Chapter 1011: Chapter 106: Wild Voidrealm Machine God (2/2)
The old man privately asked Ian with a worried expression, "Ian, I know how much it costs to raise a dragon... Iâm afraid our family canât afford it!"
In Terra, quite a few prominent noble families do indeed keep dragons, but most of them are Dragon Head Lesser Dragons, at best Ironwing Dragons at that level... As for Crystal Dragons, whether they could even survive in captivity is one thing, but even if they could, nurturing such high-level magical beasts to progress quickly would be immensely troublesome.
Donât say something like, âThese magical beasts live so comfortably in the wild, so why is raising them so demanding?â In the wild, magical beasts live anything but comfortably. Day and night, they have to figure out how to get food and stay safe, leaving them no energy to think about getting stronger. Powerful individuals rely either on natural talent or extraordinary encounters.
Even for Wise Magical Beasts, growth with assistance is entirely different from wild, unaided development. The former comprehensively surpasses the latter in strength, not to mention longevity.
A Guardian Dragon Beast can live for over two hundred or even three hundred years, while human Sublimators typically live only just over a hundred years. If properly raised, a Guardian Dragon Beast could ensure a familyâs prosperity for centuries.
The cost, though, is investing a tremendous amount of resources.
Elder Pude didnât mind spending money on raising a dragon, but having no money at all leaves no room for preferences or objections.
"Donât worry." Ian, however, seemed unconcerned. "The resources of the South Sea Great Labyrinth are enough to sustain what is needed for the Fourth Energy Level. Back then, there were even two Fourth-Level magical beasts battling each other here, which ended up creating a Fairy Den. If worse comes to worst, Iâll just take Shasha and Green Pupil to the Mountain People. They wouldnât mind having one more dragon, and who knows, it might even trigger some sort of Faith BUFF."
"Speaking of which, where are Frost Butterfly and Huaâan?"
Noticing this, Ian felt a bit puzzled. Although he hadnât informed Huaâan and Frost Butterfly about his arrival this time, and had come straight to Crystal Lake through a secret passage, given Huaâanâs sharp instincts, he should have noticed Ianâs presence by now.
Could it be something happening in the Domain of Void?
This was the only plausible explanation Ian could think of. However, he had not detected any danger in the Domain of Void himself. And since those two were Fae, he decided not to overthink it. It might just be that they were playing too wildly and had lost track of time.
Instead of dwelling on the whereabouts of the two Fae, Ian was more curious about something else.
"Shasha, Elan, come over here."
Summoning the pairâShasha and Elan, both of whom had references to âCrystal Ascensionâ in their recordsâIan picked up the drowsy and sluggish Green Pupil, coiled listlessly on the ground after a hearty meal. Holding it in his arms, he gestured for them to come closer and make contact. "Give it a try. See if you feel anything."
What Ian intended, of course, was to have Shasha and Elan attempt the same as he had: to connect with Green Pupil through contact and sense its two other bodies.
The two, while not entirely understanding Ianâs objective, complied obediently.
The result was delightful: both successfully established a link with the Crystal Dragon body Ian had previously connected with, as well as an as-yet-unhatched egg!
This sufficiently demonstrated that Green Pupilâs instincts in making choices were exceptionally precise. Shasha, with its naturally impressive talents, had the potential for King Beast-Level capabilities under Ianâs guidance, and its growing soul was robust enough to endure Spirit Energy Projection reaching across half a continent.
Elan, meanwhile, was an even more exceptional case. Although his spirit energy had not fully awakened yet, judging by his ability to easily perceive Ianâs current âstate,â his spirit energy was likely of the âSuper Perception Class,â commonly referred to as "Thousand Mile Eye."
This type of spirit energy was naturally well-suited for long-range Spirit Energy Projection. In fact, Green Pupilâs invitation might very well serve as an excellent impetus for Elanâs awakening.
The peculiar sensation of briefly switching to a different body left Shasha utterly baffledâit could not sustain long-term Soul Projection to control the Crystal Dragon Incarnation.
But even the brief few minutes it managed to project offered it a novel experience that proved immensely beneficial to its soul and intelligence.
Humans staying in one place for too long can lead to rigid and dull thinking, necessitating travels to refresh oneâs mind and spark creativity. Similarly, for magical beasts, their intelligence is rooted in their soul, which in turn depends on their unique essence organs. The body structure and essence organs of a Crystal Dragon rank among the finest among all magical beasts; if Shasha could learn the principles of its superior essence manipulation through using a Crystal Dragon Incarnation as a host, it would undoubtedly bring extraordinary benefits to its growth.
Elan, of course, was in a class of his own.
"Brother, I think I finally understand..." Elan, having just ended his possession and withdrawn his hand from the now-sleeping Green Pupil, looked slightly dazed but undeniably thrilled. "The âOrigin Qualityâ youâve always told me about... that paradoxical feeling of âexisting and not existingâ... I finally grasp what it is now."
"So, thatâs Origin Quality?"
"Youâve sensed the Origin Quality?!" Ian was naturally astonishedâhe had never expected that his experiment to test whether Elan could control a Crystal Dragon Incarnation would lead him to feel the essence of Origin Quality.
