Ebony was given time to enter a small portion of the God of Knowledge’s library. Unlike surfing the net, Hex did not show him a bunch of screens. He was pulled into an actual library but he double-checked that his body was still in Shi Tao’s temple-like home. But when he tried entering his mindspace, he was in an old library. The smell of aged paper was quite pleasant to him.

  Hex floated beside him, “Welcome!”

  “Just deduct whatever payment is necessary.” It was a small hexagonal-shaped library with a spiral staircase in the centre of the room but it rose further than he could see. There was a veranda or seating area every few metres that extended from the staircase. Equalling the height of a single bookshelf.

  “It’s done by book basis. There’s a price list by category but you can almost afford any one book humble Hex has access to so I doubt you care. What are you looking for, I’m technically my master’s librarian. You can search by specific titles or keywords. The rule is that you cannot share any content you learn from the master's library with people that never read the same book. But if you learn the same knowledge from elsewhere, you can share the knowledge without limitation. You can also speak of related content with people who have knowledge of the same topic. You will instinctively know whether you can speak out when you try. The Law of Secrets will keep your mouth shut when necessary so you don’t have to worry about accidental blabbing.”

  “How does that work, if I learn about the same thing from the same book but outside of the God of Knowledge’s library, I can talk and share about its contents without limitation?” Ebony wasn’t shocked by the fact that he wasn’t able to afford some books present.

  “Yes. I can’t tell you how it works because I don’t know either. You will not know whether another person has read the same book until you try and intend to speak out the words. Just thinking about it won’t let you know if another person standing before you has read the same book. Don’t question me about the powers of Gods, I’m not one myself.”

  “Search up baseline traits..hang on a minute.” Ebony left the library to ask the old lady who was playing a complicated board game with her daughter Shi Qiang.

  “Are there any other taboo words I can’t say or should not search up Eidolon?” He wasn’t dumb enough to search up Rime but there are many other things he was curious about.

  “Such as? You can say it here, no one dares to listen in on us. Other than our people.” Shi Tao moved the magic knight and had it jump across enemy lines while taking two hits from a mage. The characters on the board moved themselves after the player's commands. The damage was shown on the knight by the destroyed pauldron and a decrease in glow representing the mana lost by the knight. The mage also dimmed since it received commands to passively defend but it had a far bigger mana pool so it didn’t dim as much.

  “Unique skill. Ubiquitous Providence.” These were the keywords he was the most curious about that might be sensitive topics based on Xin’s Intuition to stop him. He would search up Will and other magic too but it wasn’t an immediate priority.

  “Ho. Heard that Shi Qiang, that’s my nephew.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “It’s not taboo, but I suggest you don’t ask for it. First of all, you won’t find anything about those with the level of access you have or throughout whatever Hex has. Second of all, even if you do, the topic of unique skills is something Xengs are familiar with so there is no need to let the God of Knowledge know that you are aware of it. There is a low chance you will be taken note of if you’re older or stronger, but now that I’ve put you down in our registry, knowing about unique skills will be less conspicuous since old races can teach their descendants whatever they know. I am curious but I won’t ask what unique skill you have, you should keep it secret. Now as for the Ubiquitous Providence, that is something you should not speak out loud anywhere else without me, Ning Xue or The First around. I suppose that Wen brat too.”

  “Okay, I’ll get to reading.” Ebony cut the conversation there.

  “Haha, just like ah Wu. Hey, what is that move!” Shi Tao shouted at her daughter’s move.

  “Hex, just bring up everything on baseline traits.”

  “321 books mention that term. You don’t have the balance to pay for all of them at the moment. I highlighted the books, you have to walk up and take them off the shelves by yourself. I’ll deduct the payment from your balance as you go.”

  The process was rather troublesome and he didn’t have any powers in this library so he had to climb. The first book glowing light green with a single Hex particle floating about was 4 floors up.

  Basics on Baseline Traits.

  The title was clear enough and a good place to start.

  The book was a couple hundred pages thick and viewing this library was in real time which was a bit weird when he should be in his mind. He assumed that since he was in his mindspace, perceived time would correspond to his usual processing speed but that wasn’t the case.

