The Arcane Emperor

Chapter 175: Repository of Souls

After adding in the [Nature’s Walkers], which included those who were essentially the Tier 3 Trial candidates of their people, Rainer finally started to feel his [Sleep Learning] approach a limit. As the limit seemed to be based on the strength of his Soul, he didn’t pay much attention to it, as in the past he had approached a limit as well.

Rainer took a moment when he had all his new allies gathered to share what he knew of Trials. A few didn’t seem to fully believe him until he mentioned he used this space to gather the information in the first place. That somehow cleared away any doubts and… caused a Nature Elf and a Human to start kissing?

“Shiva’s 2nd Tier Trial reward was only a single item, one that had zero use for her. So it ended up being given to Maxwell,” Locklar explained.

Rainer just chuckled, figuring if they knew it was intentional, that former coincidence had far greater meaning.

It was later with their help, he watched them cast from beginning to end the [Spatial Separation] spell that had once been used to try and trap him in the First Stage of the Dungeon. That in its usage coincidentally temporarily separated a part of the Arcanium and the Void from the rest of it.

Watching it being set up from start to finish Rainer saw how the world seemed to assist the spell with [Arcane Revelation]. He wasn’t sure what exactly happened, just that some force seemed to cause space to warp and help the spell.

Holding his palm face up, he easily replicated the spell—one which he had failed countless times—and a small section of the Void and the Arcanium separated from the rest to form a sphere above his palm.

But there was no spell gained. Likely in part because he used the [Sleep Learning] space to mimic what their bloodline did. But he wouldn’t give up so easily. Especially as an idea for a spell that could fill in the blanks in his combat arsenal came to mind. Not to mention that this was currently his only path for trying to reproduce the impossible black light in spell form.

Seeing that Rainer paid them no more attention, the rest left to experiment with the numerous ideas they’d collected over a long life yet never had a chance to test. This place was a Mage’s paradise in every sense of the word.

Space warped above Rainer’s hand as he tried over and over again to replicate the effect of their slightly altered race with raw manipulation. It became clear he’d have to learn a different means of replication for every single one of their spells. Something he imagined he could only truly memorize with the help of the very white void around him. And there was of course the increased cost and cast time along with a likely decreased effectiveness.

It was just half an hour later he finally managed to cast the spell.

[Spell Gained: Spatial Separation lvl 1/10]

In this tiny form the spell was cheap enough that he didn’t opt to alter it with Arcane right away, especially as that might change how he needed the ‘world’ to help cast it. Which might make it near impossible to ever cast in the short-term. He fully planned on learning how the world helped eventually, after all.

He stared at the orb of enclosed space in his hand, its presence only denoted magically and with the tiniest distortion of air. His eyes narrowed as he focused on both the Arcanium and the Void, sensing how they seemed to be closed off within this narrow area. Being ‘outside’ of the [Spatial Separation] this time was interesting to say the least.

With a force of will, both the Arcanium and Void descended within the orb in his hand. His mind stressed as the two repelled each other as they always had. Yet this repelling wasn’t enough to instantly cause a violent separating as it had in the past. His mind was enough to resist the force for now given the far reduced size and strength.

Minutes passed as he pushed as strong as he could, the repulsive force growing and growing. As it reached its breaking point, the spell collapsed and a explosive force sent Rainer flying, his mind blacking out for a brief moment under the sheer force of the hit. He imagined if he hadn’t stabilized himself with [Arcane Invigoration] and [Eldritch Flight] he might have died from it.

However, in using both that spell and skill Rainer realized something. Not only did it feel like the energy pools in his body were less responsive, but his spell was harder to cast on top of that. His eyes widened as he stared at his hand, realizing that the explosive force was likely tainted by the Void and Arcane alike in a slight manner.

He repeated the experiment, wondering just how he might weaponize this as a spell. Especially as the whole thing was incredibly inexpensive to use. Refining the spell as a whole was perfect for his future goals.

It was toward the end of [Sleep Learning] that Rainer found himself meeting with Locklar. They would be heading towards the City of Wealth tomorrow and the old man had an idea for it.

“You are invisible to Divinities, yes, so long as they aren’t possessing someone or descended?”

Rainer nodded, having shared his title when he was convincing the man to join him in the City of Wealth. He didn’t want the Soul Mage going in blind to what he was.

“Can you spread the effect?”

Rainer confirmed, before explaining the few methods he knew how to do so, followed by a demonstration of [Mana Presence]. And following again with a promise to give a explanation or book related to it at a later date.

Locklar nodded to himself before replicating a scroll using the [Sleep Learning] space and handing it to Rainer.

Rainer stared intently at the spell before he immediately tested it. Given its nature and his own ability with Souls it took only a few tries before he cast it on himself.

[Spell Gained: Soul Lift lvl 1/10]

[Title Gained: Wielder of Soul and Being]

[Experience Gained: XX, XX]

“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to be a test subject?” Rainer asked. If he could cast this on someone else...

