Guild Wars

However, 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? 

Also, 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! 

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

Only 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.

After looking through them once more, Draco turned to Eva. "Eva, can you please demonstrate how each of those abilities work?"

Eva 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.

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

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

He 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… 

This 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.

At 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.

This 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.

Draco 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.

So, 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.

Draco sighed and took out the Etz Chaim seedling.

｢Etz Chaim Seedling – Consumable 

Rank: Epic (100% effectiveness) 

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

He then gave it to Eva with a bitter smile. "Eva, could you please infuse this seedling with your Divine Energy every day?" 

Draco 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.

"Of course, anything for you." Eva agreed gently as she took the seed and immediately placed the iota of Divine Energy into it.

Nothing 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.

Why 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.

It 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.

Let'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? 

However, 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.

It 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.

Eva 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.

The 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.

The 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.

The 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.

To 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.

Of 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.

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

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

However, 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.

He 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.

He 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.

As 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.

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

It 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.

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

Draco 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.

Eva 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.

As 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.

This 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.

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

However, 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.

In 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.

Still, 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.

Eva 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.

She 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.

Eva 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.

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

The 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.

｢Name: Luxia - Rank 1 Light Phoenix 

MON Str: 50 

MON Dex: 50 

MON End: 50 

MON Int: 50 

MON Spr: 50 

MON Cha: 50 

MON Lck: 50 

Abilities: Light Blade, Wings of Light 

Traits: Streak, Self-Restore, Autonomy.｣ 

｢Light Blade – Ability 

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

Cooldown: 10 seconds.｣ 

｢Wings of Light – Ability 

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

Duration: 10 seconds 

Cooldown: 1 minute.｣ 

｢Streak – Trait 

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

｢Self-Restore – Trait 

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

｢Autonomy – Trait 

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

Luxia 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.

Autonomy 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.

Do 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? 

As 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.

This 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. 

As 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.

Eva 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.

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

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

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

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

Draco chuckled lightly and held Riveting Night's waist. "Who was the one who taught me the basics of combat and techniques, eh?" 

Riveting 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…" 

Draco 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.

Satisfied 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. 

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

........... 

The 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.

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

Draco 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.

Draco'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.

When 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.

If 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.

Eva 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.

Draco 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.

After 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.

They 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. 

Draco 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.

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

Draco 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.

"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.

The 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.

Draco rubbed his temples. "Aunt Fyre, did you use the money from the Castle's coffers?" 

Loving Aunt gave a thumbs up. "Truly my nephew, only you can deduce such a thing."

Draco 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.

1000 gold might be an unimaginable amount to an average player, but to Umbra as a whole it was pittance, but still… 

"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.

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

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

Draco nodded and then transferred 50,000 platinum. "This should be able to tide you over for as long as needed Aunt Fyre."

When 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.

This 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.

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

"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."

Draco smiled and shook his head. "Between family, no such extra steps are needed."

Loving 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.

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

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