  The contents were more in-depth than he expected but it raised questions about himself.

  Baseline traits refer to the fundamental characteristics that define a race or species. These traits establish a baseline or standard level of abilities that are typical for members of that race. One extremely simplified example, humans generally have a balanced distribution of physical strength, intelligence, and magical potential, with no extreme specialisation in any area. Baseline human's most well-known traits were their abnormally high adaptability but not enough to be the amongst the most adaptable races.

  In contrast, other races or species might have different baseline traits that reflect their unique evolutionary paths or cultural developments. Tigers might possess greater physical strength and agility than humans. However, this increased physical prowess might come at the cost of lower intelligence or magical ability, reflecting a trade-off that maintains a similar total "value" or overall capability when compared to humans. The concept of baseline traits suggests that while different races may excel in certain areas, their overall capabilities are balanced when considering all aspects.

  Based on this book alone, he highly suspected that the crystal monolith that he saw during his evolution represented baseline traits. All the evidence just points to this hypothesis of his to be true.

  The book referenced other titles that better quantified baseline traits between races but Ebony wasn’t that interested since it wouldn’t impact his understanding of the topic at the moment.

  It was believed and proven that being born by parents of a higher evolutionary state would produce offspring that had higher total baseline trait value than if they were born from a couple of a lower evolutionary state.

  These traits referred to many things, more than the ‘Basics on Baseline Traits’ covered. The most obvious would be all the stats that one could increase when they levelled. He was right that even if one person had 1 point in strength, it doesn't equal another person with 1 point in strength. Human males were generally stronger than their females at the same stat value. Baseline trait was also seen as the original physique before any refinements or mutations.

  Elemental affinity was another point affected by one’s genetics.

  Natural Potential or talent was the one he was more interested in. Since his original stats didn’t differ from an average human, baseline traits actually included talent. This partly explained why he levelled faster than any Elcrian outside of the effort he put into training.

  ‘Hm, so Auntie wanted me to read this and tell me that the Xengs have baseline traits that are a lot higher than normal humans and other races. That means the Shi have a physical baseline that is a lot higher, to begin with. If they are three times stronger than a human, it immediately means that once they started levelling, a single stat increment in Strength would be like 3 points for another person.’

  One definite ‘law’ such as the law of physics, was that baseline traits had a total value that was spread across a person. If one had higher strength, it would eat into another trait be it mental ability, resistance to elements, mana quality.

  It was unfair but such was the whole point of natural evolution.

  Taking a peek outside, the two Shis were still playing so he went back into the library. It was a bit troublesome that he had to climb down to the entrance and back up the spiral staircase. There was no way to ‘exit’ his mind like usual.

  ‘Ah so whether or not a human is considered sub-human or baseline human depends on a certain degree of difference between their baseline traits. Like a race that removed skin elasticity so much or somehow added scales to themselves, using either chemical, alchemical, natural or some type of process would be subhuman. Because their base is still the same, they are not considered a different race.’

  Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

  The Cinderash must have their ‘aether-using’ trait added to a low degree. That’s why they only used aether earliest at King ranked, minus Gearhart’s direct descendants who can use it a bit earlier. In exchange, their physical strength was high enough that they suppressed me with augmentation. After Skills are taken into account.

  Elcrian warriors, even a late bloomer can use mana as a Master. Many could use it to a rudimentary degree as a Journeyman. Yet their overall traits are still weaker than almost any other planet’s humans Ebony had seen to date.

  ‘In this case, my baseline traits must not be placed in any of the stats. Even my strongest stat, base wisdom is no different from a human of 10% regeneration per hour, and 1 point equals 10 maximum points in mana at first. Until I refined my physique to change that. I’m reasonably certain that is because I’m born on Earth which erases most powers. So where did my traits go? Knowing this law of baseline traits, it can’t disappear. It should be my ability with mana manipulation, my mind, and usage of Will that even Elven Grandmasters cannot utilise. Elemental affinity. Unbelievable poison resistance. Base mental defences that could make an Emperor-ranked Telepath Mr Guru have trouble pushing deeper. My unnatural healing, my bones, muscles and nerves could heal without permanent damage ever since I was on Earth, but I never questioned it…’

  There were more differences he could pick out between himself and another person on the street. His mana qualities stood out the most.

