Chapter 854: The Oriole and the Orchid
Zac inwardly grumbled, but he kept his opinions to himself as he infused a wisp of energy into the information crystal. However, only a second passed before he looked up at his master with complaint in his eyes.
“There’s a lot fewer items this ti.”
“I told you last ti. Brazla had fill the inheritance a certain number of tis for each grade, with the F-grade needing the most items. However, while the quantity is lower, the quality of items is a lot higher on average. I wouldn’t say that anything here is earthshattering, but I would have killed for so of these things when I was your grade back then.”
It made sense. It was in the original Brazla’s interest to focus on the higher stages of the inheritances, while just handing out so decent baubles at the F-grade. After all, Brazla was a Peak Hegemon from what Zac had gathered. If he had a descendant that managed to pass this inheritance, they would be an elite worthy to nurture.
If soone passed the D-grade Inheritance, they would be a contender to beco a future leader of Brazla’s clan.
Zac scanned the list of roughly 50 items carefully, but there were just too many items with nas that didn’t imdiately explain their function. Worse yet, only a certain category of items had descriptions, each one of them more detailed than the last. “To begin with, I’ll take the ‘The Oriole and the Orchid’.”
“Excellent choice,” Yrial said, his smile seemingly illuminating the whole world as a large box appeared next to him. “It’s good to see that you at least have learned so manners since last ti we t, buying another nto to rember your dear master by.”
Zac nodded with a strained smile, as though Yrial hadn’t just blackmailed him to buy another vanity item. Even then, there was so anticipation as his gaze turned to the box containing the statue of his master. Yrial waved his sleeves with excitent, and a lid opened to expose the alabaster statue within.
It was an expertly sculpted Yrial sitting in a adow of extrely lifelike flowers, the whole piece hewn from one solid piece of so spiritual rock. One of Yrial’s hands was outstretched, with a small bird perched on his index finger. It was almost indistinguishable from the real thing, and it felt like the small bird could fly off at any mont. The statue itself also emitted great tranquility, almost as though Zac was the one sitting among the flower without a care in the world as he communed with nature.
This feeling was the true reason he chose this particular item, even if there were cheaper items that would satisfy Yrial’s demand. According to the description, ‘The Oriole and the Orchid’ had a very strong soul-nurturing effect after being placed in so sanctum of Yrial’s inner world for dozens of millennia.
Why Yrial had so sort of sanctum with statues of himself wasn’t sothing Zac required deeper digging. He was simply interested in its ability to hopefully speed up his Soul Strengthening.
In fact, there were a few more vanity items Zac was eyeing, from ornants to paintings, and a scroll of poems detailing Yrial’s beauty. He rembered what happened when he gave away the painting the last ti around; a bunch of people ford Dao Seeds over the next week. Its effect was even better than most of the Dao Treasures in Yrial’s credit store, yet it cost the sa or even less.
In other words, the vanity items were actually among those with the greatest value, as long as you could get over the aesthetics. For example, the lock of hair was still for sale, an item that could almost be considered a C-grade material. However, before spending any more credits, Zac first wanted so advice.
“Unfortunately, a lot of the items available are not suitable for you,” Yrial sighed. “I didn’t expect soone with such a different path to pass my inheritance. This includes the two supre items, [Bowl of the Raging Seas] and [Infernal Mote].They are extrely potent Core-strengtheners for those following in my path. For you, they are just shiny baubles.”
“I guessed as much,” Zac sighed. “So, what can I use?”
“First of all, you should buy the [Book of Duality],” Yrial said. “It’s only 1,000 credits because it’s a normal book that you can copy, but its value isn’t ordinary – in a sense, it’s almost as valuable as the two supre treasures. I only managed to get my hands on it toward the end of my journey, but if I had it when I was still in E-grade, I would have avoided a lot of pitfalls.”
Zac looked at the book Yrial ntioned. There were actually five copies of the [Book of Duality] in the heritage and they were cheap. This indicated they weren’t extraordinary, so Zac had passed them by during his cursory scan. However, his interest was piqued by Yrial’s description and he quickly bought it.
A mont later, Zac held an actual leatherbound book in his hands, reading the short ssage on the first page.
I am Kalo, and my path has taken to the edge of the Heavens and Earth. In this book, I have left my gathered knowledge and insights on duality. May they assist you in the pursuit of the Terminus.
If Zac hadn’t just gotten a better description of the elental peak, he might have thought this book related to Creation and Oblivion because it ntioned the Terminus, but he now knew that was unlikely. Zac flipped through the pages, and as expected they were filled with various diagrams and arrays related to the elents, accompanied by mysterious letters that each seed to contain thousands of words and anings each.
