One of them was a dagger that radiated overwhelming power and had exquisite craftsmanship that no ordinary mortal weapon could have. Or rather, it should have, but its weird craftsmanship didn't take anything from the power that the dagger was releasing, especially to Samiel, whose senses were warning him of immediate danger.
The second item was a book; Darkness covered it, so Samiel couldn't see anything extraordinary about the book aside from the evil and malicious aura it constantly gave off. On the cover of the book, made from human skin, was a pentagram engraved, as evilness could be felt miles away.
And the third item was a ruby crystal. From all three items, the Ruby Crystals looked very unassuming and rather ordinary, just like every second gem would look like. The only thing that was special about the Ruby Crystal was the levitating golden parts which were probably functioning as some sort of shield, which would put itself together, creating a ball-like shape as a form of protection for the Ruby Crystal.
"You can choose one of these items in exchange for the content of the Ring; because of first-time trade, I chose peculiar items and a great discount, but beware... once you make your choice, you can't go back."
Explained the Eldritch Creature with a laugh as it looked at Samiel, who was staring at the Ruby Crystal intensely.
While Samiel didn't really care about the antics of the Eldritch Creature, it was clearly evident that Yvraine was getting more and more nervous with each passing second they were spending in the Black Emporium.
When looking at the Ruby Crystal, Samiel felt something that was drawing him to the Crystal, like telling him to choose the Crystal. He felt indescribably attracted to the Crystal the first moment he saw it. Never had he felt something similar in his entire life, but he knew he needed to have this Ruby Crystal at any cost.
He knew that for Eldritch Creature at the Transcendent Level to consider something extraordinary, then the items must be really special. Certainly, beings of that Level won't be going around like home sellers and scamming people out of their money.
He knew that the value of these items couldn't compare to a bunch of low-grade Spatial Equipment and weapons, even if he had tons of them. Of course, what was disturbing Samiel were the motives of this one, and why he was doing this, but to that question, it was almost impossible to get any answer.
In the end, he decided to go along with his intuition. Since becoming a partial Eldritch Creature, his intuition never let him down even once till now.
"I chose the weird ruby crystal."
He answered as the Eldritch Creature revealed a surprised and yet satisfied smile as the other two items vanished into the shadows, and only the Crystal remained as it levitated directly to Samiel's hands.
"Interesting... choosing the Bloodline Crystal of Transcendent Level Fallen Angel."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtMuttered the Eldritch Creature as Samiel almost dropped the thing on the ground from the shock, and Yvraine didn't fare better. Hearing that this was in fact a Bloodline Crystal was too shocking, just to easily digest.
Bloodline Crystals were precious things even for Transcendents, though it depended on the creator who condensed his entire bloodline into the Crystal. Some Bloodline Crystals could be absolute trash if the creator was just some random weak Legendary.
Of course, then there were some that were priceless, and the Transcendent Level Bloodline Crystals were absolutely priceless among them all. Especially when the Bloodline Crystal was made by a Transcendent Level entity.
"I don't know who the creator of the Crystal was, but it was a very powerful Angel. Though, it would be good for you to use it only after you reach the Legendary..."
Samiel understood the sentiment because he nearly died when he accepted the blood of Azathoth, who used his own power to do everything basically. But the usage of the Bloodline Crystal was vastly different compared to what he underwent previously.
He just stored the Bloodline Crystal, as he still made an excellent trade, even though for now, and for a relatively long time, this thing would be absolutely useless to him, but when he reached Legendary, he would have another method to increase his power.
After that, both Samiel and Yvraine exited the Black Emporium, and when Samiel turned around, he saw how the entire shop was dissipating into the countless black particles that were blown away by the wind.
"You are aware that the creature we talked to was a Transcendent Level Being? And very powerful at that..."
Stated Samiel as he looked at Yvraine, who seemed genuinely shocked about the thought that Transcendent Level Being was wandering through the first floors of the Tower. She initially thought that the weird mummy monster was just some powerful legendary.
"And it was an Eldritch Creature or Void Lifeforms... one of those two."
He stated afterward that he was still in a weird state of shock or surprise or something in between, from the weird experience in the Black Emporium, trying to comprehend exactly what had just happened.
Samiel knew that Yvraine knew he was partial Eldritch, but they didn't talk about it. He had to admit that Yvraine was very smart. During her life, she met many people with that familiar Eldritch stench because of her status as the Crown Princess of the Nesser Dynasty, so it was no wonder she would technically be able to recognize him.
