Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 499 - Noble Nature

From the status scroll, Vahn could tell that the girls from the Loki Familia were already awake and waiting for him to pick them up so Vahn didn't spend too much time in the bath. Since he was the only one present, however, Vahn transformed into his Xuánwǔ form once again before tracing his hands through the air and making similar 'ripples' to Mikoto's katana. The host onsen water within his vicinity swirled around him with the motion of his hands as he raised them and caused a section of it to rise above his head. Vahn enjoyed the somewhat turbulent water and felt his control over it had increased greatly, arguably even greater than the control he exercised over fire.

He wasn't sure what had changed, but the shift in his Xuánwǔ form was a welcome change because Vahn knew he would eventually be able to emulate its influence in his 'base' form in the future. These changes had also reminded him of the runes he had seen on Báihǔ the last time he was in the endless void, but Vahn hadn't been able to discern anything from them previously. He knew there were changes to the form, but Vahn hadn't relied on it much for combat after the fact and had never discovered its increased potential. Now, with the changes in Xuánwǔ being so prevalent, Vahn was more inclined to research his Báihǔ form in the future to uncover its mystery. For now, however, he needed to make his way over to the Twilight Manor so he climbed out of the tub and got dressed before going to look for Terra and Fenrir.

Just thinking about Fenrir was enough to make the girl come running, so Vahn went to seek the location of Terra. Though he had yet to visit it, Vahn knew her room was located on the first floor a short ways away from the twins. It was ultimately decided that, as she was going to be staying at the Manor the majority of her time, Terra would be looked after by Maemi and Emiru and help with the basic upkeep up the Manor. She would spend the rest of her time in the 'secret' garden and enjoying activities like sunbathing, so she was actually very happy about the opportunity. As one of his familiars, she didn't suffer the same 'gifting' restrictions as the other girls so Vahn had purchased her a custom Maid outfit that ended up being surprisingly suitable for her.

It didn't take long for Vahn to find her room and she was already awake and moving about before he had arrived. As for Fenrir, he could sense her presence making its way toward him from Preasia's room with hasty, but practiced, footsteps. She had scuffed up the floor a bit in the past with her feet-paws, so she moved in a peculiar manner at times when she was inside.

Vahn knocked on the door to Terra's room and heard her voice say, "Please enter, Master." so Vahn opened the door without hesitation before a wry smile appeared on his face. Terra was up and about, but she seemed to be having some difficulty wearing her clothes since she wasn't accustomed to them at all and it was difficult to get the fabrics around her wings properly. Realizing this Vahn began looking through his system to get her some soulbound equipment through the shop so she wouldn't have such problems in the future. After all, Vahn wanted to 'show her off' this morning, so she would transition into her dragon form soon before returning back to her human form.

After averting his eyes, Vahn said, "Give me a moment and I'll find you some suitable clothes that you can wear..." Terra smiled in response and gave up trying to wear her other clothes as she hastily stripped them free of her body. She laughed slightly and said, "Clothing is strange and fascinating, Master, though I won't deny it is also a bit uncomfortable. I'll do my best to get used to them soon, so please let me wear lots of nice clothing from now on~." One of the things that Terra had learned about being a woman was that wearing stylish clothes was 'essential' because it allowed you to enhance your own appearance while also appealing to others. She recalled seeing many villagers and Adventurers wearing different outfits and could distinctly recall that the women always wore 'nicer' outfits than the guys and presumed this information to be true.

Vahn nodded his head before confirming the parameters 'robe', 'form-fitting', and 'comfortable' through the gacha system since he couldn't select 'soulbound' as an option. Since a majority of functional equipment with 'soulbound' were things that cost in excess over 100,000OP, it made sense that he couldn't select it as a search parameter through the 10,000OP standard gacha. The only thing he could do was hope to get lucky like he had with the Nazha top or he would have to come up with a solution like setting up a changing station for Terra in the clearing in the forest out back. She would be able to land there in her dragon form before returning to her human form and wearing clothes...but Vahn felt that this would be a little unfair to her.

Of the eleven orbs that popped out, the majority of them were white with the inclusion of two 'hits' in the form of a vibrant orange and a pale yellow orb. The robe from the orange orb was something called a [Singer's Robe] and it was an off-black color with golden accents that was actually quite nice to look at. As for the second 'robe', Vahn was a little confused by its structure because it looked more like a purple backless-dress than a robe and was called [Robe of the Purple Order]. Neither had the soulbound option and didn't seem to have the function of the Nezha outfit so Vahn was a little disappointed before deciding not to mind it and doing another 10+1 pull.

Vahn tried not to mind the n.a.k.e.d Terra standing in front of him as Fenrir trotted up behind him before coming to a pause as she tilted her head and watched Vahn. He was standing there with his eyes closed momentarily and neither girl disturbed him just yet. On the second pull, Vahn got another yellow orb before opening it up to reveal a small white 'robe' that didn't even look like it reached halfway down the thighs. Since it also didn't have what he was looking for, Vahn mustered up his resolve and tried to 'will' the gacha system to give him when he needed. He removed the 'comfortable' option from the parameters and replaced it with 'noble' since it seemed more suitable for a dragon-girl.

