die during his trial and leave Selene unattended.
After he was done listing out the criteria, he began thinking of things he knew that fit that narrative as much as possible. He shifted from fire to water to beds to cradles to light; he just thought of anything.
He could think of such outrageous things like cradles, beds, lights, etc. because of what he had read; there was no limit to what lords can lord over.
After every idea, he would compare it to the criteria he had in mind and cancel it out when he thought they didn’t fit all. He continued like that until the image of a place flashed in mind, a place where he had spent most of his time for the past two years, his farm.
’Plants’
He immediately began pitching plants against every single criteria he had in mind, plants have vitality so they he could care for Selene with the ability, Plants are hardy so he could also protect her and Lastly they weren’t considered rare or precious.
That last point being especially true, plants were extremely important for human survival, serving as food, providing oxygen, and much more, but they have never been considered that precious.
People step on plants without a single thought that they are stepping on living things; they are cut down for food, and they are even randomly snapped for nothing without a single worry.
’I think that should be okay enough,’
Since he had come to a conclusion, Ashton didn’t try to complicate the situation any longer, there was no point in doing that.
So he just sat up and immediately got into action.
Following the guide, he slowly began formulating the image of a plant in his head. The particular plant he was thinking of was one that he was just too familiar with, a potato plant.
A mental image of the potato plant quickly took shape in his mind, and in all actuality that image could be considered a perfect representation. From the leaves to the stem to the root, they were just how they were supposed to look.
With that, he was done with the first step of his Lord’s trial: creating a mental image.
This part is much more difficult for people that have decided to become a lord over bleak things like concepts. For example, how is one supposed to get a mental image of death or even the end?
But for those who chose more physical things, it was less dangerous, and they could proceed to the next stage: Will Projection.
Though it wasn’t particularly explained in the book, Ashton has guessed that creating a mental image seems to have a way of connecting that thing to the totality of it; that is, the potato plant he imagined connecting to all other plants, which supports the second step.
Now that the image had made a connection to the general whole, Ashton began projecting his Willforce over that image, almost as if stretching his mind and attempting to drain it out in order for it to submit.
Whatever the Aspiring Lord chose won’t just remain idle and wait to be dominated, it will fight back, the force it uses being based on how grand or how rare that thing is and how it is treated while its effect on the Aspiring Lord is based on their amount of Willforce which will help resist that fact.
Ashton was currently trying his very best to keep his Willforce to himself and not let the collective Willforce of plants take it from him. He had to do that by stabilizing his Willforce with even more Willforce.
Soon, Ashton was at its wits end, he was currently using every single thing he had, and though he wasn’t losing, he wasn’t really winning either.
Things remained like that for a bit longer and it didn’t seem like it would change when he suddenly felt it.
A Willforce that wasn’t his, it felt warm and supporting, just like Selene’s embrace that day.
The new Willforce stabilized him and successfully tilted the scale in his direction; with that help, he was now winning.
A few minutes later, the tug of war was over, at least for now and he was rewarded with a Plant brand in his, a sign of the things acceptance of it’s loss and the Lord’s banner of glory.
With the appearance of the brand, the last step was underway, and that was assimilation.
This was the easiest stage, as it just involves embedding that brand in his mind, and Ashton managed to do that easily.
In the end it was time to know what ability he had managed to obtain from the trial, and he didn’t have to think too much before he got the information.
’My Plant Ability is—’
’Legion-Master.’