It was a common way to convey a lot of information in a short space, but it required the one who wrote it to have a true understanding of what they were writing. In other words, Yrial could probably copy the text, but if Zac tried to do the sa, they would lose almost all their aning. He almost got lost in the words as he read a random page, so he quickly shook his head to clear it before stowing away the book.
Zac didn’t really understand what he had just read, but he still understood why Yrial wanted him to get the to. An encyclopedia containing a powerful Edgewalker’s insights into the specific difficulties of cultivating duality would surely be useful, no matter how different Kalo’s actual path was to his own.
“Who is Kalo? Where is this thing from?” Zac asked curiously.
“So ancient faction far from the frontier,” Yrial sighed. “For a while, I hoped to visit their land for a chance to continue my path, or at least get a copy of the book that hadn’t lost so much of its original aning. This thing is probably just a copy of a copy. Unfortunately, I never found any more information about Kalo or their origins. Still, the book helped understand my path better even as a Monarch. I doubt whoever wrote it was soone simple. Perhaps you can find so inspiration within and use it to stake out your own path.”
“It will be a great source to reference,” Zac nodded. “I also need so escape treasure, preferably a reusable one.”
“With your penchant for getting yourself in trouble, that’s probably a good idea,” Yrial snorted. “The most powerful ones are the [Panopticon Seal] and the [Flashfire Flourish]. I think the latter is better suited for you.”
Zac wasn’t surprised Yrial ntioned those two, even if their nas didn’t expose being escape treasures. They both cost over 8,000 credits, making them so of the most expensive items in the inheritance – there was no way they could be simple.
“What kind of items are they?”
“The [Panopticon Seal] is an ancient treasure that I think once might have been a clan-defining treasure for an ancient formation clan. It contains a terrifyingly complex array that can utterly seal space for over a kiloter in every direction almost instantly. As long as you hold onto the seal, you will be able to escape through a path only you can see. anwhile, everyone else will be frozen in place, no matter if it’s one or one hundred enemies.
“The [Flashfire Flourish] is a fire-based escape treasure I found shortly after becoming a Hegemon. It will turn you into a ball of flas and launch you through space, while sending out hundreds of decoys in every direction.”
“Why do you think I should get the second item then?” Zac frowned. “If the [Flashfire Flourish] is based on the Dao of Fire, Can I even use it?”
“The seal is extrely powerful, being able to seal space with such success that even Late Hegemons will find themselves stuck for a minute or two. However, it is best used in conjunction with other escape asures. It sounds to that escape is one of your weaker suits, with your path being one of constantly forging ahead. What will you do after the Hegemon breaks free? Don’t think so random escape talisman can save you from a motivated D-grade cultivator.”
“anwhile, the [Flashfire Flourish] will shift you to a neighboring dinsional layer, while also making it harder to find you. That feature obviously doesn’t work inside Mystic Realms, but it will still take you extrely far in an instant. As for the fire-based aspect, it’s mostly fine.”
“Mostly?” Zac said with a raised brow.
“Well, with you not having an affinity with fire, it will probably hurt like hell to use the item,” Yrial snickered. “But better a little pain than death, right? With your constitution, you should be fine.”
“Just pain, but no damage to my cultivation or anything like that?” Zac thoughtfully asked.
“I didn’t say that. Both items are supre escape treasures. Apart from being a pain to charge, activating them will damage your foundations. Such is the law of balance.”
“It almost sounds like they are ant to be used together,” Zac ventured. “One to seal the enemy, and one to run away.”
“That’s how I did things when out of options,” Yrial nodded.
“So how about…”
“Forget it.”
The two were locked in a wordless struggle for a few monts, but Zac eventually relented with a sigh. “Alright, I’ll take the [Flashfire Flourish].”
It might not be exactly suited for him, but it was the kind of treasure he needed – sothing akin to Thea’s escape skill or the item the cultist leader used after their battle in the Dead Zone. anwhile, the [Panopticon Seal] sounded a bit too much like his [Pillar of Desolation] to make it worth 8,750 points, even if it was a powerful item.
He would simply have to find another way to restrain his pursuers while activating the [Flashfire Flourish] in the future.
“Good choice,” Yrial said, his smile widening as a box appeared in Yrial’s hands. “I didn’t want to influence your choice, but I actually modified the flourish one day when I was beset with an epiphany. Now, it’s even better than when I used it. You’ll be the envy of the cultivation world – it took quite so effort to instill my charm and aesthetics into this item.”
