Chapter 2117: Spirit Wine

As for whether the Magic Cube could truly preserve the souls of the two women, even Sein himself could not guarantee it.

Over the years, he had merely done his best to conduct research in this field. The data and findings he had gathered so far only pointed to a “theoretical” possibility.

But theory and practice were two entirely different matters.

When it came to something as advanced as soul preservation, the soul overmages of Magus World had likely delved far deeper into the field.

Even so, considering that undead creatures would still die once their souls dissipated, perhaps there was simply no such thing as a truly immortal species in the Astral Realm.

Rank Four and above beings merely lived longer than ordinary creatures.

“As far as I know, some of the wealthiest individuals in the Gallant Federation upload their memories and streams of consciousness into something called computers when their lives are nearing an end, achieving a different kind of ‘immortality’,” Sein explained.

“But I don’t believe simply preserving memories is enough. The soul is the very essence of a sentient being. I’m not sure whether the Magic Cube can truly preserve your souls, but when the time comes, I’d still like to give it a try,” he said, looking into the two women’s eyes.

The time Sein referred to was, of course, the final day of their lives.

Selina and Eileen had no better idea than Sein. When that day eventually came, they would leave everything in his hands.

Although the birthday celebration was tinged with a faint sense of melancholy, it also brought Sein several pleasant surprises.

Aside from Sev, who was already on track to advance to Rank Four, Scarlet, who had arrived at the top-floor banquet hall of Sein’s divine tower with Sia, also revealed the aura of a peak demigod.

Perhaps because she had spent so much time by Sein’s side over the years, Scarlet’s horizons and understanding had broadened considerably.

Although she appeared to be a female knight with a fiery temperament on the surface, she showed none of her usual impatience when it came to advancing to Rank Four.

Instead, Scarlet appeared remarkably composed.

This was quite different from Julius, who had nearly exhausted his soul flame with two failed attempts to break through to Rank Four.

When Sein asked Scarlet about her progress, he was surprised to learn that despite already reaching the peak of the Demigod Realm, she had never once attempted a breakthrough.

“How could I dare attempt Rank Four without you checking me over first?” Scarlet replied teasingly when no one was looking.

Scarlet and Sia belonged to the same family. In terms of generational hierarchy, Scarlet was actually two generations younger than even Sein’s wife, Natalya.

Looking at things now, the potential of Sia’s family was truly remarkable.

Sia had already advanced to Rank Four, while Scarlet had now reached the peak of the Demigod Realm and was similarly showing signs of an imminent breakthrough.

In fact, Sia had brought Scarlet here precisely because she wanted Sein to lend her a hand with that upcoming breakthrough.

Sein nodded. “After the banquet, go wait for me in the body tempering experiment room.”

Scarlet winked at him, indicating that she understood.

***

The birthday celebration gradually became more joyful and lively.

Tourmaline had somehow managed to get her hands on a large batch of fine fruit wines from the Immortal Realm.

Sein was never particularly fond of drinking, but even he ended up having quite a few glasses that night. After all, several knights were present at the banquet, and the knights of Magus World were all hard drinkers.

Sia, Reina, and Scarlet took turns offering him a drink, with Scarlet being especially enthusiastic.

As it turned out, one’s life level offered little resistance against these spirit wines from the Immortal Realm.

By the end of the night, Scarlet alone had managed to drink Marie, Jessica, and Leena under the table.

Tourmaline, who had brought out the spirit wines in the first place, was the first to get drunk.

It seemed she had only taken a small sip from one of the jars before curling up on a large, round sofa in the corner of the banquet hall and dozing off.

Sein had never seen anyone who could sleep as much as Tourmaline. Once she fell asleep like this, she could easily remain asleep for a hundred or even two hundred years if no one bothered her.

As she slept, a small bubble formed at the tip of her nose.

Out of professional habit, Sein also took the opportunity to examine the spirit wine.

He discovered that it contained an astonishing amount of nutrients. Rather than wine, it seemed more appropriate to call it a top-grade potion.

Even a Rank Four or Rank Five being like Sein could gain considerable benefits from drinking it, making him marvel once again at just how wealthy Tourmaline truly was.

Among everyone at the banquet, Scarlet, who had been the most outgoing and had drunk the most spirit wine, was likely the one who benefited the most in the end.

She had certainly made the right choice in asking Sein to evaluate her before attempting her breakthrough to Rank Four.

Sein would not even need to concoct a custom potion for her. The Immortal Realm spirit wine she had drunk tonight alone was enough to leave her with lasting benefits.

With several rowdy female knights keeping the atmosphere going, Sein ended up drinking quite a bit himself.

Thanks to his many years of body tempering, however, he did not get drunk and pass out nearly as quickly as Marie and the others.

Even by the middle to later stages of the banquet, his mind remained fairly clear.

At some point, Sein approached Mel and began asking her about the deeper principles of bloodline studies, particularly those related to producing offspring.

Now that Sein already had an apprentice who had inherited part of his legacy, he was seriously thinking about having a child as well.

In the end, life was also about passing something on. Watching Selina and Eileen gradually approach the end of their lives had caused Sein’s outlook on such matters to change somewhat.

At that moment, Mel had a rosy flush across her cheeks.

Her tolerance for alcohol was not much better than Tourmaline’s. As far as Sein could recall, Mel had only drunk two jars herself.

Although her movements were already somewhat unsteady, her mind remained fairly clear.

In fits and starts, Mel began explaining to Sein some of the secrets of bloodline inheritance passed down through the Dragon Warlock Clan.

Naturally, some of these bloodline techniques were closely guarded family secrets, so there was only so much she could reveal.

Unfortunately, her vague explanations soon left Sein confused about several crucial points.

As a result, he had to keep pestering Mel for a clearer explanation.

To start exploring the mysteries of truth in the middle of a pleasant birthday celebration... that was something only Sein could pull off.

Still, with most of the guests already passed out and the banquet nearing its end, his behavior was not entirely unacceptable.

Alcohol truly was a wonderful thing, especially when it came to spirit wines from the Immortal Realm.

The ones they drank today had come from Tourmaline’s relatives there, though a small portion had apparently been stolen from her brother, Black Oblivion.

But could it really be called stealing when it was taken from her own brother?

Surely, taking was the more appropriate word!

Black Oblivion had always been rather wild and flamboyant by nature. In the past, White Stella had always kept a close eye on him.

However, ever since he came into contact with their large group of relatives from the Immortal Realm, especially after befriending quite a few male dragons around his age, he had quickly been led astray.

And as luck would have it, the jars of spirit wine Tourmaline had accidentally taken from him happened to possess a rather potent aphrodisiac effect.

What were dragons most famous for in the Immortal Realm Civilization again?

It was not the immense wealth accumulated within their dragon palaces... no. It was their somewhat notorious reputation—dragons were inherently lustful.

The sheer number of dragon-type creatures scattered throughout the Immortal Realm Civilization was perhaps the clearest proof of that.

Although Sein had conducted a simple examination of the spirit wines Tourmaline brought out earlier, there was no way he could possibly test every single jar.

Just as Sein was about to call Jessica over, thinking that the three of them could discuss the profound principles of lifeology together since she specialized in Lustfire, he suddenly noticed the unusual way Mel was looking at him.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Sein reached out and touched her forehead, then her cheeks.

They were burning hot.