Ronan's previous experience of being betrayed by a wizard of the "Elemental Ring" had left him deeply wary and resistant to anything related to soul contracts.
However, joining any wizard faction and gaining access to their heritage and resources required signing a non-betrayal contract as a basic condition. No faction would ever waive this requirement.
Thus, Ronan sought a solution from Alazan. It turned out that Alazan, a living fossil in the wizard world who had lived for who knows how many years, was a treasure trove of knowledge. With a little pressure, valuable insights could always be extracted.
The [Soul Mimicry Technique] wasn't a particularly powerful or complex secret art, but it was quite practical. Its effect was to simulate one's soul aura into any desired form.
Ronan used Alazan's soul power to mimic his own soul aura, and even a fifth-level wizard like Heliodor couldn't detect any anomalies.
Although two contracts were signed, the actual signatory was Alazan, completely unrelated to Ronan.
This perfectly circumvented the restrictions and constraints imposed by the soul contract.
"That's about it. If you encounter anything you don't understand, come and ask me later."
Heliodor explained the various rules and taboos of the Spirit Lake Deep Sea faction to Ronan, then clapped his hands lightly.
"Silver Coin!"
"Whoosh—"
As soon as the words were spoken, Ronan felt a blur before his eyes, and a white shadow flashed past, moving so fast that it was almost imperceptible to the naked eye.
When he regained his senses, a large white cat had appeared in front of him. Its body was covered in long, silvery fur, and its eyes were a striking emerald green, exuding an indescribable beauty.
"Take him to his quarters."
Heliodor bent down, patted the big white cat's head, and whispered instructions.
The big white cat yawned, not even bothering to glance at Ronan, and lazily swayed its fluffy, snow-white tail as it ambled toward the room's exit.
"Rest for a few days. I'll call for you if needed."
Heliodor said to Ronan, who nodded slightly before following the big white cat's trail out.
Once outside the crystal house, Ronan was greeted by the roaring sound of rushing water.
Before him appeared a massive "lake," its center dark and marked by a large circular hole. All the lake water flowed into this hole, creating the deafening noise.
The big white cat, named "Silver Coin," leaped gracefully into the lake, landing steadily on the water's surface as if it were solid ground. It left a trail of rippling circles in its wake as it led Ronan toward the black hole at the lake's center.
At the edge of the black hole, the big white cat paused, turned its head, and gestured for Ronan to follow before leaping down.
Ronan quickly followed suit.
As he descended through the black hole, a thick mist of water vapor and darkness enveloped him.
Ronan squinted and saw the big white cat moving with incredible agility through the void, like a white beam of light constantly zigzagging downward. It then came to an abrupt halt at a certain point and remained still.
Ronan steadied himself, maintaining a steady pace as he approached the cat. At the same time, he extended his spiritual energy downward, but even at its maximum reach, he couldn't touch the bottom of this abyss at the lake's center.
The black waterfall cascaded around him, its waters roaring as Ronan gently landed on a flat, outward-jutting rock. The large white cat that had been leading the way was already waiting there, casting him a sidelong glance as if to express its impatience with his tardiness.
The white cat raised its left front paw and lightly pressed it against the thin layer of the waterfall.
In the void, the glow of a Rune Array lit up, and the transparent curtain of water automatically parted to both sides, revealing a narrow, glowing doorway just wide enough for one person to pass through.
The white cat strode straight into the glowing doorway, while Ronan hesitated for a moment before slowly following.
The moment he stepped through the doorway, he was greeted by bright sunlight and exceptionally fresh air.
It was as if the world inside and outside the doorway were two entirely different realms.
Before Ronan stretched a vast expanse of lush green grass. A few young muntjacs grazed leisurely, and a wild rabbit darted past.
At the end of the grassland was a small lake, with apple trees in bloom planted along its shore. Beyond that lay a spacious courtyard, within which stood a beautiful house with a roof painted in a vibrant red.
"This is a space that belongs solely to me," Ronan murmured, his eyes flickering slightly as he took in the scene.
This was likely the foundation of Spirit Lake. Even an ordinary member like him, who had barely met the entry requirements, could possess a private secret realm space several times larger than Bennygo's secret base.
"Ha—"
The sound of a yawn reminded Ronan of the presence of his guide.
He turned and politely thanked the languid white cat.
He had considered offering a few magic stones as a token of gratitude, but the cat, with an air of arrogance, scratched its ear and sauntered back through the glowing doorway.
Ronan strolled forward across the grassland. This area seemed reserved for a herb garden and a magical plant nursery.
The soil behind the house contained special Spell fungi, capable of self-repair, making the entire space exceptionally stable. It was even suitable for general Spell practice.
As usual, Ronan activated the Eye of Truth, thoroughly inspecting the space inside and out to ensure there were no surveillance arrays. Only then did he slowly enter the house.
The interior was simply furnished yet warm and comfortable, with all daily necessities provided. In the center of the living room table sat a blue crystal orb. Ronan left his unique mark within the orb, thereby securing temporary ownership of the space.
He retrieved a fish tank containing two beautiful clams from his space ring and summoned the Dust Sprite, Arrietty.
