You scared me , - Zac sighed as he looked at the toad anxiously . - It’s done? -
Esmeralda grinned , making a few signs that said something along the lines of it being child’s play .
And everything’s there? - Zac said with a raised brow .
Esmeralda scoffed and made a series of croaks and explanations . The tirade was both longer and more complex than he was used to , and it took Zac over ten minutes to figure out what the toad was trying to convey . She didn’t want to stay long , saying she had to leave to get something important . The next time they met , it would be in Zecia before the trial started .
My home world is newly integrated and protected by the System , - Zac said . - How will you find me? -
Esmeralda grandly slapped her chest , indicating it wouldn’t be a problem . The next moment , she spat out an opalescent pearl covered in gastric juice . Zac looked at the thing with a grimace . A few signs indicated that Esmeralda could find that sphere , so he just needed to place it on a gathering array on his planet .
In case your method doesn’t pan out , you can send me a message through the mercantile system , - Zac said , handing her an Information Crystal .
Esmeralda huffed with annoyance over Zac’s lack of faith but still took the crystal . After that , she left , leaving Zac to his own devices . Zac didn’t mind , and he eagerly rushed down to the mountain’s base , where he infused a bit of energy into the ring before throwing it out . Even then , Zac was forced to activate Earthstrider] to get out of the way as a mountain of treasure rapidly formed .
The old thief had already explained the situation . Esmeralda had broken all seals and triggers , even those placed on any items inside . However , doing so had destabilized the ring , much like his experiments with Cosmic Extraction] . She’d applied a technique that would keep it temporarily stable , but the moment it was activated , it would spit out everything before collapsing .
Zac’s breaths turned heavy as he gazed upon the mountain of wealth . He almost gave in to the adolescent dream of swimming in a sea of treasure , but he reined himself in . Instead , he called over Catheya and Ogras to help sort through the pile .
I’ve been saying you should invite me more often , - Ogras said , his eyes veritably burning as dozens of shadowy tendrils dug into the mountain .
He even conjured eight Shadow Servants , all looking like beautiful Torrid Demons , to help out . They were part of the prize for incorporating that odd thing inside the Shifting Dream into his Spiritlock Physique . Of course , the appearance of the Shadow Servants was all Ogras . When these things made their first appearance , Catheya had almost blown a gasket . Zac had been forced to seclude himself to avoid listening to her and Ogras’ complaints .
However , something had changed after two months , and Catheya no longer seemed to mind the demon’s antics . She even figured out a way to give the Shadow Servants dazzling dresses made of ice and mist . Around the same time , Zac started to receive positive comments about Catheya from the demon , and he recounted stories where having a stable Dao Companion had gotten one demon or another out of a jam .
Zac could smell the conspiracy but was happy to play along since it kept the peace . It took over three days to go through it all , even when working together . The number of arrays , talismans , and raw resources was simply shocking . The First Heaven had probably wanted to prepare for any eventuality inside the Perennial Vastness and sent Valsa inside with a huge care package .
It made Zac lament that all Nexus Coins on Valsa’s person had been returned to the System . He wouldn’t be surprised if her wallet held his whole net worth many times over . Still , the prize was nothing to scoff at . A tentative calculation put the normal materials at over 15 C-grade Nexus Coins . And with the Zecia war approaching and resources growing scarce , that number could be significantly higher .
The cash infusion was his biggest one since returning from the Orom World , but it wasn’t quite as exciting now that he had a lucrative Cosmic Vessel production line . Zac was more interested in the unique treasures and Cultivation Manuals . He found items for both Love’s Bond] and Verun’s Bite] , and even Haro got some rare resources that would help speed up his growth .
There were six Cultivation Manuals in Valsa’s possession , though none seemed to be the one she practiced . They were rather those of her followers , and Zac guessed she had them to better understand the capabilities of her deathsworn . Most importantly , the manuals were all Peak D-grade , which essentially was the limits of conventional Cultivation Manuals .
After that , you’d have to create something individualized whether you wanted to or not . If you aimed for Monarchy , you were better off modifying the manual earlier . Still , any of these manuals was enough to become the foundation of a peak force in Zecia , and Zac now had six of them . It wouldn’t help in the short-run , but would drastically improve Earth’s long-term potential .
There were also over twenty Inheritance Skill Crystals , all of them of incredible quality . Just like when he got his hands on Abyssal Phase] , they’d let you inherit not just the skill itself but many memories associated with them . While all the skills were good , Zac didn’t find anything he wanted to add to his repertoire .
Every extra skill added to your pathways would have to be accounted for when forming your core . Creating a skill perfectly suited to your path was one thing , it didn’t require a lot of work to incorporate . But a semi-suitable skill not of his own creation? It would generate an energy imbalance that could cause problems even for cultivators . Zac already had enough baggage not to want to deal with that headache . He’d even foregone his plans to create or swap out any more skills before reaching Hegemony .
Catheya was the same . Most of the skills wouldn’t even work with Miasma , and the others weren’t suitable for her . She was more interested in some general compendiums and War Arrays they’d found , which would help her broaden her understanding of formations . Catheya chose to focus on domains , even with the challenge it presented . As Zac had suspected , she also wanted to add formations to her path when she had the time .
Ogras took one of the crystals , a scouting skill called Wordly Cognizance] . The skill was a lot like the mysterious bowl Vai used to help navigate the dangers of the Void Star , and Zac felt it might be extremely useful inside the Left Imperial Palace . It would provide the demon with a second sense where he’d be able to sense any energy disturbances for miles in every direction .
Even people trying to hide their aura usually left some clues to their presence in the way the energy flowed around them . Only the most talented scouts and assassins managed to completely erase any trace of their presence . The demon hoped to incorporate his network of shadows with the skill to further amplify the effect , but he wouldn’t use the skill crystal until after breaking through . Just like Zac , Ogras didn’t want any extra baggage .
The rest of the skills and resources would return with him to Port Atwood and become another infusion into the budding empire’s foundations .
Esmeralda’s visit was only a short break before things returned to normal . Months turned into a blur until Zac accomplished his goal , where he infused three full cycles into an E-grade axe . He hadn’t even touched Cosmic Extraction] all that time , only focusing on shoring up his foundations . Unfortunately , there was no time to delve into the method now .
It took another two months to incorporate what he’d learned into his Core Formation Method , and almost seven years had passed since entering the Perennial Vastness . Time had passed in a flash compared to his seclusion back on Earth . Even then , Zac could feel it in his bones , it was time to finally move on .