「Two days later.」
Dusk fell on No. 12 Golden Oak Street, and the light in the courtyard was dim.
When Aidelle pushed open the wooden door to the Workshop, her steps were unsteady, and the hem of her deep cyan Long Robe was covered in dust.
Her face was even paler than when she had left, and her eye sockets were sunken, but her eyes, with their swirling, faint silver patterns, were astonishingly bright.
Delia followed behind her, holding a heavy metal box in her hands.
The surface of the box was engraved with complex sealing Runes, its edges severely worn.
Aidelle stopped at the entrance to the Laboratory, her voice hoarse. "I’m back."
She raised a hand, signaling for Delia to place the metal box on the lab table.
"CLACK."
The metal box landed with a heavy thud.
Ian looked up from the lab table, a faint golden Energy Thread still wrapped around his fingertip.
At the end of the thread, a drop of dark red Gale Falcon Blood Essence was slowly taking shape.
Gaga was crouched on the corner of the table, its small head poking over curiously.
Aidelle wasted no time and opened the metal box directly.
Inside the box, laid out on a deep blue velvet cloth, were thirty-seven fist-sized, silver-white crystals.
Fine Star Orbit patterns flowed across the crystals’ surfaces, and countless tiny points of light spun slowly within, as if a miniature starry sky were sealed inside.
A dense, pure, and almost tangible fluctuation of Star Energy instantly filled the entire Laboratory.
’Star Crystals,’ Ian rejoiced inwardly.
He put down the Blood Essence in his hand, walked over to the metal box, and reached out to pick up a Star Crystal.
It was cold to the touch, like holding a piece of ten-thousand-year-old ice.
The surging Star Energy within caused the Crystal Core in his Sea of Spirit to tremble slightly.
"Thirty-seven standard units," Aidelle said, her voice soft, laced with both exhaustion and relief.
She paused, then added, "Twenty of them came from my fifth sister’s channels. I traded a thirty-percent share of the exclusive supply rights for Starlight Potions for the next three years to get them."
"As for the other seventeen..." She pursed her lips.
"I sold an old residence my mother left behind in the east of the city, along with two non-essential Witchcraft Tools she had collected."
Ian looked up at her.
This seventh-in-line successor had spent two days running around, negotiating, and selling off property... all while operating with extreme caution under the watchful eyes of those old foxes in her family.
For her to have gathered all this, the price she paid was likely far greater than what she had just described.
"The deal is done."
Ian placed the Star Crystal back in the box and closed the lid.
"I’ll give you the other two Potions after I’ve finished Refining them.
They’re for cultivating your core team. For now... you should focus your energy on the assessment."
Aidelle’s breath hitched slightly.
"Here are the instructions for consumption," Ian said, pulling a neatly folded scroll of Parchment from his sleeve and unrolling it on the lab table.
The handwriting on it was neat, with every precaution clearly marked.
"First, it must be done in an environment near an Earth Vein node, preferably in the center of a temporarily constructed Guiding Array.
Second, before taking the Potion, you need to consume a neutralizing-type potion beforehand to buffer the impact on your bloodline.
Third, the fusion process will be accompanied by excruciating pain. The physical enhancement is equivalent to having your bones, muscles, and meridians completely shattered and Reorganized."
Ian paused and looked at Aidelle.
"The family assessment is tomorrow morning. You now have... less than twelve hours."
Aidelle stared at the words on the Parchment, her fingers tightening unconsciously.
After three breaths, she looked up, the silver patterns in her eyes swirling.
"I’m prepared... I will succeed."
Her voice was soft, yet it carried an unstoppable momentum.
"Then let’s start now," Ian said, rolling up the Parchment. "Time waits for no one."
「Late at night, in the underground Laboratory at No. 12 Golden Oak Street.」
The lights were dimmed to their lowest setting, leaving only the soft white glow emitted by the Crystal Stones on the walls.
In the center of the Laboratory, the temporary two-meter-diameter Earth Vein Guidance Array had been reactivated.
Twelve Rune Stones emitted a dim yellow halo, and Earth Vein Energy flowed like an invisible tide within the confines of the Array.
The air grew still once more.
