Chapter 402: The Path
True Spirit Ace pondered. After a long while, he placed the severed finger of the legendary skeletal giant dragon above the Glazed Heart Fire. Colorful brilliance bloomed. Under Ace’s control, the Glazed Heart Fire burned at full power, the radiance causing the temperature of the entire mental imagery dream world to rise abruptly.
The severed bone finger showed signs of melting slightly, but it was extremely slow.
Just then, Aleias, who was residing by the Lake of Mana, covered her eyes with her slender fingers and shouted to the sky, “Lord Ace, you want to deconstruct a mysterious material. Why not try the Quasi-Noble Phantasm ‘Hammer of the Pseudo-Vassal’?”
True Spirit Ace, who was having a headache over the dissociation speed, stopped. He vanished abruptly from the air and suddenly appeared behind the figure of the perfectly slender Aleias, asking her happily:
“What you said is very likely. The ‘Hammer of the Pseudo-Vassal’ can forcibly deconstruct other Quasi-Noble Phantasms to create Pseudo-Noble Phantasms, so it should be able to deconstruct this severed finger!”
True Spirit Ace drew out the Quasi-Noble Phantasm ‘Hammer of the Pseudo-Vassal’. He held this simple and unadorned iron hammer in his hand, feeling it carefully.
“I still need some preparatory work before I can use this magical hammer.”
True Spirit Ace murmured. He tossed the hammer casually, burying it into the earth of the mental imagery dream world. The mass of level 2 Artisan Bloodline from Bunian floated into his hand.
That Artisan Bloodline contained authorities such as forging and imitation. Ace’s Eye of Truth opened, analyzing and understanding the runes within, slowly adding them to his core spell model, Dream Manifestation.
Time passed day by day. Ace’s mana gradually recovered. He did not manifest the starry sky world with great fanfare to absorb mana as he did in Salia. Instead, he controlled the speed and frequency of absorption, trying his best to recover without creating a huge commotion.
The little girl, Luna, had been going hungry for the past few days. She had no close relatives in this village. Although she had brazenly begged for food from door to door, she had basically asked everyone, and no one would share food with her anymore.
“I couldn’t find wild vegetables these past few days either. Begging for food gets me chased out. Mom, what should I do!”
Her stomach growling made Luna feel even worse. She drank a few mouthfuls of hot water vigorously, attempting to resist the terrible hunger.
The head sculpture Ace lowered his head to look at Luna on the ground. Vitality surged in his neck. His form became somewhat blurry. Unnoticed by Luna, he reverted from a sculpture to ordinary flesh color. A sarcoma grew under his neck, expanding with a gurgling sound.
Pop!
Luna looked back and found a naked man appearing behind her. That physique conforming to the golden ratio aesthetic and those robust muscles made the little girl blush. A burst of mist drifted over. Luna couldn’t help but close her eyes. When she opened them again, she found the naked man was gone, replaced by an elegantly dressed man.
Ace wore a manifested pure black magic robe, with a gold-rimmed, red-bottomed 4-Ring Hexagram Badge pinned to his chest. He wore high boots and a black magic top hat. Ace elegantly took off his top hat and said to Luna in a warm voice, “I am the Firelinker. Hello, Luna.”
Luna lifted her sallow little face and rubbed her eyes hard. The black clothes, the elegant movements, the strange way of appearance—it all made Luna’s heart pound. Perhaps this was the fortuitous encounter she had been hoping for.
She asked in a somewhat bewildered voice, “What is a Firelinker? Are you a Divine Descendant noble or a Mr. Favored One?”
Ace’s eyes flickered with gold and red. He said softly to Luna:
“A so-called Firelinker is a guide who holds a torch high in the long night.
“You desire the supernatural, but you do not have enough resolve, nor do I see talent in you as a wizard. Regrettably, little girl, I cannot guide you onto the path of magic.
“But since we have met, let me give you a hand. In this world, magic is not the only supernatural path. I also want to sow some seeds casually.”
Luna became wooden. Along with Ace’s words, her thinking became increasingly stagnant. Like a marionette, she followed Ace’s arrangements.
Ace smiled at Luna and extended his slender right hand. Moonlight spilled onto his hand through the gaps in the roof, dyeing his newly regenerated right hand with a layer of silver.
Luna unconsciously took a step forward and handed her small hand, blue from the cold, to Ace.
A drop of brilliant, bright red blood qi emerged from Ace’s right hand. Although that drop of blood qi was not large, the vitality contained within it was like stormy waves, as if the ocean were roaring.
The moment Luna’s blue hand touched that drop of blood qi, the blood qi turned into bright red mist with a bang, enveloping Luna completely. The mist slowly poured into Luna’s body, improving and nourishing her physique bit by bit, providing her with vitality and vigor.
The bruises on her body gradually healed, her rough skin became tender and white, her spirit became radiant, and her dry, yellowish-brown hair gradually regained its luster.
She seemed unable to absorb all the power of the blood qi. As the power she absorbed gradually reached saturation, the remaining mist condensed, turning into a crystal-clear red gemstone the size of a fingernail, landing right in the center of Luna’s chest, fitting tightly.
Ace’s mental imagery dream world gradually manifested, shrouding Luna. Luna fell into a deep sleep; she was too tired and exhausted. The massive replenishment of vitality greatly restored her body, but it made her sleep even more soundly.
Ace pulled Luna’s will into the dream bit by bit. Within the illusion, Luna opened her eyes. Hazily, she seemed to see that elegant figure holding a torch high, running with all his might. The surroundings were pitch black, making Luna feel afraid. She chased after the person holding the torch high, shouting loudly.
However, her voice did not come out; some force seemed to prevent her. Her loud shouts turned into silent mouth movements. Even more terrified, she continued to chase the figure holding the torch. The figure moved so elegantly; he didn’t look fast, yet she could never catch up. Luna was getting farther and farther away from him.
Thump, Luna fell. She struggled to climb up and looked around. There was only pitch darkness; the figure holding the torch high had disappeared.
Pairs of blood-red eyes appeared one after another. Monsters tore and bit at her. Luna struggled in panic, trying hard to break free. Fangs pierced her neck, and fresh blood flowed all over the ground.
“Huff, huff, huff…”
Luna turned over and woke up. Blazing white light forced her to squint her eyes. Under the light, that elegant figure slowly walked out.
“Luna, from today on, you accept the gift of the Firelinker and become a new spark. You are now a Heart Fire Warrior. This is the path of Blood Qi Heart Fire, a path for mortals to ascend to the supernatural. The Firelinker has pointed out the way for you. I hope you can go further on this path. Remember, do not expose yourself. You are neither a Divine Descendant nor a Favored One. This path is both power and disaster.”
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