Chapter 36: Investment

Liana’s tense posture relaxed.

She didn’t need to protect him.

But why did Theo freeze?

Theo was stunned. His system delivered a notification.

[Investment successful: Assisting ’Elder Kael’ in resolving regrets and finding peace.]

[Reward: 100 System Credits. Minor Spirit Insight.]

Killing wraiths counted as an investment return?

No wonder people said guiding lost souls was a virtuous deed.

Theo turned his gaze toward the seething shadows. His eyes shone with anticipation.

Even scraps were meat. Credits were credits.

He prepared to continue. He noticed Liana frowning at him.

"Ahem."

"Many of these wraiths were seniors of our sect."

"If it is within my power to help them find peace, I must do so."

Theo spoke earnestly.

Liana pressed her lips together. Her eyes flickered.

In the end, she said nothing. She stood by.

When a wraith lunged at her, she herded it toward Theo.

This is amazing.

Theo cheered inwardly.

Teamwork made the job easy.

In less time than it took to boil a pot of tea, the wraiths were cleansed. The air felt lighter.

In return, Theo received a cascade of rewards.

Rough estimates put his total at three thousand credits. He also gained miscellaneous items. Broken weapon fragments. Spirit elixirs. A map to a defunct vault.

"Thank you."

Theo smiled and clasped his hands toward Liana.

"Mn."

Liana sheathed the machete. An inexplicable feeling stirred in her chest.

She couldn’t understand why Theo insisted on doing things that wasted time and offered no tangible loot.

But the feeling afterward wasn’t unpleasant.

She shook her head. She stepped forward. She reached the stone gate.

Moss grew over the surface.

She pressed a pale hand against it.

Hum.

A strange vibration rippled through the air.

Dust scattered. The stone gate slowly creaked open.

A silver glow radiated outward. It saturated the surrounding space.

The light flared. Theo raised a hand in reflex, peering through his fingers into the doorway beyond.

....

Beyond the stone gate lay a cavern.

Rocks, roots, and earth—all crystallized. Everything had transformed into silver amethyst.

Lifeless yet breathtaking.

No one had set foot here for eras. The cavern remained frozen in a single moment of static electricity.

The glow grew denser near the center.

At the source stood a metallic sapling. Nearby, a shallow pool held a liquid resembling liquid silver. It exuded the sharp scent of ozone.

The Thunder God’s Marrow.

Liana exhaled slowly.

The marrow was crucial to her. Without the Aurora Spark hidden within it, her Annihilation Sword Arts lacked their true catalyst.

Her rebirth allowed her to claim it early.

She knew all its secrets. In this life, she would soar higher.

Liana steadied her breathing.

"The pool holds the residual essence of a thunder beast," Liana said softly.

"You may soak in it. The benefits for your physique are immeasurable. At the very least, your body refinement will advance by leaps and bounds."

In her past life, soaking here unlocked her meridians. From then on, she thrived in the early realms. Now, her Primordial Sovereign Body had no need for the raw marrow.

"Thank you."

"You should claim your inheritance now," Theo grinned.

He didn’t need the ice block to spell it out. He knew the pool was the Thunder God’s Marrow. Even without a system reward, this trip was a windfall.

Few treasures could rival this pool’s value. Liana still had his back.

Theo didn’t hesitate. He stepped into the pool.

A surge of vitality seeped through his pores. It felt like tiny needles darting through his meridians. Electricity crawled over his skin, refining his muscle fibers. The sensation was euphoric.

"With this, my debt is repaid."

Liana expected to feel unburdened.

Yet inexplicably, a hollow ache lingered in her chest.

Still, Theo’s progress was a monumental shift in fate. He might carve out a place for himself in the Nine Domains.

She suppressed her emotions. She lowered her gaze to the metallic sapling.

It barely reached her waist. Its branches were bare.

Liana bit her fingertip.

She let her Sovereign blood drip onto the roots.

A miracle unfolded.

First drop: the metal pulsed with renewed vitality.

Second drop: crystal buds sprouted along the trunk.

Third drop: the buds stretched into branches.

By the ninth drop, the canopy bloomed.

A crystalline chime echoed.

"Aurora Spark."

Liana watched a palm-sized elemental bird perch on the bloom. It was forged of pure lightning. Its eyes shimmered with intelligence.

She reached out. She expected it to hop onto her palm.

But.

The Spark flapped its wings. It darted away.

Liana turned.

It flew toward Theo.

The bird landed on Theo’s shoulder. It chirped, nuzzling his neck as if greeting an old friend.

The Spark chose Theo?

Liana stared. Disbelief warred with denial.

Her Sovereign blood awakened it. She proved her affinity. She was the rightful heir. This was indisputable across two lifetimes.

Why did it choose the janitor?

Was it the magnetic pull of his Flawless Abyssal Physique?

"Where did this bird come from?"

Theo sat in the pool. The creature hopped on his chest.