Aidelle sat cross-legged in the center of the Array. She had changed out of her deep cyan Long Robe and was now wearing a form-fitting black training uniform.
The Crystal Tube lay before her.
Delia stood at the edge of the Array, her hands clasped so tightly her knuckles had turned white.
Old Finn leaned against the doorway with a stooped back. The embers in his pipe had long since died out, and his cloudy eyes were fixed on the center of the Array.
Ian stood by the lab table, toying with a Star Crystal in his hand.
A silver-white halo swirled around his fingertips, sharply defining the contours of his profile.
"Begin."
As his voice fell, the only sound left in the Laboratory was the low hum of the flowing Earth Vein Energy.
Aidelle took a deep breath and drew a small Glazed Bottle from her robes.
Inside the bottle was a milky-white potion. This was the Neutralizing Potion she had acquired from Ashia.
She uncorked the bottle and tilted her head back, drinking it all.
The liquid went down her throat, transforming into a gentle coolness that instantly spread to her limbs and torso.
In her Sea of Spirit, the faint silver patterns of her "Time Trace" bloodline began to swirl slowly, like guards awakening ahead of schedule.
「Three minutes later.」
Aidelle opened her eyes, the silver patterns within them shining with astonishing brightness.
She reached out and picked up the Earth Tyrant Potion.
The Crystal Tube felt heavy in her hand, like holding a miniature mountain.
She pulled out the stopper.
"BOOM!"
A vast, tyrannical, almost berserk wave of Earth Energy erupted in an instant!
The air in the Laboratory trembled violently, and the light from the Earth Vein Guidance Array flared up!
Without hesitation, Aidelle tilted her head back and downed the dark amber liquid in one gulp!
The moment the liquid entered her throat—
"URGH!"
A suppressed grunt escaped her throat, and her entire body began to tremble violently.
The Potion felt like molten magma, searing its way down her esophagus.
Everywhere it passed—blood vessels, muscles, bones—it felt as if they were all being thrown into a steel furnace to be reforged!
The pain was excruciating...
It was as if countless red-hot iron nails were being driven through every inch of her flesh from the inside out.
Aidelle clenched her jaw, and fine trickles of blood seeped from her gums.
She pressed her hands firmly against the ground, the bones in her fingers making soft "CRICK" sounds from the strain.
On her forehead, neck, arms... on all her exposed skin, Dark Gold patterns began to appear.
The patterns, like the veins of the Earth, spread along her blood vessels, intertwining until they covered her entire body.
「At the same time.」
The air behind her began to distort and blur.
The phantom image of an ancient, mountain-sized bear slowly emerged from the Void!
The phantom’s outline was blurry; one could only make out the posture of a great bear raising its head to roar.
But the primordial, heavy, almost Rule-like pressure it emanated caused all the Magic Power in the Laboratory to freeze.
Delia covered her mouth, her eyes turning red.
Old Finn’s stooped back straightened, and his withered fingers gripped the doorframe tightly.
Ian watched quietly, the Star Crystal at his fingertips having been put away at some point.
His gaze fell upon Aidelle, his Spiritual Power extending like the finest spider silk.
He cautiously perceived every minute change within her body.
In the center of the Array, Aidelle’s body began to change.
Her once slender arms swelled, their muscle definition bulging at a visible rate!
Beneath the Dark Gold patterns on her skin, a natural, Rock-like texture appeared, hard as iron to the touch.
Her bones emitted a dense series of "CRACKLE" sounds, as if countless steel bars were being Reorganized and reinforced inside her!
Her previously pale face now had a healthy flush.
But in her deep cyan pupils, the silver patterns were temporarily covered, and the phantom image of a mountain range was even faintly reflected in their depths!
This wasn’t to say the Potion was stronger than Aidelle’s own bloodline; that was impossible.
It was just that with the Potion taking effect, the world’s Rules temporarily acknowledged the "Ussa Incarnation."
The phantom of the ancient bear behind her suddenly grew a degree more solid.
Its outline became much clearer, and one could now make out the thick Rock Armor on its body and its pupils, which burned with Earth Vein Fire.
Aidelle let out an irrepressible roar.