This time, the first orb that was spat out by the massive wooden wheel was a deep blue color and Vahn nearly pumped his fist in reality, especially after the second orb shot out was green. Unfortunately, all the others were 'misses', including the bonus pull, but Vahn had high hopes as he cracked open the green orb. What popped out was an elegant green robe that looked like it was also blue at the same time as a trick of the light. It was embroidered with golden runes and there were a few well-placed gemstones that accented its look. The best thing about it was that it looked like a three-piece outfit even though it was just a single 'robe'. The outer layer was the peculiar 'turquoise' robe that was completely open at the front and hugged the waist before drapping down from the h.i.p.s. The second layer was a soft purple bodice that also followed the flow of the robe itself while the third layer was similar to the first in that it was the same turquoise color but also flared slightly like flames with golden patterns sewn into it. Vahn thought it was strangely suitable for Terra and noticed the name as [Anabel's Robe] within the display.

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[Anabel's Robe]

Rank: A (Magic)

Slots: 1

P.Def: 280

M.Def: 900

Abilities: Nature's Concealment(A), Magical Amplification(C), Weatherproof(B), Insulated(B)

A comfortable robe which was worn by an elegant mage in a foreign record embroiled in turmoil and strife. This robe had been a gift from her star-crossed lover who suffered a terrible hand at the whims of fate. The one thing the man desired before his death was that his lover would be protected from harm so he prayed to the land itself to offer her protection.

Soulbound:(unbound)

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As the other robe, from the green orb, looked more like a palatial gown than a robe worn by 'normal' people, Vahn decided to keep it in his inventory for the time being because he felt the [Anabel's Robe] was very suitable for Terra. When he removed it from his inventory, a smile appeared on his face because what appeared was a golden necklace with a diamond-shaped golden pendant on it and a blood-red ruby encrusted in its center. There were a variety of runes carved into its surface and Vahn felt a burst of inspiration strike him as he recalled that the Hephaestus in the Divination had a necklace similar to this one. Just like the Nezha top, Vahn realized that the people that created the outfits in other records used pendants as the medium to create their magical outfits.

Though he would want to study it later, Vahn reached out and said, "Here, take this and wear it around your neck. Afterward, infuse your intent into the pendant and you should hear a whisper in your mind that binds it to your soul. From now on, you should be able to call this robe whenever you like and it will serve as your general attire when you're transitioning between your dragon and humanoid forms." Hearing Vahn's words, Terra stepped forward and received the pendant from Vahn's hand as a glimmer passed through her eyes. As a True Dragon, she had an instinctual love for treasure and shiny things, so Vahn's pendant was very welcome by her as she placed it around her neck.

Vahn instantly noticed that Terra was having a bit of difficulty attaching the necklace so he stepped forward and helped her do so. With her Dexterity, he wasn't sure why she had any trouble but likened it to the fact that she didn't even have fingers before yesterday. With his assistance, Terra was able to wear the pendant before smiling to Vahn and closing her eyes to follow his instructions. A few seconds later, a robe appeared on Terra's body and completely clothed her from head to toe in an instant. Other than her arms and legs, which were still bare since Terra liked to be able to touch and feel the ground, she was now fully attired in what could only be described in a Noble Mage's attire.

Curiously, the back of the outer layer was now in three parts so that it could make room for Terra's wings and there was now an opening in the back that left space for her tail. Terra seemed to be very pleased by the outfit as she fluttered her wings slightly and traced her hands around her body and said, "It is more comfortable than I had expected. Thank you, Master, for giving me such a beautiful dress." From Terra's perspective, the outfit was much closer to a dress than a robe but Vahn corrected her and listed out all the benefits the robe offered. After he was done, Terra smiled vibrantly and said, "I wonder where the name Anabel came from~? How interesting to have a kindred spirit loved by nature~."

Vahn somewhat wanted to remark that Anabel likely didn't have a pleasant end if she needed such a robe but kept it to himself as he turned to Fenrir, who was still in her nightgown, and helped her change her bottoms quickly before leading the way out of the Manor. Though Fafnir had sunbathed for several hours the previous day, and even flew around the area for a bit 'teasing' people, it eventually returned to the 'comfort' of the shadows by the time night had fallen. As a creature with an affinity for darkness, it preferred the comfort of the shadows more than the surface world since it was like being 'wrapped in a blanket' according to Fafnir. The shadows were a chaotic dimension which was filled with almost pure darkness elemental energy, so it was good nourishment for Fafnir as well since its predominant element was also darkness.

Fafnir peaked its head up out of the ground and said, ("Good morning, Vahn, Big Sis, Little Sis~!") Vahn reached out his hand and stroked Fafnir's snout as Fenrir leaped up to its back and pat the hard scales with her paws and said, "Fafnir is a good Dragon, very good~!" As for Terra, she simply chuckled without minding that Fenrir was subtly reminding her how she should 'behave'. Terra then smiled at Fafnir and said, "Good morning, Big Brother, it is good to see you in high spirits." Fafnir released a burst of growling laughter with its actual mouth, seemingly very pleased by Terra's response. As for Vahn, he couldn't help but wonder how Terra's manners and etiquette were already so refined and his interest in her previous life was stirred a great deal...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Waterbending OP~!','Vahn's gacha-luck is too high','30+ years of life, unknown')

(A/N: There will be a few more chapters tonight, at the very least 1-2.)

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