The Oracle Paths

The good news, however, was that they had stolen a lot of valuable magic metals from Vhoskaud's laboratory. Most of it had melted in the explosion, but materials like Adamantium had been blown away by the blast before melting completely.

If one looked, it was easy to find traces of it everywhere. Knowing that Drastan's troll army would certainly not be their last unannounced addition, Jake immediately ordered the Myrtharian Nerds present to ramp up their efforts to search the burned-out districts.

The most notable arrival was that of Vincent the next day. This included his new wives with lovestruck faces and his father-in-law looking expectantly at Jake and Kevin... Plus a nation of elves on their heels.

"Cousin, I have to admit, you've outdone me." Kevin bowed low to the sheepish Water Elf. "Who would have thought that I, the most handsome of us, would still be single after four Ordeals. Fortunately, my chances of finding a soul mate are still better than a certain someone..."

"Are you talking about me?" Jake glared at the man. How could he not sense that this was a dig at him.

"Of course I'm not. Why would you think that?" The Werebear blinked innocently.

A vein bulged on Jake's forehead, but he held back from slapping him silly.

"That's absolutely not true! Of the two of you, he is currently in the lead."

Lucia's female voice chimed in behind them. Turning around, they saw her walking towards them in the company of Esya, Enya and Aisling. Staring at the four sublime beauties all at once, Kevin's face turned ugly.

'Damn it, I forgot he was surrounded by stunners. All the more reason to call him a moron. So many missed opportunities!' Kevin criticized inwardly with a bitter look.

Still, not wanting to lose face, he teasingly retorted,

"You heard Lucia, Jake. You have heavy responsibilities on your shoulders. Maybe your charm is more dangerous than you think..."

Vincent who had been silent from the beginning with an elf on each arm gave him a sympathetic look while admiring the four young women. Especially from the red-haired beauty, he had a kind of uneasy feeling in her presence. That of not being able to satisfy the appetite of such a woman...

Lucia was also shrouded in a haze of danger. Since all this time spent with them, Vincent was very clear about the proud and competitive personality of the Myrmidians and he feared for his cousin if such a harem came true. Even if it didn't, Lucia would be a handful for the unfortunate one who would win her graces.

In the afternoon of the same day, Asfrid and the other Eltarians arrived in Laudarkvik. Asfrid had already been briefed by Lucia about what had happened and instead of reprimanding Jake for not waiting for them she firmly decreed,

"From now on, let me and my team take care of these kinds of opponents. At the very least, you won't have to worry about your souls' safety."

Jake was surprised at her confidence, but remembering what Asfrid and those Eltarians were capable of several months earlier by linking their minds he regained a semblance of optimism.

"Very well. From now on, I'll leave you in charge of the Myrtharian Nerds' mental safety. You have free rein." He allowed her gratefully.

"Leave it to me."

No sooner said than done. Less than an hour later, Jake received a notice from Asfrid ordering every Myrtharian Nerds to proceed to the Eltarians' camp. Curious, he hurried over there and was surprised to see a pile of translucent shells stained with blood.

With his heightened senses, he knew at once that this blood was not ordinary, but Blood Essence. Each of these shells had been treated with Eltarian blood.

If he had any doubts, the bloodless and ringed faces of the Eltarians, Asfrid included, confirmed his suspicions. It was a significant sacrifice that amounted to regressing their Bloodline by half a level.

The Eltarians were not like the Myrmidians or the Kintharians. Boosting their bloodline was not as straightforward. It required the practice of demanding mental routines as their minds gradually grew like a muscle.

To progress and recover faster, this species could easily absorb spirit energy like Svara, but it was not a common source of energy unless they were continually committing massacres.

Of course, absorbing the Spirit Body of a level 90 native would not allow them to gain as many levels. Most of that energy would go into their Bloodline.

Just as Jake didn't instantly become ten times stronger by gorging on a star, their appetite had a limit and their minds needed time to purify and digest the spiritual energy of others. Unless they had access to outstandingly pure spiritual energy from the start there was no shortcut.

"When I gave you free rein, I have to admit I didn't expect this..." Jake confessed seriously while throwing a concerned glance to the woman with the long silky blue hair moist as seaweed.

Sensing what was bothering him, Asfrid said,

"Don't worry. No Eltarian was forced. We all agreed that this was necessary to bring the rest of the Ordeal to a satisfactory conclusion. It will also make us stronger in some ways."

Jake squinted his eyes but accepted her explanation. Feeling that he was not yet convinced, she added,

"The killing that will happen next will help us recover in no time. If you really want to help us, look for treasures rich in pure spiritual energy. It can also be herbs, fruits or flowers that stimulate mental activity. Anything that is good for the mind will do."

As she spoke of pure spiritual energy, he thought of the Soul Stone sitting in his Space Storage, but hesitated to lend it to them. He wanted to know what all the shells were about first.

Understanding the meaning behind his silence, Asfrid returned to the heap of shells and waited for the other Myrtharian Nerds to show up. When everyone was there, she proclaimed loudly,

"Thank you all for coming. The varieties of shells you see stacked before me are artifacts that my species has been creating for centuries. The secret of their design was handed down directly to us by Eltar in our ancient scriptures. The crafting of these artifacts is within the reach of any skilled blacksmith, but the cooperation of many Eltarians, as well as our Blood Essence, is required to complete these artifacts.

"Their function is to allow a non-Eltarian to connect to our One Mind. All you have to do is spill your own blood on them and let the shell scan your Soul Signature. You may not know it yet, but what makes our race so strong is not our superior mental abilities, but our ability to link, combine and merge our minds to create a more powerful spirit entity. Connected, our minds no longer exist as frail, isolated souls, but together form a unified spirit whose power far exceeds the sum of our energies.

"The effectiveness of this resonance depends on many factors, but the most important thing is to trust each other. When you link your minds like this, your thoughts and emotions become apparent to the other members of the One Mind. You can't hide anything from them.

"You can of course not let go completely and protect your thoughts but this will affect the power of the One Mind. However, this is not the only advantage of these shells. Once you are connected to our spiritual network it becomes easy to transfer psychic energy or communicate. Likewise, you can easily lend your mental energy to others. This is the mental equivalent of the Vitality Link. Also, even if you can't surrender completely to the One Mind, you can achieve this mind-meld with those you trust as long as they are connected to the network.

"Any questions?"

Heavy silence.

"In that case, those of you who want one of these shells, I'll let you have it in good order. Sign your name on the register next to it because we've only made 3,000 so far. If you lose it you will pay the cost of the next one out of your pocket."

A group of Myrmidians immediately rushed to the front of the shells, forming a long, orderly line. After the incident with Shamash they were taking psychic threats very seriously.

Jake did not join the line with the others. Already having a shell in hand, he studied it from every angle with a thoughtful expression.

"Asfrid, Lucia and I being part Eltarians, can we connect to the One Mind you mentioned?" He asked cautiously.

The Eltarian leader thought about the question for a moment, then shook her head,

"You are missing some innate Eltarian skills. Your bloodline comes from Lucia but her ancestry is not that pure. But..."

"But?" Jake raised an eyebrow.

"But you're still Eltarians. The other Eltarians can connect to you. Say the word and all the Eltarians will channel their fused energies to you to assist you in battle."

Jake tossed her the Soul Stone, which she caught off guard in her cupped hands. When she felt the pure Soul Energy inside her eyes went wide as saucers.

"I am convinced." He smiled. "If I don't reward you for your contributions what kind of leader would I be."