n

n

n

nHowever, after reading through once again, Draco's shock subsided and was replaced by skepticism and suspicion. After all, how could the AI give them something unbalanced after it worked so hard to rebalance them?

nAlso, how could such boons exist? If Richmond's Heraldry were to be given a Rank, it would naturally be at the Legendary Rank, bordering on Divine. However, the God's Heraldry would naturally be at the Divine Rank!

nPutting aside the impossibility of gaining Divine level boons so easily, how could a token that was at the Legendary Rank grant Divine level boons?

nOnly fusion items that were directly related to divinity like the Dragon Soul could have such outrageous abilities. Just becoming the herald of a True God wasn't good enough.

nAfter looking through them once more, Draco turned to Eva.

"Eva, can you please demonstrate how each of those abilities work?

"

nEva nodded and began with the Divine Acquisition skill. She immediately focused and 'called down' some of her master's Divine Energy. A ray of golden light shone upon her, generating into a small wisp of energy… that was the size of a germ.

nEva herself stated that she could feel it, but was unable to see it.

nDraco could see it by using the Eyes of Caelo, but he had to zoom it a lot.

nHe smiled bitterly. No wonder it had described it as a 'minuscule iota'. Using two words that were synonymous for 'tiny' obviously meant that it would be very small indeed, but this…

nThis couldn't be used to do anything. It couldn't be used in his crafting, it couldn't be used to power spells, it couldn't be used to do anything substantial.

nAt best, it was for Eva to feel and sense Divine Energy, which after a few years of doing so every day, might allow her to ascend to become a True God.

nThis was great for any normal person. However, Draco and Eva would become True Gods by the time Hikari's first egg hatched and Eva gave birth. That would be around Update 3.

nDraco even had a pathway to becoming an Origin God through his bloodline, and as long as Eva got her bloodline analyzed in-depth by the AI like his was, she would gain it all too.

nSo, when looking at the practical value of this… it had none. No, it could not be stored, as they would need a container made of a divine material to house it.

nDraco sighed and took out the Etz Chaim seedling.

n｢Etz Chaim Seedling – Consumable

nRank: Epic (100% effectiveness)

nEffect: Allows one to grow a sprout of the World Tree within them, opening the foundation of an internal super mini small world.｣

nHe then gave it to Eva with a bitter smile.

"Eva, could you please infuse this seedling with your Divine Energy every day?

"

nDraco didn't need to explain why he wanted her to do this as they had (almost) the same amount of knowledge about the world of Boundless.

n

"Of course, anything for you.

" Eva agreed gently as she took the seed and immediately placed the iota of Divine Energy into it.

nNothing really changed. It was like placing a drop of oil into a boundless sea. However, they both knew that repeating this action would eventually give birth to an amazing result.

nWhy had Draco put away the seedling all this while? Why hadn't he used it immediately to sprout the World tree? After all, the earlier the better. His internal super mini small world would grow with him, so from Rank 1 to Rank 7 would show greater growth than a rank 4 to rank 7.

nIt was because a tree couldn't be grown without nutrients. Where was he supposed to find top-quality nutrients to fuel a World Tree? His Aether Crystals were the best bet, but he would need nearly 1000 top-grade crystals for its growth during Rank 1 to Rank 2.

n

n

nLet's not even begin to talk about what came after. At Rank 2 and beyond, the cost to raise it would be crazy. Its benefits would also be mind-boggling, but what was the point of having the fastest Ferrari if you couldn't even buy fuel for it?

nHowever, using these wisps of Divine Energy to strengthen it while it was still a seed and unplanted would give it a higher starting point. Using the same car example, it would be like slowly changing the engine parts of your Ferrari to something more powerful and optimized.

nIt would do more and consume less, but the downside was that the upgrade occurred at a snail's pace, literally one screw or nut at a time.

nEva tried the Light Manipulation skill as well, and both Draco and herself frowned slightly. This skill was similar to Eva's bloodline, giving her the ability to move Light Energy freely.

