“Is the aether density of the Wandering Islands really that high?”
“Yeah, it’s almost like breathing underwater. You get used to it eventually, and it’s great for leveling up quickly, but the enemies there are absolute monsters. Honestly, I’m a lightweight in Elysium,” Priam admitted.
“I’m looking forward to seeing it,” Protheus replied, pulling a pipe seemingly out of nowhere.
The Shield of Humanity stood beside the Spear, leaning against a balcony railing at the bar. The two n enjoyed the night view and a rare mont of quiet. Below them, Jasmine was still lighting up the dance floor. The king’s royal escort was conspicuously absent.
“Planning to leave Proxima?” Priam asked.
“I’ll have to. The aether density and quality here won’t let surpass Tier 4.”
Make think about Valaryth, except the ceiling is even lower there.
“Will you be able to return here after outgrowing Proxima?”
“If I’ve properly ennobled my mind,” the king replied, offering Priam yet another piece of a fundantal puzzle. While the importance of tempering one’s body and baptizing one’s soul was obvious, the ennobling of the mind remained an elusive concept. “But if I have the choice, I’d rather find a way to uplift the entire planet.”
Priam whistled. “Is that even possible?”
“If the inner world of a Tier 5 can be upgraded, why not a planet?” Protheus countered. “Our rchant friend rcury has heard legends, and there’s no smoke without fire. Still, it’s a distant problem, one that’ll require colossal resources.”
The king smiled, took a puff from his pipe, and turned to Priam. “In the anti, I’d like to send a few of my people to Elysium. They’re progressing quickly here, but if you’re right, it’s nothing compared to what’s possible in the spearhead world.”
“If Elysium’s laws naturalize them, they won’t be able to return,” Priam warned. No one could leave the spearhead world for long, except to invade another universe. “At least, not for long. It would cripple your army.”
“My knights are part of my kingdom; I won’t accept them becoming citizens of another world,” the king declared.
Priam froze for a mont. “You think your Talent will allow your knights to bypass Elysium’s laws? If you’re right, your power is seriously broken... But I doubt it. That world is special.”
When Priam first arrived in Elysium, he had received a quest with a simple goal: survive. Once [He Who Eludes Death] activated, the quest had adapted to account for this unique Talent. Even if Protheus’ gift ca from a powerhouse on par with Priam’s patron, Elysium’s laws weren’t so easily twisted.
“You know this world better than I do,” Protheus admitted. “But I’d like to give it a shot. If you’ll help smuggle them in, they’ll be under your command for the duration of their mission.”
With Concepts Archipelago, sneaking a few knights into Oasis would be child’s play for Priam.
“For that crate of seeds you’re hoarding in your vault, I can take three people.”
The king took a contemplative puff from his pipe before exhaling. He managed to create a perfect eight with smoke, leaving Priam to wonder if it was a skill or a System skill.
“What about five? In exchange, you can pick three professions, and I’ll make sure my subordinates have the corresponding expertise.”
Had the king guessed that Priam needed specific artisans to develop Oasis? It wasn’t impossible; Protheus seed to have many contingency plans. When Jasmine spotted a crate labeled Seeds for Priam in his vault, she was astonished.
“Deal. Five it is,” Priam said, extending his hand. The king clasped it with a smile.
“Your body… I can tell you’ve started your tempering. Mythic grade?”
“Seraphic.”
Protheus roared with laughter. “You really are the System’s sugar baby.” Priam thought about a certain gambler and shuddered. Protheus continued without noticing. “Could you provide high-quality tempering thods for humanity? Na your price.” He punctuated his sentence with a wink, and Priam grimaced.
“Request number one: never give a sexy wink again.”
“You’re the one who called it sexy,” Protheus grinned, taking another puff.
Priam ignored him. “As for tempering thods, I’ve seen so at the Sun Auctions. I’ll try to get my hands on them. In exchange... seeds and the prerequisites for ideal Skills will suffice.”
He could have demanded more, but Priam was willing to work at cost to elevate humanity. This ti, at least.
“Thanks. One last thing: I’d appreciate it if you’d donate a drop of blood to our scientists. We’ve cracked the code for High Humans, but Homo Elysian remains a mystery. Even with Duatian, Arkanian, human, and Empyrean blood samples, my researchers are stuck.”
“Not surprising.” Priam wasn’t shocked that Protheus had beco a High Human. With the System’s help, geneticists could easily isolate the best features of the human geno. Homo Elysian was an entirely different mountain to climb. “I had to use hoplite tech and a quantum computer to sequence all the necessary genos. Even then, I might not have succeeded without Osiris—the brother of the Duatian Champion.”
“You don’t talk much about your rivals. Are they strong?”
Priam laughed. “I’m pretty sure Osiris could turn into a giant tumor with just a touch. His brother, Seth… well, he might beco a problem with the current Necromoon event. Generally, you’d do well to avoid Champions. I’m sure you’ve got contingencies for a powerhouse visit, but trust , they’d be useless.”
Not to ntion monsters like Eve, humanity currently couldn’t even stop a trickless warrior like Kazuki.
The king nodded without elaborating on his plans. The two n didn’t trust each other enough to share their secrets.
“Is that why you want to trigger your Tribulations here? So none of your rivals can take advantage of them to attack you?”
“That, or other monsters even worse.”
“Hmm. I’m almost insulted that you consider Proxima safe… But if you’re wrong and die, it would be a sha to have lost the secret to Homo Elysian.”
“You never miss a beat,” Priam muttered, biting his thumb to extract a drop of blood. His wound healed quickly. “Here, try analyzing this.”
Protheus stared at the crimson bead, then frowned. “[Analysis], [Identification], [Inspection], [Observation]... None of my Skills are working.”
[Ciphered Record] was working overti.
Priam frowned before shrugging. “I can’t disable my resistances yet, sorry.” Jasmine’s blood would have worked too, but he wasn’t about to hand over a dium that could harm his Shadow. “There is a more natural way to create Homo Elysian, though.”
Protheus scrutinized him for a mont before nodding. “I imagine volunteers won’t be hard to find. You’re more pretty than rugged, but hey, lots of won loved DiCaprio in Titanic.”
Priam rolled his eyes. “I’m too young to be a father. By ‘natural way,’ I ant I can transform people into Homo Elysian. Primogenitor’s privilege.”
“Oh.” Protheus laughed. “That’ll speed things up. Is it that easy?”
“After upgrading your geno, every cell in your body will have to be replaced, much like the Ship of Theseus. To survive the ritual, you'll need near-instantaneous regeneration. Ideally, you’d take a Hydra pill, but so Titles or rits can fulfill the sa purpose.”
[Three-Headed Hydra], for example, could regenerate an organ or limb once a day.
Protheus took a final drag on his pipe before stowing it away. “Well, if you’ll have , I’ll be your first partner.”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“Really dude, I like won.”
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