  The higher he climbed up the cylindrical library, the less content books with the keyword baseline trait had. He was currently intrigued by mentions of a book called ‘Failures of Baseline Trait Engineering’ that supposedly talked about how creatures manipulated their seed and birthed creatures that couldn’t live.

  Having overwhelmingly strong muscles made them born with crushed bones and brain dead or bones so tough their body couldn’t support them. Increasing physical and mental output by raising the energy required so much that once separated from their mother, their digestive system couldn’t break down food and energy so their offspring was only born to starve to death.

  It was heavily referenced in many books but the book itself was something Hex didn’t have.

  “How many floors are there here?” He climbed up at least a hundred floors and could no longer see glowing books above him.

  “There are 55,421 floors. I am currently allowed to hold 212 million books. Rounded.”

  “Are there any more? I don’t see glowing books anymore.”

  “You’ve already read everything you can afford.”

  “I don’t have any more money?”

  “You do but the prices are highly varied.”

  It was too bad he just knew the bare basics but he already spent most of his money and that was enough reading for now. “Alright, thank you, I’ll be back.”

  Ebony gave the library some respect and climbed the spiral stairs down quietly instead of leaping off.

  “I’ve read the basics.”

  The ladies were still playing their game.

  “Mm. I’m sure you realised what I was trying to say about why you’re fragile compared to us.” Shi Tao replied non-committedly, more focused on her board game.

  “Mmm. What is your trade-off?” Ebony poured himself a cup of tea, after refilling the two seniors' cups. Even if he hadn’t considered them as an aunt or cousins, they were still his elders in age by thousands or hundreds of years at the very least.

  “Life span is the most obvious one. I’m sure the majority of people think we are crazy or have some mental instability.” Shi Tao accepted the tea and drank it like a shot instead of enjoying the tea.

  “Is that so, everyone seems normal to me.” Ebony ignored the scene of a transforming Ning that raged just because he was wrapping up a wound. He could understand it to an extent, he wouldn’t like it if another person did the same to Xin. He just did not expect that reaction thinking they barely knew Xin for half a day.

  “We say the same thing,” Shi Qiang commanded her earth mages to raise a wall that would increase stamina consumption for her opponent to climb, or waste a turn to break it down. It was a pretty interesting game.

  “We have our differences between a clan to clan and individual to individual basis. On average, our baseline trait is about 380 times that of an average baseline human at birth. The Shi and Ning Clan average at 600 times that of an average baseline human. Hmm, Hex’s library is limited. Anyway, most of it goes to less obvious traits like our soul, genetic resistances and so on. These are the more…expensive options to say the least. Muscle strength is by far one of the cheapest traits to invest in.” The younger of the two ladies continued. She was quite relaxed since she was winning the game.

  ‘The secrecy law is not that tight if we both have some relevant knowledge.’ Ebony noticed how Shi Qiang tip-toed around the topic before she managed to say something. Using the Xengs as an example might have been possible because that had nothing to do with a book from God of Knowledge’s library. And he was already aware that some studies quantified these traits.

  “Can I speak my mind and you can confirm my hypothesis even if I never read up on those books?” Ebony decided to test out the limits of what he could and couldn’t share.

  Shi Tao was pondering on her next move as her units were low on resources and were trapped by various environmental effects. The magic board was bigger than a coffee table and simulated the environments and elements pretty much perfectly.

  “My memories have gotten hazy when it comes to evolution but I am sure I was in control. There is some kind of object or symbol that represents our baseline traits there and could be raised with natural potential.” It annoyed him a bit that evolutionary process memories were hidden.

  “Correct.” Shi Tao answered him after she played her move and passed the thinking time to her daughter.

  “The Ubiquitous Providence, it ‘bestows’ natural potential but if notifications are to be trusted it is more like a trade. I gave 'it' or 'them' natural potential when I created a unique skill, and in return, I got natural potential back. That means the Ubiquitous Providence might be a person, a living creature, some kind of Higher Being or something that has sentience.” He recalled the notifications when he made his Mireloom Chassis Engine.

  “You can say that.”