nThe difference was that Eva's Goddess of Light Inheritance drained a small amount of bloodline energy to work, and the light was generated solely by Eva herself.

nThe Light Manipulation allowed her to take external light and bend it to her will, using it to attack or defend at will. She could also create mirages and illusions, which were things she could do already anyway.

nThe caveat here was that only natural light counted, which meant the light from the sun. So, unless it was daytime and Eva was in the open, where the sun directly hit her, she would be unable to use this skill.

nTo someone who had no ability to use Light Energy, it was certainly great, but for someone who lived and breathed the purest Light Energy, it was merely a supplement.

nOf course, it greatly increased her battle power in situations where the sun was around. Both Draco and Eva knew that she could abuse this skill to cause unholy damage in battle, so it wasn't useless.

nHowever, it wasn't exactly earth breaking and heaven shattering. It was just… moderate.

nEva tried Free Movement next. Draco used Necrotic Hands on Eva, which bound her in place and dealt D-O-T for 30 seconds.

nHowever, the moment the hands attached themselves to her, they shied away when a golden light covered her form. Eva was able to move away from the area, no matter what Draco did.

nHe used subjective magic spells next, creating the sphere and choosing debuff runes. He had only tried these in passing, and it was easier to spawn debuffs than buffs.

nHe used ice to freeze her legs, water to trap her, earth to seal her and more. Draco directly used his State of Being to handle the cause of effect theory, instead of his willpower.

nAs such, he could gather the resources so much easier. If using willpower was like carrying a bag of rocks with a skinny body, using his State of Being - even at the low rank - was like carrying a bag of rocks with the Hulk's strength.

nAs such, the spells rained down on Eva, but nothing stuck. She would just walk out of these restraining spells with ease, her body unmarred.

nIt created an air of invincibility about her, and Draco found it intoxicating. Seeing his Celestial Beauty walk through fire and brimstone without being harmed in the least was a turn on.

nThe Light Phoenix just gazed at Draco as if he was a freak. How could something like this make you have such a l.u.s.tful expression? What kind of twisted mind…

nDraco came out of his zone and wiped his drool with a serious expression. He realized this was probably the most useful skill Eva gained. It was similar to the effects of the Purefire, but only of the body.

nEva simply could not have her movement constrained by any binding spell, skill, trap, natural hazard or artificial hazard. However, she could still receive damage from normal attacks that weren't of the 'physical constriction' category.

nAs for the Perfect Existence skill, it was even more questionable. It currently had a great use for Eva, as she had taken one of the Dragon's Blessing potion. All this time, Eva had 50% of a Low-Rank Dragon's Source Origin.

nThis would naturally elevate her to a Supreme Rank Dragon, making her about as strong with Worldly Energy as Hikari and putting her on the same level as Draco had been previously.

nShe couldn't learn the Aether Production skill though, or any Draconic skill, because that required bloodline compatibility or a legitimate race change.

n

n

nHowever, when Eva eventually got her bloodline approved, it was likely that she would instantly become a Supreme Rank Light Phoenix, or a Void Creator. This skill would become utterly useless then, and it was doubtful if the AI would rebalance it.

nIn other words, the exemplary nature of the Divine Herald's Cloak was supreme in theory - especially for the average man - but in practicality, it was just so-so for Eva.

nStill, it was a bunch of free boons, so what was there to complain about? Besides, the Divine Herald's Badge gave her some great stuff as well, so all-in-all, it was okay.

nEva smiled at Draco reassuringly. She knew how much Draco loved loot and great stuff, but she was mostly unmoved unless what she gained would benefit Draco greatly.

nShe then took the Lightfire and assimilated it. The Light Phoenix beside her cried out with surprise and then took on a solemn expression. It concentrated and manipulated all the ambient Light Energy for it to enter Eva's body.

nEva glowed like a light bulb, as if all the world's holiness was generated from her body. It only took 2 minutes for this phenomenon to die down and for Eva to smile at her mount gently.

n

"From now on, I shall call you Luxia. How does that sound?