“That’s what I came here for.”

It was with an extended session of [Sleep Learning] that Rainer was more than ready to test out if this little experiment worked as planned. But first, they had an Aura user to interrogate. Mind magic could have variable results after all, and there were certain things better learned through speaking.

Ling Yun blinked his eyes blearily as he came to. He didn’t remember drinking so much last night, but he supposed that was exactly what someone who drank too much would remember.

It was only after a few seconds of realizing that he was unable to move, did the reality of the situation truly come to him.

“I don’t suppose you’d be open to answering a few more questions,” the same irritating beautiful face, the last scene he remembered seeing, spoke to him.

Without saying anything Ling Yun looked around before two shocked eyes stared at a Demon. Or not a Demon? And a… Fairy sitting on her head. He started laughing uncontrollably, not even partially afraid.

“Tell me, native, have you any experts of Soul?”

The Mage nodded, not saying any else.

“Well have him inspect mine,” Ling Yun said and his self-confident expression twitched a bit as the Mage seemed to be the one doing so. How many talents were stuffed in this thing masquerading as Human?

“I assume you can tell it is not whole. And while I’m not sure you understand what that means, you should at least be able to assume I can contact home with my other half, and that killing me will empty my coffers at most.” It wasn’t so much an ‘other half’ as it was a Soul storage device. But he could in fact send messages through it to the people assigned to watch over the repository. It was the easiest way to contact home after all. And it would also take years and much more money to recover his Soul after his body.

“And?”

“And,” Ling Yun said, laughing again, “And what do you think will happen once I tell them not only of your Fairy but of a Dungeon-Race hybrid? The invasion we had planned before will seem like nothing more than a skirmish. The weeks will turn to moments as the strongest amongst my people spare no cost to instantly appear-” Ling Yun’s eyes bulged as massive shock went through his Soul and he had not even a moment to contact someone through his other half as a hand went around his throat.

“Found you,” Ling Yun heard someone growl as his mind shook. He could only watched in pure shock as the teleporter vanished. He quickly contacted the highest Elder guarding the repository and told him it was in danger. Before he could send anything else, a creepy looking red-head sent him back to darkness.

Rainer ripped apart space before vanishing in a Void-walk. He traveled countless miles before sensing a force in his way. [Soul Consolidation] altered his Soul as he strengthened [Void-walking] with all his might.

He slipped through the barrier and, with a quick flash of [Arcane Revelation], saw numerous Souls all around him in what looked to be designed as a tomb. And a massive presence of Aura rapidly approaching here.

The violet tattoo on his hand shone as a wide beam of Arcane ripped through the air, destroying the slightly enchanted and Aura inscribed items designed to store Souls while diminishing this places defenses. He spun around searching everywhere with [Arcane Revelation] for something familiar. A few moments passed before he vanished with a Void-travel. Having seen chains of Aura surpass the speed of sound and nearly catch him, Rainer knew he left just in time.

He rapidly Void-traveled across the planet, hoping to cover his tracks. He had no idea if they could track his method of travel or not, but it didn’t matter at the moment. Only after a few minutes of heading to the highest skies and deepest oceans did he finally head back.

Ling Yun sat there, sweat covering his whole body as he was reawoken, the Mage back in front of him. He sensed for his Soul before letting out a relieved sigh. He grinned. So the Mage failed. Of course he wouldn’t be able to get through the defenses.

“Well,” Ling Yun said, still shaken from the damage from his Soul, “Just how are you going to get me to stay quiet?”

The Mage said nothing but a small tablet that held Ling Yun’s Soul appeared in his hand before vanishing again to some sort of impossible storage.

His face fell as he saw the cold rage covering the Mage’s visage.

“What would you like to know?” he responded with a cramped smile. What sort of false treasure did the Zan’s discover? If this was just one of the superpowers of this world, then what of the others? Had they merely found a weaker portion of the Demons rather than their true base?

Rainer managed to calm down as this Aura user spewed out word after word to even the simplest question.

As much as he wanted to kill him, his knowledge of Aura would be useful, especially given that for all his strength he seemed to be a spoiled scion rather than a true warrior of any sort. The odds of him pissing them off with wrong information was likely low. Having both a hostage and source of knowledge was too valuable to pass up.

After a few hours he was sent into stasis and hidden under spells just like the 3rd Tier High Elf they still had. The expression on Ling Yun’s face when he saw the unconscious 3rd Tier Zan High Elf had done much to lower Rainer’s anger. However, his desire to find another base off this planet and away from Augost’s became all the more prominent.

But for now, it was time to recover enough Mana to get everyone off Alvra and then to his meeting with the Divinity of Wealth.

Exiting [Living Storage], Locklar was amazed as he had always been in that form of travel. Even as he tried to sense changes, he was still unable to notice the fact he crossed worlds from within there. Now, that added on to the amazement of seeing the mythical City of Wealth for the first time. As a 3rd Tier, he’d have never expected this.