Upon learning that she would become the "mistress" of the entire house, the courtyard, the lake, and the grassland beyond, Arrietty's face flushed with excitement. She fluttered her two pairs of transparent wings, darting around the living room in circles. Soon, she flew out of the house and returned with a small broom made from an apple tree branch and white fluff flowers. Singing a tune, she began dusting and sweeping every corner.
For a Dust Sprite, the meaning of life lay in cleaning, and Arrietty had undoubtedly reached the first peak of her existence.
Ronan let her do as she pleased. After sitting for a while in the wicker chair in the living room, he rose and entered the meditation chamber.
Under the soft glow of the illumination crystal, Ronan closed his eyes, finally taking the time to sort through his gains and the challenges he faced.
Sinking his mind into the depths of his consciousness, Ronan found himself in a mental space where fifteen Mental Power Crystals, resembling golden diamonds, emitted a faint amber glow.
Four consecutive lifetimes of reincarnation within the Tower of Knowledge had brought Ronan to the true end of the Mist Stage—fifteen Mental Power Crystals!
This was five steps further into the "Forbidden Mist Zone" than most wizard geniuses who dared to tread there!
The increase in mental power strength wasn't particularly significant. Ronan's current mental power strength in his normal state still remained at a level comparable to a mid-stage fourth-level wizard.
The most substantial improvement lay in the enhancement of his foundational potential.
As this thought crossed his mind, Ronan's consciousness stirred slightly.
Soon, a crimson light pattern, resembling a wriggling earthworm, appeared in his mind.
Then came the second, the third, the fourth... One after another, the ancient spirit characters he had memorized emerged, densely packed, almost occupying a small portion of the sky in his mental space.
No one but Ronan knew that during his four lifetimes of reincarnation, spanning over three hundred years of dream-like existence, he had memorized a total of one thousand three hundred and eighty-two ancient spirit characters! If it weren't for the fact that the higher the shelves in the Tower of Knowledge, the more complex and profound the ancient spirit characters became, this number might have been even larger.
One thousand three hundred and eighty-two ancient spirit characters floated in his mental space, like crimson blood vessels embedded deep within flesh. With each slight movement, they exuded an indescribable profundity that seeped into Ronan's being.
These profundities were like fragments of some profound knowledge or a specialized nourishment for wisdom.
"The ancient spirit characters are the strokes of the Ten Primordial Origin Runes... Could I use these strokes to piece together the framework of the Ten Primordial Origin Runes?"
Ronan gazed at the thousand-plus ancient spirit characters, unable to resist murmuring to himself.
Perhaps this murmur was caught by a golden ladybug resting on one of his Mental Power Crystals, which let out a mocking laugh.
"Piecing together the Ten Primordial Origin Runes? Do you know how many recorded ancient spirit characters there are in total?"
"How many?" Ronan calmly retorted. In truth, he had deliberately let this inner monologue be heard by Alazan, aiming to provoke his desire to show off his knowledge.
"Countless," Alazan slowly replied. "As numerous as the stars hanging in the primordial sky. How many have you memorized? You're not the first wizard to have this idea, but no one has ever managed to collect them all."
"As numerous as the primordial stars..."
Ronan repeatedly pondered Alazan's words.
"Ancient spirit characters, primordial stars... The Book of Primordial Stars!"
Suddenly, he caught a flash of inspiration, his eyes blazing with intense brilliance.
"Ancient spirit characters, The Book of Primordial Stars, [Primordial Stars Meditation Technique]!"
"Herams once obtained The Book of Primordial Stars and took a portion of it with him. Herams once came to the Spirit Lake, and he attempted to collect all the ancient spirit characters from the entire Upper Ring Continent!"
Ronan felt as though he had stumbled upon a crucial clue, perfectly connecting several seemingly unrelated things.
Herams was the most talented and legendary wizard in the history of the Upper Ring Continent, with ambitions to command all magic.
Had he, like Ronan, ever harbored the desire to piece together the complete Ten Primordial Origin Runes through the ancient spirit characters? Given his pride and ambition, the answer to this question was almost certainly yes.
Verifying this was quite simple.
Ronan closed his eyes, focusing all his consciousness on the more than a thousand ancient spirit characters within his mind space.
Following the cultivation method of the "Primordial Stars Meditation Technique," Ronan attempted to use these thousand-plus ancient spirit characters as a celestial map for deduction.
At a certain stage of his attempt.
Suddenly, one twisted ancient spirit character, under Ronan's conscious control, began to tremble slightly.
Then, it traced a graceful arc in the dark void, colliding with another ancient spirit character, and seamlessly merged with it.
Forming a... brand new ancient spirit character! Witnessing the entire process of the two ancient spirit characters perfectly merging, Ronan's heart trembled slightly.
When his speculation became reality, and the truth was laid bare before his eyes, he felt an overwhelming sense of surrealism.
The Ten Primordial Origin Runes, the ancient spirit characters, the "Primordial Stars Scripture," the "Primordial Stars Meditation Technique"... "This is clearly the greatest puzzle game spanning tens of thousands of years in history."
(End of Chapter)