"My true body will bring the sword here later," the White Crow continued.
"What else will I receive?" Richard, of course, wasnât satisfied with only a weapon he couldnât even use until reaching the Ruler Realm.
"An inheritanceâbut what will be given to you is only a single Codex, without any Arcane Art."
"Only one? And without an Arcane Art?"
Richard was stunned upon hearing that.
"Not every clan member will obtain this Codex. In the last five eras, only you. Donât think this is an ordinary Codexâitâs one of the top five in the entire world."
"Ohh... what kind of Codex is it?" Richard wondered.
"The Codex of Celestial Being... its power, you will come to understand on your own. See for yourself, though mastering it will be extremely difficult."
Whoosh!
From the mouth of the white crow, a streak of white light shot forth, entering directly into Richardâs head.
DING!
(You have obtained the Codex of Celestial Being!)
(Your mastery of the Codex of Celestial Being has increased from 0% to 5%!)
Codex of Celestial Being (5%)
Richard instantly received the notification along with a direct 5% mastery. He found it a little underwhelmingâwhen he had obtained the Codex of Endless Flame, he had immediately received 10%.
Still, that had granted him complete comprehension of the Codex.
He couldnât help being surprised when he discovered this one had no innate Arcane Art at all.
The very purpose of this Codex was a transformationâfor Skylight Clan members to evolve into a True Celestial Being, much like the Codex of the Dragon Emperor allowed one to transform into a dragon.
The difference was clear: the Dragon Emperor Codex granted dragon wings at 50% mastery and complete transformation into a dragon at 100%. But the Codex of Celestial Being allowed a person to summon manifestations of their Celestial Being form with every 1% mastery. The higher the mastery, the more tangible the manifestation. At 100%, oneâs true self would transform into a Celestial Being.
What exactly was a Celestial Being? Richard couldnât tell from the Codex aloneâhe needed to see it for himself.
One question burned within him: how did a Celestial Being compare to a dragon?
"Well, boy, you realize how difficult it is now, donât you?" the White Crow said.
Richard merely smiled without nodding, too lazy to boast.
Then, suddenly, the crow tossed him a ring.
"You also receive 50 million Nature Spirit Stones," it added.
"Only 50 million?" Richard was dumbfounded, feeling that amount was far too little compared to his achievement. At the very least, he should have received five times what Olivia had.
"That is all that remains," the crow replied.
"Can I absorb the remaining High Pure Aether?" Richard asked.
"No. It is too valuable. The rest must be preserved for future members who take this trial. Naturally, I will replenish the stock later," the crow refused outright, leaving Richard rolling his eyes.
"Anything else?" he asked again.
"Thatâs all. You cannot demand more after obtaining the Skylight Sword. That alone is more valuable than anything else. Most Grand Weapons are no match for the Skylight Sword."
Richard felt somewhat disappointed upon hearing that, but he couldnât protestâhis only goal was to gain whatever he could from this Secret Land.
"It is time for you to leave," the crow said again.
Since there was nothing more to gain, Richard naturally had no desire to stay longer.
Whoosh!
His body was wrapped in a faint light, and in the next moment, he appeared once again before the great tree, alongside Olivia.
"Little brother, who would have thought weâre cousins? That makes you truly my younger brother," the woman said with a wide smile, looking both delighted and excited.
She even grabbed Richardâs hand and seemed on the verge of hugging himâbut of course, Richard refused.
They were closer than he had ever imagined, but this woman had once used him, even plotting against him for her own benefit. There was no way he could easily pretend to be on friendly terms after all that.
Who knew if she wouldnât do it again after their familial connection was revealed?
Even if she didnât, Richard still needed time to forgive her.
"Ehmmm..." Olivia cleared her throat awkwardly when she saw Richard apparently ignoring her.
"Anyway, little brother, is there something you want to do, or perhaps an enemy you want to beat up? If so, you donât need to do it yourselfâlet me, your elder sister, handle it for you," she said with a light chuckle.
Richard could only say she was thick-skinnedâeven if her skin was obviously soft and smooth.
"Are you sure?" he asked in response, feeling it too rude to outright dismiss her.
As the saying goes, you canât slap a smiling face.
"For my beloved little brother, I would walk through storms and seas of fire," Olivia declared with utter confidence, flipping her pink hair.
Richard nearly choked when he heard that.
Still, he chose to pretend to stay calm, his expression faintly betraying expectation.
If she was indeed willing to do something for himâeven if it was only to curry favorâhe naturally would take advantage of it.
"Little brother, what do you want me to do?" Olivia asked after that, her voice soft.
At a glance, she seemed almost cautious.
"Youâre good at running away, arenât you?" Richard asked in return, and Olivia immediately nodded.
That was indeed her specialty.
Even the Moonshadow Clan had failed to capture her.
Even against much stronger opponents, there was no guarantee they could even touch her.
"You see, Iâve been targeted by too many people ever since word spread that I entered the Dragon Knightâs secret place. In the capital, they havenât made a move yet, but once I leave, that canât be guaranteed."
"Yes..." Olivia kept nodding, still unsure what exactly he wanted from her.
But unease began to stir in her chest.
"Help me create a distraction. Weâll act as if you robbed me and took everything I obtained from the Dragon Knightâs secret place. As long as you agree, I will call you big sister now."
Olivia: "..."