"

nThe Light Phoenix…no, Luxia stretched out her radiant wings and cried out happily. As if the naming was an important milestone in their bond, a character sheet was generated for Luxia.

n｢Name: Luxia - Rank 1 Light Phoenix

nMON Str: 50

nMON Dex: 50

nMON End: 50

nMON Int: 50

nMON Spr: 50

nMON Cha: 50

nMON Lck: 50

nAbilities: Light Blade, Wings of Light

nTraits: Streak, Self-Restore, Autonomy.｣

n｢Light Blade – Ability

nEffect: Send out a blade of Light Energy that deals 50% Light Damage to one target.

nCooldown: 10 seconds.｣

n｢Wings of Light – Ability

nEffect: Coat one's wings with Light Energy and bombard an area with slashes of light. Deals 1% Light Damage with every hit.

nDuration: 10 seconds

nCooldown: 1 minute.｣

n｢Streak – Trait

nEffect: Move at the speed of light during flight and when out of combat.｣

n｢Self-Restore – Trait

nEffect: Absorb Light Energy to restore HP by 1% per minute.｣

n｢Autonomy – Trait

nEffect: This entity can act on its own in the best interests of its master.｣

nLuxia was truly the best thing Eva has received. Not only was she able to move at the speed of light, but her two abilities would greatly strengthen Eva.

nAutonomy was good too. Most mounts could only act when their master gave the command. Then again, most mounts didn't have attack or defensive capabilities in the first place.

nDo not use Qiong Qi as a yardstick for most mounts. That Lion is an aberrant freak. He should NEVER have been captured by Draco through a contract, but how could the AI predict Qiong Qi's foolishness?

nAs such, his relationship with Draco was extremely strange. Draco couldn't really order Qiong Qi to do anything but Qiong Qi also couldn't stay away from Draco for too long.

nThis was actually the reason why he had returned. Given his shamelessness and if it were up to him, he would have stayed and begged his other self to suicide each and every day until the end of the world or the other followed his request.

nAs for the Self-Restore trait that Luxia possessed, it was great for healing out of battle. As for during a battle… that should be obvious.

nEva pulled up her hood and became Riveting Night once more. She patted Luxia on the head and the Light Phoenix cried out before taking to the skies.

n

"I told her to explore the world as she pleases but to return to me when I call.

" Riveting Night explained.

nDraco nodded.

"Not bad. Since she can move at the speed of light, she can easily reach us in seconds no matter where she goes.

"

nDraco looked to the sky.

"Well, the sun is setting. We should go back and clean up before going to bed.

"

nRiveting Night agreed.

"Well, tomorrow is the day you begin your training with me. Are you nervous?

"

nDraco chuckled lightly and held Riveting Night's waist.

"Who was the one who taught me the basics of combat and techniques, eh?

"

nRiveting Night blushed underneath her hood and wanted to hide her face.

"At that time, how was I supposed to know you were a combat genius? Sheesh…

"

nDraco continued teasing Riveting Night mercilessly until they entered the shower. Eva was red to her ears and looked to be on the verge of tears.

nSatisfied with his bullying, Draco proceeded to appease her by gently washing her down. Eva quietly enjoyed the feeling of being pampered by Draco, and also made sure to reciprocate when it was her turn.

nAfter 'bathing', the Evil Duo went to bed and chatted lightly before eventually falling asleep in each other's arms.

n...........

nThe next morning, Eva woke up to find Draco mixing up some juices together at the bar. He was putting his Brewing Tradeskill to proper use now, as he still had to wait for a week for his beer to ferment properly.

nEva went into the bath to wash herself down and came out looking refreshed. She sat on the bed observing Draco's actions with curiosity.

nDraco blended the juices and then shook them in very strange patterns that would be hard for a normal person to grasp in a short period of time. Thanks to the Body of Godliness, this wasn't a problem.