  “The quantity and perhaps quality of natural potential I got is determined by what it calls Echelon and Order.”

  “Quantity. The quality of natural potential is always constant for every race and species. Wen personally found a race of insects to prove this. It can suck out a creature’s natural potential. At birth, an insect might have baseline traits a few million times lower than a human but this creature can devour and digest natural potential to make it its own. However, it is of course nearly impossible for it to change into a human but that can be changed with enough targets absorbed.

  There are a few races that attempt high-level engineering of their baseline traits, the most famous are the Dragon Emulators. They used to be humans, but after generations of self-editing, they gave themselves scales, wings, claws, amplified their aura, enhanced and curved their spines. When it comes to natural potential, all you have to care about is quantity and there is nothing you cannot do with your genetics. It is just a lot more expensive to change from a landbound creature to an aerial one, the greater the change from your baseline trait, the more unlikely it is due to how ‘wasteful’ the expenditures are.”

  “Sounds cool, are they strong?”

  “The Dragons despise them but are leaving them alone to see if they can successfully produce a real Dragon. Back when I first saw them, they were very disappointing. It’s too bad I’ve never found a real Dragon to fight.”

  “Even you’ve never found them?”

  “I mean one that’s outside. We know where they live, I can’t barge in like The First can. Using the same baseline trait average, we were told an average Dragons species is a couple dozen times higher than us. How I wish I could invite one of them for a fight.”

  ‘So 1 stat point of strength for a Dragon is closer to tens of thousands for a normal human. No wonder levels don’t mean anything.’ Even if Ebony ignored the fact that this average could vary immensely between traits, the rough estimate helped.

  “That is why Higher Beings don’t look up to ‘mortals’; the evolution to Saint raises one’s baseline significantly. As a matter of fact, when The First evolved past Saint she raised all the Xeng’s baseline traits by a factor and more so for Xeng women, hence the obvious difference between us. Can you guess why the evolution is significantly different?”

  Parallel threads of thoughts raced in his mind but he couldn’t come up with a definitive answer or an educated guess.

  “It’s easier to explain it to you since you know of the Ubiquitous Providence. When a Saint is born, you similarly provide the Ubiquitous Providence something.”

  “Evolving into a Saint has a similar effect as creating a unique skill?”

  “Not to us but to the Ubiquitous Providence. As for the quantity of natural potential, it’s equivalent to, it varies to an extreme extent. Just like how you can trash any baseline humans at the same level or even greater. I can give you better examples using Echelon and Order but you won’t understand you’re at the Emperor rank or trying to create a tier 7 skill.”

  Ebony watched their board game run as Shi Tao and Shi Qiang educated him.

  He learned about how some races of humans gave up Class Skill slots for natural potential, so they have 5 to 8 skills. Races that do this are usually hyper-specialised and are always found in large societies and communities. If they weren’t a fighter, they were easily assassinated no matter the level or evolution. In Shi Tao’s words, these people were professional servants and slaves that have generations forced into specialising in agriculture, mining and other ‘menial’ jobs.

  Unlike Elcrians who don't know about conscious evolution decisions. Or perhaps they couldn’t retain those memories, on the larger scale it was a very common thing to do. It was common for a person to only be able to ‘edit’ their evolution once in their lifetime. From Grandmaster to King.

  While for older, more advanced races and civilisations, they have 2 chances to modify themselves. Once from Grandmaster to King and another from King to Emperor. That’s why it took generations for obvious changes for the entire race.

  He heard about Demons and Fiends. Demons were still people and communication was possible while Fiends were to be killed on sight since they only knew slaughter, destruction and increasing their power.

  He learned about Elves who were said to have even greater baseline trait value than the Xengs excluding the few Saints the Xeng had but the Elves' choice of traits to develop towards are all extremely expensive and they face some kind of diminishing returns.

  He learned about Space Dwarves, the height of the Dwarven race. They made Dyson Spheres a reality. One of the few races that live on planets that they made from scratch.

  Most importantly, he learned about how much Shi Tao bragged and praised his mother Shi Wu. This was apparently brand new to Shi Qiang who was listening intently to Shi Tao’s pride and love for Shi Wu. If anything, this was Ebony's most memorable takeaway.