After all, even Ian himself had only started sensing and manipulating the Origin Quality within his body after Teacher Hiliard had provided him with a Primordial Seed and taught him a breathing technique.
Yet Elan had managed to sense it in just a few minutes?
On further reflection, though, it wasnât so surprising.
The Crystal Dragon Incarnation is a highly advanced magical beast body, with tangible essence-manipulating organs. Compared to humans, who must condense a Virtual Primordial Seed and then materialize it, this skips at least one step. Simply by possessing the body, itâs only natural for one to sense Origin Quality.
The Crystal Dragonâs body has its own instincts, and the method of manipulating essence is akin to riding a bikeâonce you learn it, itâs almost impossible to forget.
Coupled with Elanâs innate talentânot even mentioning his Iron Bone physique or latent spirit energyâhe had consumed countless premium magical beast materials thanks to Ianâs care, accumulating a substantial amount of Origin Quality in his body. This was simply the moment the Crystal Dragon Incarnation guided him to unlock it.
"Well done, Elan!"
Squatting down, with silvery-green light glowing in his eyes, Ian examined Elanâs condition carefully. He found the boy was in excellent form, and indeed, he had begun to grasp âessence manipulation,â whereupon Ian gave his brother a joyful, tight embrace.
Furthermore, this unexpected turn of events sparked new ideas for Ian.
"Perhaps this is a method to teach people how to manipulate Origin Quality on a large scale?"
Ian thought to himself, "No need for others to pass down Virtual Primordial Seeds, or for anyone to risk condensing Origin Seeds themselves... Instead, directly create artificial humanoid bodies equipped with essence organs, and use a swarm network to let all those seeking enlightenment link in... This way, in just one lesson, most gifted individuals could understand what Origin Quality is, and how to manipulate it!"
To teach a young child not to play with fire, itâs better to let them experience a burn firsthand. What applies to lessons also applies to learning.
Of course, mastering the process of condensing an Origin Seed through Virtual Primordial Seed, as Ian himself had, builds an incredibly solid foundation for Sublimators. Ian knew this well, as his precise essence manipulation skills were rooted in his refusal to take shortcuts in the beginning, making remedial lessons unnecessary later.
Alternatively, using the âpossession of incarnationsâ method might make the initial phase faster, but it would require subsequent training to stabilize the progress and solidify the gains.
The good thing about Elan was that he had the support of both the White Mist Bishop and Elder Pude, and was diligent by nature, so there was no concern of him becoming inadequately skilled.
"Elder, Iâll have to rely on you to guide him in this." Ian briefly explained Green Pupilâs Incarnation and Elanâs progress to Elder Pude. The elder, astonished as he was, couldnât help but feel tempted: while Ianâs monstrous path to growth was beyond him, he felt confident about instructing Elan.
"Of course, I have no problem with thatâit only means taking a few more trips and bringing Elan to the Labyrinth to possess the Crystal Dragon Incarnation, to study the manipulation of Origin Quality and condensing Origin Seeds... Besides, the Viscountâs child is about to be born, so he wonât have time to bother with these trivial matters over the next couple of years." Elder Pude nodded. "That said, wouldnât the Crystal Dragon Incarnation arouse suspicion? Didnât you say itâs already under special monitoring? If The Empire discovers something unusual..."
"Thatâs where I come in." Ian smiled. "Once Iâm back at Harrison Port, Iâll contact Master Gossay and discreetly inform him of the situation. Heâs someone I can trust, and heâll assist me."
"But for now..." Ian turned his gaze to the soundly sleeping Green Pupil and Shasha, who had similarly fallen into a deep sleep at the bottom of the lake. A sense of warmth welled up in him.
With a smile, the boy said, "Iâd better find Huaâan and Frost Butterfly to see whatâs going on over there."
The matter seemed minor yet significant.
"Ian? Youâre here?"
As Ian, like Shasha and Green Pupil, entered a deep meditative state and ventured into the Domain of Void, Huaâan, who was indeed occupied in the Domain of Void, immediately detected his soulâs arrival.
Startled at first but quickly delighted, the Fairy Miss soared over, her pixie-like soul form bouncing as it approached him, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward another part of the Domain of Void. "Quick, quick! This is a once-in-a-century rare occurrence! Youâre lucky to have timed your arrival; even Iâm jealous of your luck!"
"Whatâs going on?"
Ian was a bit puzzled, having just entered the Domain of Void and not even having a chance to observe his surroundings before being whisked away by the Fairy Miss to a Fairy-constructed observation chamber.
There, Frost Butterfly and one of Huaâanâs acquaintances, along with Thin Moss, the Fairy caretaker of Land of Bliss Township, were wholly engrossed, intently watching the far side of a monitoring array. They didnât even notice Ian and Huaâan entering.
"Amazing!"
"What luck! Who wouldâve thought a business trip to the South Ridge would lead to witnessing something so fascinating?"
Ian, not wanting to disturb the fairiesâ excitement, let his own curiosity build as he turned to Huaâan.
Getting the signal, Huaâan led him to an essence-structured observation array, motioning for him to use it.
And so, looking into the depths of the Domain of Void through the observation array, Ian was left dumbfounded in place. "This... This is unbelievable!"
Because he had just witnessed an exceptionally rare scene.
âThe sight of a wild Voidrealm Machine God giving birth to offspring!