“Better how? What did you do?” Zac asked with a sinking feeling as he heard the ambiguous words.
“First, leave a drop of blood and bind it,” Yrial urged as he took out a small red wand from the box, prompting Zac to reluctantly comply.
“Perfect,” Yrial smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t waste the actual escape charge. I’m just a bit curious how it will turn out with you as the controller.”
“How what will turn-” Zac asked, but he didn’t get any further as a fiery ball shot out from the wand, shooting right past his head.
Zac scrambled out of the way with alarm as he covered his head, but he breathed in relief when the fireball wasn’t followed by an explosion. However, Zac’s expression sunk with dismay as he turned around, wholeheartedly feeling that Yrial’s modifications were far worse.
The blue sky and the field of flowers in the pocket dinsion had lost their luster in the face of the almost blinding spectacle the [Flashfire Flourish] had left behind. However, it wasn’t so sort of combat-related apparition, or so maze-like array ant to confuse the enemy.
It was rather an image of Zac’s face left as a ten-ter hologram floating in the air.
However, while it was him, it also wasn’t. Zac saw his eyes sparkle like stars with a tearful expression that spoke of both reluctance and love. There was a slight blush on his cheeks and rosy lips locked in a small pout, with his usual buzz cut replaced by a wavy cascade of chestnut-colored hair. Surrounding his face was a swirling sea of fiery and icy flowers, illuminated by rays of light. Finally, beneath the spectacle was one line written by glittering stardust.
Parting with a dear companion is always a sweet sorrow.
“It’s not quite the sa when you’re using it,” Yrial sighed with a shake of his head. “At least it fixed your hair.”
“This… what…” Zac stuttered, finding himself lost for words.
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The failed effeminization of his face. His ambiguous expression and the even more ambiguous words. In what universe was this a suitable function to add to an escape treasure? The only way it could be useful was if the scene was so unexpected and surreal that his pursuers found themselves shocked enough to lose track of him.
“Ah, don’t worry,” Yrial sagely nodded. “It’s designed to use whatever face you’re currently wearing. So no need to worry in case you’re using a disguise.”
‘Like that’s my concern right now!’ Zac wanted to roar, suddenly worrying that his already strained reputation would take another hit if he was ever discovered using this cursed escape wand.
“Not only that, but this is only one of five different morable scenes I engraved into the [Flashfire Flourish]. It’s impossible to be certain, but I think it might be one of the most stylish escape items in your sector.”
“It’s quite sothing,” Zac said through grit teeth as he turned away from the still-glimring apparition. “But I worry these superfluous additions might weaken its main function. I think it would be better to restore the item to its original state.”
“Well, it does cost a bit more energy, but it is negligible compared to the expenditure for the actual escape,” Yrial explained. “And I refuse to ruin this piece of art, even if it will be sullied by your face. I suggest you rather start thinking on how to improve your features, allowing you to leave behind an even more srizing scene that will linger in the hearts of your pursuers forever.”
“Alright, well, I guess that’s fine then,” Zac sighed with a sense of defeat.
“With this purchase, you still have 5,500 Credits,” Yrial smiled. “Do you want any more advice?”
In the end, Zac purchased a non-attuned Natural Treasure that would help strengthen any prototype core, which would speed up the process after he’d found a proper core blueprint to work from. It only cost 1,500 Credits as well, making it a steal. For the final 4,000 points, Zac got another unique treasure called [Hanamon’s Awakening].
It was yet another Node Opening treasure, one that Zac hoped would help him out with his Draugr Eoz heritage. Unfortunately, it could only help open nodes he had already located, and it only worked with constitution-based Hidden Nodes, which was why it was so much cheaper than the [Eye of Har’Theriam] he got last ti.
It was a bit of a gamble, but there wasn’t much else he wanted from the inheritance. Race-boosting pills weren’t a thing in the D-grade since once’s race was connected to one’s Cultivator’s Core at that stage. Every ti you upgraded your core, your longevity and attribute cap would increase. Finally, when you perfected your core, you’d officially reach C-grade race.
“Looks like you got your money’s worth,” Yrial nodded after Zac had stowed away the final item. “But rember, treasures can only help you remove so roadblocks on your path. Cultivation ultimately cos from within.”
“I know,” Zac nodded.
“Now, is there anything else you want to ask of your beautiful and benevolent master?” Yrial smiled. “Rember, it will probably be a while before we see each other again.”
“Actually, there are a few things,” Zac nodded, relieved that Yrial still had the energy to chat. “First of all, I was hoping you could help upgrade your transformation skill. Secondly, I was wondering if you had ever heard of the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation].”
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