Her whole body shot up from the ground, only to fall heavily to her knees again.
She slammed her hands on the ground, her ten fingers digging deep into the Obsidian patterns of the Array.
"CRACK..."
The faint sound of stone cracking was exceptionally jarring in the silent Laboratory.
An earthy yellow halo began to radiate from her body.
The halo resonated with the Energy of the Earth Vein Guidance Array, and the entire floor of the Laboratory began to tremble slightly!
It was as if some ancient being was Awakening deep underground.
A glimmer of light flashed in Ian’s eyes.
He "saw" that in Aidelle’s Sea of Spirit,
next to the faint silver patterns of the "Time Trace" bloodline, a Dark Gold map of the Earth’s veins began to appear.
The two bloodlines didn’t clash. Instead, guided by some deeper Rule, they began to slowly merge.
The "Time Perception" of Time Trace and the "Space Carrying" of the Earth Vein... had produced an unexpected resonance.
"The Child of the Earth Veins... The trait is beginning to Awaken," he muttered to himself.
The earthy yellow halo around Aidelle began to contract inward.
Finally, it formed a layer on her skin as thin as a cicada’s wing, yet indestructible, with a Dark Gold sheen.
She slowly stood up.
Her movements were slow but carried a certain weighty quality.
Like a mountain rising from the depths of the Earth.
"HUUU..."
She let out a long breath.
The air she exhaled actually carried the faint smell of soil, along with the distinct scent of sulfur and Metal from deep within an Earth Vein.
She raised her hand and slowly clenched her fingers into a fist.
"CRACKLE."
A soft pop as the air was compressed by her grip.
It was air compression caused by pure physical Power, without the use of any Witchcraft.
She looked down at her palm.
On the surface of her skin, Dark Gold patterns swirled slowly, and deep within, the phantom of a mountain range seemed to ebb and flow.
She could feel the sound of blood rushing through her veins, like a subterranean river surging deep underground.
The density and toughness of her bones had reached an unprecedented level.
Every contraction and expansion of her muscle fibers contained explosive Power.
More importantly...
She closed her eyes, and her Spiritual Power seeped into the Earth beneath her feet like invisible Tentacles.
And then, she "heard" it.
The low hum of Energy flowing deep within the Earth Vein.
Further away, within a radius of dozens of kilometers, the faint stirrings of several family gathering places.
And even... in the center of East City, beneath the Time Trace Tower, the heavy pulse of that enormous main vein.
"Child of the Earth Veins..."
she murmured to herself, her voice filled with irrepressible shock.
Opening her eyes, she looked at Ian.
Deep within her cyan pupils, the silver patterns and Dark Gold veins intertwined, eventually settling into a profound calm.
"I succeeded."
Aidelle’s voice was soft, but her heart was surging with emotion.
Ian nodded, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly.
"Congratulations."
The tense atmosphere in the Laboratory suddenly relaxed.
Delia rushed into the Array and threw her arms around Aidelle, her eyes red.
"Miss... you... you scared me to death..."
Old Finn let out a long, turbid breath, his stooped back slumping down once more.
But a hint of a smile flashed through his cloudy eyes.
Aidelle gently patted Delia’s back, but her gaze was fixed on Ian.
"Thank you, Ian."
Ian shook his head, turned to the lab table, and opened the metal box containing the Star Crystals.
The silver-white glow illuminated his profile.
"We both got what we wanted."
He picked up a crystal, turning it gently between his fingers.
"You got your Power, and I got my resources."
"Next..."
He paused, looking out the Laboratory window at the deep night sky.
In the center of East City, the Crystal Ball atop the Time Trace Tower illuminated a large portion of the city’s night sky.
Tomorrow morning, at the family’s Beast Fighting Arena.
Three Tier Two Late Stage Demons, a battle of attrition.
Beneath the calm, the undercurrents were already surging to a critical point.
"Now it’s my turn to get stronger," Ian said softly, the silver gleam in his eyes quietly swirling.
On his shoulder, Gaga nuzzled his cheek, the light of the Star Crystal reflected in its heterochromatic eyes.
They looked like two tiny, lit-up stars.