nDraco's - and Eva's - mechanical accuracy with the help of the Body of Godliness was on the level of a robot. As long as they saw enough of the movements required, they could easily mimic it.

nWhen he was done, two purple-green shakes were presented. Draco used subjective magic to form a bunch of ice cubes dropping them into each of the drinks.

nIf Richmond knew that the next generation Mage God was abusing his power to make ice cubes, wouldn't he just burn all his Divine Energy to smite Draco? It was highly possible.

nEva took the juice and sipped it lightly. She was startled by how great and refreshing it tasted. It was similar to tropical juices in the real world, but anything like that could be recreated in Boundless.

nDraco and Eva enjoyed their chilled drinks together in silence, basking in each other's presence. After they were done, they both left their room and headed to the courtyard.

nAfter the various summonings, as well as the training from Richmond, the place looked worse for wear. Draco made a mental note to commission some Tradeskill masters to repair the area after they were done.

nThey both saw Loving Aunt in the courtyard waiting for them, her usual robe changed into a very liberal and tempting dress that showed off her mouth-watering bust.

nDraco had a strange expression on his face as he remembered that Loving Aunt had taken out an Epic robe from the Rank 7 Shop's 6th floor. Changing the aesthetics of an attire at the Epic rank was 1000 gold.

nBack then, he had impulsively changed the Epic rank Guinevere's Necklace from a woman's ornament to a gangster's bling.

nDraco wondered where Loving Aunt even got the money for such a thing. Unable to hold back his curiosity, he decided to just ask her. Her response baffled him greatly.

n

"Why with your money of course! As your Aunt, how can I walk around in such stuffy clothing.

" She replied with a smile as she jumped to her feet.

nThe bounce from her chest would have made any nearby male pounce on her without hesitation, but (un)fortunately, there was only her nephew and his girl around, as well as some maids.

nDraco rubbed his temples.

"Aunt Fyre, did you use the money from the Castle's coffers?

"

nLoving Aunt gave a thumbs up.

"Truly my nephew, only you can deduce such a thing.

"

nDraco smiled wryly internally. How could anyone NOT connect the dots, since it wasn't like his inventory was open to anyone. The only other place would be the money he left in the Castle's coffers back then.

n1000 gold might be an unimaginable amount to an average player, but to Umbra as a whole it was pittance, but still…

n

"Could you please inform me before you withdraw money? Those were funds for upkeep, not my profits or wealth.

" Draco asked as nicely as he could.

n

"Ah… I'm sorry, Draco. I was a bit rash there.

"

nDespite how troublesome she was, Aunt Fyre was still an a.d.u.l.t who knew when to do the right thing. Realizing that she might have caused Draco trouble, she put away her playful smile and apologized.

nDraco nodded and then transferred 50,000 platinum.

"This should be able to tide you over for as long as needed Aunt Fyre.

"

nWhen Aunt Fyre saw the money in her inventory, her eyes widened. She was a core member of Umbra, so she was now very cognizant of the value of money and how amazing this game was.

nThis amount was enough for her to set up a Legendary Guild and raise it to a level on par with Kamisuo and Desecrators in less than a month. Depending on how she handled it, she could even surpass them and become the next best guild after Umbra.

nShe gazed at Draco quietly and her playful aura disappeared. She became serious and stern, like a strict parent seeing their child.

n

"Since you have showered me with such great kindness, I will put in more than 200% effort in teaching you about the Serpent God Inheritance and the history of our bloodline.

"

nDraco smiled and shook his head.

"Between family, no such extra steps are needed.

"

nLoving Aunt's heart melted under Draco's words and she was extremely happy deep down that her nephew treated her so genuinely. She didn't understand why fully, but Draco always looked at her as if he knew her future, which was a crazy thing.

nShaking her head, Loving Aunt cleared her mind of useless thoughts. Moving to the center of the courtyard, she faced Draco and began to speak.

n

"Let us begin your training in our Lucifer Lineage bloodline.

"

n

n