Eldritch Creatures and Void Lifeforms could be considered some weird cousins of the sort... probably. Fundamentally they all lived in the Void and shared the same living space, but there were some main differences between them.
The main one was that all Eldritch Creatures were in some way or another connected to Azathoth, the Primordial Demiurge. At the same time, the Void Lifeforms were just collective terms for countless races that called the "Void" their home.
Afterward, Yvraine took Samiel on the rest of the tour of the City, which she meticulously planned and chose all spots to visit with great importance and care.
They went to the various tourist spots and sightseeing the marvels of the elven architecture and other things, and at the end of the day, they went to a high-class restaurant which was located on the top of one of the Trees of Life.
It has a gorgeous view of the entire Zephystrand City as Samiel and Yvraine sat down, and Nefertari jumped down from his shoulder and laid down on the fence of the terrasse where they were sitting, as she continued sleeping in another place.
"So, did you get any quest from your Patron Goddess?"
Asked Samiel as he observed the sun setting down. They were alone on this restaurant floor because this one was specifically used only by high-ranking nobles of the Nesser Dynasty or other notable individuals who would visit Zephystrand City.
"Yes, but I can complete it any time, as it is an easy one."
She answered, and after a second, she observed Samiel's weird cat with wings, as it flapped its wings and flew from the fence back to Samiel's shoulder, as Nefertari couldn't sleep there properly. Interestingly, she could sleep mostly well if he was nearby, probably because of their intimate connection.
After they started eating, Nefertari woke up and started stealing some pieces of meat from his plate if she felt like it, but he ignored his familiar and let it be. Nefertari was still basically a kitten and was only in the early stages of her development.
Still, she was already a Steel-Tier despite being so young.
Also, he had an extraordinary and powerful Class, together with at least two abilities, which made her very valuable and strong familiar, not to mention her potential to grow.
"Can we spar tomorrow a bit? I think I need to complete at least basic aspects of my training."
Even though Yvraine taught Samiel in the past nine months or so what they were together, but she wasn't that good teacher, and she taught him only how to wield the sword, nothing more and nothing less.
Samiel wasn't a good combatant even now, but at least he wasn't terrible if that helped a bit. Even though he was at core Caster, due to the addition of his Lord Class, Knight of the Niflheim, he felt a need to learn more fighting styles and achieve at least some level of weapon mastery.
That way, he would completely eliminate the weakness of Necromancer occupation, and he could directly fight alongside his undead, side by side, thus increasing their combat prowess by several levels straight.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"If you want, I can arrange for you to train with the Elven Knights, for basics, it would be good. Elven Knights of the Nesser Dynasty have one of the best and strictest training regimes ever created, and you could obtain a good grasp on the basics of footwork, swordsmanship, and basic martial arts."
Stated Yvraine; she proposed this because Samiel told her he would need to stay on the 3rd Floor for several years, and during that time, undergoing some sort of formal training seemed good.
Samiel wasn't opposed to the Quest and staying here for some time; in the end, he didn't really have any purpose of claiming the Tower aside from getting stronger, and the 3rd Floor was a nice place to spend some years.
Not to mention that his Lifespan would probably eclipse even countless Legendaries due to his racial heritage. So, it would be productive for him to learn how to deal with the passage of time and get rid of the human-like perception of time partially, or he wouldn't be able to bear it... literally.
Contrary to his magic studies, which he was perfectly learning on his own, just him and Magic Tomes and Grimoires, physical aspects of the power, were relatively unknown areas for him.
"That would be great; I was never good at anything physical since I was a kid, and I hated even the word sport, but right now, circumstances have changed..."
Samiel said, briefly reminiscing about his past, to which Yvraine giggled a bit.
"What else were you, fatso when you were little?"
She asked with a mocking voice, to which Samiel grinned a bit.
"Believe it or not, but yeh... you wouldn't really recognize me from the past, not even a bit."
Samiel started remembering his appearance before he became supernatural, before he became the way he envisioned of himself.
"Even though many say that appearance is not important, the most common perception of beauty is important."
Yvraine stated mildly, as Samiel agreed with her.
"Not everyone is born the way they wish to be..."
Samiel stated, as he remembered, that he always felt inferior due to his average-looking appearance, though in his case, it would be prudent to say under average.