He barely even registered as Rainer’s main body left, leaving behind only an Avatar and the Vice-Guildmaster of all the organizations he owned. He found it quite strange to place someone so weak at such an important position, but he left it as a cultural strangeness and thought nothing more of it.

Remembering what the Elf with the strange bluish hair had told him, he lead the pair as they walked leisurely together. He used a bit of Soul magic to glare at and move away anyone barring their path.

With what he knew of the city, he half expected for [Priest]s to come running. Perhaps even a [Bishop]. But, there was nary a ripple in the Divine presence that covered the whole city and floated in the air around them.

He sent a nod back to Rainer before continuing his efforts. It seemed combining the spell [Soul Mark] with an otherwise useless spell of his, [Soul Lift], granted the hiding effects of his absurd title to all involved. The Tier 4 spell was only Tier 4 likely because of the subject matter. The spell itself, even at maximum power in that strange white space, increased the power of one’s Soul by a single percent at best. The actual application was barely noticeable, except clearly in the hiding from Divinites. Likely related to the fact it affected one’s entire Soul. Linked with the [Soul Mark], the spell borrowed an incredibly tiny amount of Mana from Rainer to remain intact.

The original spell was an utter and personal failure of Locklar’s, the maker of the spell, who had been hoping to do the opposite in order to make 3rd Tier Trials easier. It was a naive thought and likely wouldn’t have worked even if it had weakened a Soul, but he had been watching his dying wife heading towards the 3rd Tier Trial. It was worth anything if he could have prolonged her life

A shame, their efforts failed, and her Trial was unsuccessful. Even the most talented didn’t have a decent success rate with the weakest classes. There was a reason they had only five of their number among all their people.

And the spell couldn’t be put on another’s Soul in any case. At least, if you weren’t Rainer.

[Soul Presence] was truly a worthy Dungeon reward. Given Rainer’s acts during the 1st Stage, as told to him by his students, he figured such a thing was warranted. He had been surprised when Rainer willingly and without friction explained the skill fully to him. Though he didn’t think he’d manage to learn such an amazing Dungeon reward, the information might still prove useful.

Their invisibility to the Divine presence was clearly noticed by several [Priest]s but their path was unobstructed. It was likely they all already knew of Rainer. Though he was quite sure they didn’t expect anyone else to be hidden without any obvious uses of power from said man.

It was just a few minutes later that Locklar found himself face to face with the Divinity of Wealth. The Divine thing had possessed one of his followers lightly. And even if the ancient being tried to hide it on his face, Locklar was skilled enough in the Soul see what had occured. He was a 3rd Tier Mage after all.

The immortal lord was surprised. More than surprised: he seemed furious, though his face showed nothing. How entertaining.

They had yet to speak a word yet Locklar already didn’t regret coming here.

Arthemtor tapped his desk as he watched the group vanish in the [Archon]’s unique brand of teleportation. ‘Enjoying’ the mental distortion that came as he tried to think over his interaction… with all three of them. How the Defier managed to spread his title with no clear sign of constant magic, he didn’t have the slightest clue. But it was disturbing. Incredibly disturbing.

Especially since all close contacts he knew of and could use to indirectly spy on this man were now gone. Some even seemed to slip from his memory before he forcefully recalled them. This had thrown him off during the meeting.

That the [Archon] also saw the wisdom of not putting someone in charge simply because they were powerful went unpraised as this meant a more difficult time for him. Especially given his mind was elsewhere.

With the ban on all conflict in the City of Wealth, it didn’t take long for many of the organizations here to learn that same wisdom. That power shouldn’t always be awarded with authority. Of course, even if they didn’t put people of different talents in truly powerful positions they used them as advisors. But it wasn’t the same as giving someone weak but skilled in other areas true authority. What did that mean of the place this [Archon] originated from?

And so, without being able to even ‘jokingly’ threaten him with anything, the meeting was pretty straightforward as he gave up a considerably valuable building in exchange for them having a auction there every month. Where Enchanted items would be exchanged exclusively for his currency. And a portion of said currency would be consciously spread by this ‘Enchanter’s Guild’ in the other worlds they had access to.

It was a simple bargain, one where Arthemtor didn’t gain as much advantage as he hoped to. He had been too shocked to properly deal with the situation at hand and sought more for them to just leave him alone. For all the countless millennia that he enacted such deals, he had never been at a disadvantage or threatened in such a manner.

And then there was their 3rd Tier accompaniment… he may have been at the bottom in terms of levels but he clearly had a rarer class. But the most important point was that he was here.

“In my own fucking city,” he growled out, and with a fist and a tearing of space, the desk in front of him contorted and fell apart.

He had underestimated the defier to an impossible degree. His plan of acquiring a world-traveling pawn free from the eyes of other Divines had stalled as soon as it started. But no matter. He was nothing if not patient. He’d settle just for the strengthening and spreading of his currency. Time was a powerful thing.