Xia Ai'er had originally thought that he would need to use his astonishing wisdom to hunt a demigod-level sea monster in the sea, but Arrodes didn't give him a chance to think.
Such a Sealed Artifact, with its own ability to think, was incredibly powerful.
Moreover, its use had no negative side effects.
"There's still a big gap between me and a living Angel."
"But I can help you in far more ways than an ordinary Angel, no, much, much more."
Arrodes's proud voice echoed in Xia Ai'er's heart; this mirror also possessed high-level abilities from the Spectator Pathway, allowing for direct telepathic communication.
"Truly amazing."
Xia Ai'er lightly tapped the "Magic Mirror" in his hand, praising it sincerely and feeling that his choice was very wise.
Wouldn't it be much easier for him to be carried by Arrodes than to struggle on his own?
"Have you found the Beyonder characteristic or potion materials for the Marauder and Swindler?"
Xia Ai'er asked again.
He felt his emotions becoming agitated, and the Beyonder characteristic in his hand was affecting his mind.
"I collected them for you on my way over. You can hand the demigod characteristic over to me for safekeeping first; I won't let it affect you."
The mirror surface of the "Magic Mirror" rippled, and two Beyonder characteristics emerged from within. Xia Ai'er was somewhat surprised, "You truly are an inexhaustible treasure."
He tossed the demigod characteristic in his hand into the mirror, and the negative influence brought by that Beyonder characteristic was immediately isolated.
"It's good that I can help you."
Arrodes's voice was very cheerful.
"Then, I shall begin."
Xia Ai'er released Arrodes, and the Magic Mirror actively floated beside him. He first consumed the Marauder's Beyonder characteristic, and his body seemed to experience a strong rejection reaction, with the veins on his forehead beginning to throb.
Xia Ai'er was not deterred by the spiritual warning; he then immediately consumed the Swindler's Beyonder characteristic, causing a severe headache. His fingers trembled uncontrollably, arcs of electricity Entangled his fingertips, and shadows gradually grew in his eyes.
He was following the old path of extraordinary creatures; the Elf's body was also more resilient, and the grayish-white mist on his body seemed more active. The characteristics of the Marauder Pathway were also more likely to receive the favor of Sefirah Castle.
Hoo~
"This feeling is not bad."
Xia Ai'er exhaled, a somewhat unnatural curve forming at the corners of his mouth. Looking at the Gray Mist that was becoming active around him, he softly chanted:
"The Fool that does not belong to this era."
"The mysterious ruler above the Gray Mist."
"The King of Yellow and Black who controls good luck."
"I need hidden help, I need the power of deception, I need a layer of disguise when I advance to demigod, to deceive any potential attention."
As he chanted, he outlined a somewhat complex rune in his mind—a luck-transferring rune Xia Buran had seen in an old book while fishing "before crossing over," and also his own luck-transferring ritual.
The Fool's honorific name was just incidental.
At this time, Little An was still hiding in the Hornacis Mountains and had not yet accommodated the Fool's Uniqueness, so this honorific name would not point to that fellow.
What Xia Ai'er needed was to use this period in the late Third Epoch, when the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings's spiritual remnants were still relatively strong, to pray for help above the Gray Mist. This was something unimaginable in the Fifth Epoch. After Rosell chose the wrong Pathway, the Gray Mist at that time did not give him much favor, and the Gray Mist's autonomy was almost non-existent.
Buzz!
The grayish-white mist began to surge around Xia Ai'er, gradually transforming into a translucent veil that enveloped his body.
Such a significant effect, such an obvious change, made Xia Ai'er, who was about to chant the name "Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings," shiver and abandon the thought that might cause unnecessary commotion.
Moreover, the power of the Gray Mist actually suppressed some of the madness within Xia Ai'er to a certain extent. The undigested Marauder and Swindler Beyonder characteristics began to "actively digest," respectfully giving up resistance, allowing him to better grasp this power.
"Love you, Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings."
Xia Ai'er saw the Gray Mist respond to him. He thanked it in his heart, then reached out to Arrodes for the demigod characteristic.
"This is truly..."
Arrodes found that it could not transmit its voice to Xia Ai'er in this state. It handed over the Beyonder characteristic, and simple Elvish text reappeared on the mirror surface.
"This is truly too shocking."
In this era, not long after the God of the Sun fell, aren't you already far more powerful than I know?
How much of this is the influence of the Chaos Sea?
"Arrodes, be careful yourself."
Xia Ai'er reminded him. He consumed the Cataclysmic Interrer's Beyonder characteristic, triggering an underwater earthquake and tsunami as his advancement ritual.
The surging waves broke the tranquility of the seabed, a large number of marine creatures began to flee in all directions, and a storm also began to rage on the sea surface.
Arrodes drifted with the waves, collecting various information through the Spirit World. This disaster in a remote sea area did not attract attention, because the entire world was full of disasters. The strong did as they pleased, and divine wars occurred from time to time. In the face of the tide of the era, the wave stirred up by an Elf was so insignificant that it would not attract attention.
Xia Ai'er felt as if his spirit had merged into this tsunami. Without relying on Arrodes, he illuminated the entire map of the surrounding sea area. The wind and waves seemed to become his eyes and ears, and the tsunami felt as relaxing as if he were stretching his waist.
He didn't know how much the Gray Mist had played a role in this advancement. Even after he successfully advanced, he didn't hear a cold snort from the Lord of Storms.
After the waves gradually subsided, Xia Ai'er merged into the sea and directly arrived beside the "Magic Mirror" that had been swept away by the storm.
"The Gray Mist on you is gone."
Arrodes's voice once again echoed from the Elf's heart.
And this time, Xia Ai'er was already able to cut off this telepathic communication; he already possessed a certain divinity.
Xia Ai'er took Arrodes to the surface of the sea. He summoned a water mirror, and in the mirror was a handsome young Elf with waist-length black hair and slightly pointed ears.
The faint Gray Mist that enveloped Xia Ai'er was no longer visible, but he knew that this was because he had become a demigod. Even if he wasn't a demigod of the "Gou San Jia" (three cautious Pathways), the connection to the Gray Mist would naturally fade.
And the luck-transferring rune he had meditated on spiritually during his prayer had not disappeared.
"Arrodes, it hasn't disappeared; it just exists in a different way."
Xia Ai'er smiled. After becoming a demigod, the mental burden brought by the Beyonder characteristics of the Marauder Pathway, Sequence 9 to Sequence 8, was even smaller than when he was Sequence 5.