Path to Transcendence

Chapter 688: The Gluttonous Kind

Kaito POVFor many years, Kaito had tried to find a way to help his daughter, Lora. She wasn’t his only child; he had four other sons. But Lora was his only daughter, and he had doted on her since birth. Admittedly, a little bit too much at times, even his wife often criticized him for doting on her too much, even before they found out about her curse.

So when he found out she was afflicted with the Curse of the Shackled Vessel, he’d done everything in his power to find a way to cure her. The insidious part of the curse was that it didn’t fully manifest until she was already a teenager and advanced to Tier 2. By that time, it had already woven into every fiber of her being.

There was no way to remove the curse without killing her. That meant he had to find other ways to help her. He and his other sons searched through countless rifts and hired numerous people to find a treasure that could help her. However, it wasn’t enough.

The Curse of the Shackled Vessel itself was irksome, but ultimately a curse that people could live with given patience and constant attention. It essentially shackled a large portion of one’s mana and made it impossible to use more than a certain amount.

The true problem lies with the fact that Lora inherited Clan Yoshu’s bloodline. The bloodline that made them such a powerful clan and helped cement them as one of the rulers of Goldmere.

The Aurora Sylph Bloodline wasn’t something that many of their clan members inherited. Even if they did, they only inherited a small fraction of the bloodline’s true power and required many treasures as well as advancements to awaken its potential.

It was this same bloodline that was causing issues. The bloodline required of mana to fuel itself. Normally, it wouldn’t be a problem for a regular person, but when they were cursed with the Shackled Vessel, things became a lot more complicated.

In short, the Aurora Sylph Bloodline was slowly killing her. Deprived of mana and a source of growth, it started to feed on the only other source available to it.

Lora herself.

The bloodline was a hungry thing; it sucked the life and soul of Lora. Seeing her in constant pain gave him more agony than anything he’d even experienced. He and the rest of his family could do nothing but watch helplessly as she was eaten by the very thing she was blessed with.

He still didn’t give up, though; he desperately tried to infuse all of the wind and light affinity treasures he could find into her. He spent most of his days using his own light and wind mana to try to slow the deterioration, but that could only help so much. She needed to fuel her bloodline with her own attributed mana. A foreign source wasn’t enough.

Kaito himself hadn’t been blessed to gain the bloodline like his father. But that hadn’t stopped him from becoming a powerful Tier 5. Not one of those weak Tier 5s like that merchant, Walter Gale. A genuine Tier 5 who had gotten there from his own merit and efforts.

And yet, even with all of his power and influence, he hadn’t been able to find a way to cure his beloved daughter.

However, he’d gotten his hands on a book that noted a case where a young man was born with a similar affliction, and he’d been cured when he’d bonded with a spirit of suitable type. According to the book, since the spirit had bonded with the soul, it could serve as an acceptable proxy and a proper source of mana for the young man.

It wasn't the exact same circumstances, but it was one of the more promising leads he came across. But finding a light and wind spirit wasn’t easy. A dual affinity spirit was already a rare creature, but finding the correct combination was almost impossible. There was also the fact that dual affinity spirits were fickle creatures. Many of them died before they could fully develop.

Many people have been trying to find a way to feasibly birth dual-affinity spirits for centuries. Kaito was one of those people. He’d hired some of the clan’s researchers to find a way to do this. But it didn’t result in anything promising. The best they accomplished was creating a monster resembling a spirit, but unfortunately, it was a disaster, and they were forced to put it down after three days.

He’d been losing hope, that was until he heard that a small merchant company found exactly what he was looking for. He immediately contacted them and conveyed his interest. The price was high, but it wasn’t often that something of this rarity was available to purchase.

Still, this was the best chance he had in a while, and he wasn’t about to let it slip through his fingers, using his family's considerable influence to pressure away any other buyers.

He glanced over at the young man who was walking beside him. He already investigated the Sky Nimbus Company quite thoroughly. He knew that Walter Gale owned it and was a former member of the Cloudpiercer Hall. He also knew the man was kind, if a bit greedy at times. But then again, it was more uncommon for a merchant not to be.

He knew who Arlen was and was fully prepared for him. According to his sources, Arlen had only recently advanced to Tier 5, but the man was different from Walter. He was an actual Tier 5 who hadn’t relied on treasures and special items to advance. That alone deserved some respect.

However, he had no idea who the young man was. He’d shown up out of nowhere, and while Renal escorted them to the garden, Kaito tried to investigate the list of Sky Nimbus’s employees once again, trying to see if he had missed something. But he found nothing.

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Thankfully, it was explained that he was some kind of spirit-user consultant that Walter had hired. He could tell there was more to it than that, but Kaito was way more focused on the spirit than their dynamic and relationship. As long as it wouldn’t affect his ability to acquire this spirit and save his daughter, he didn’t care where the boy came from.

On another note, Kaito appreciated the young man’s candor when explaining the potential issue with the spirit. Something that Walter failed to mention. It elevated his opinion of young Julius and was why he didn’t have a problem with allowing the young man to meet his daughter to evaluate their compatibility.

Since Julius had been honest so far, Kaito found himself looking to hear his professional opinion. A person who could communicate with all types of spirits was valuable.

“I take it you have spirits of your own?” he asked after a few moments, looking to see what Julius’s reaction would be.

“I have two spirits,” Julius answered with a warm smile.

He was impressed by the young man’s calmness. The second he’d seen the young man, he already knew there was something special about him. After years of watching blooming talents come from the clan, he’d gotten a good sense for those with actual talent.

A lot of it came down to demeanor and how comfortable one was in front of someone stronger. In Julius’s case, he didn’t seem the least bit worried about being inside Clan Yoshu and alone with a Tier 5. He was completely at ease and had a dense presence that very few Tier 4s ever got.

With that being said, he was more impressed by his aura control. Kaito focused a bit more on aura manipulation and aura-related skills, so he knew a skillful aura user when he saw one. It was well shrouded, but it was very difficult to hide its heaviness and density. That weight signified its strength, but also remained absolutely calm. Not a speck of it went outside of Julius’s control. A very mature aura, if he were forced to describe it.

He wondered if all spirit users had similar levels of aura control. It was known that aura control helped with the communication of spirits to some extent, so it would certainly make sense.

Kaito looked back ahead of him, before finally asking the boy a question. “Two spirits? What kind, if you don't mind me asking?” he asked politely.

“The gluttonous kind,” Julius laughed and responded evasively.

Kaito found his curiosity piqued. Most people with normal spirits would likely have offered the information freely, but since Julius was hiding it, there was a good chance he had a rare spirit of his own. He wasn’t going to push further though, there was no need to be rude to someone who was helping him and who was trying to see if the spirit was a good fit for Lora.

Perhaps someone else would have forced the boy or the spirit to do what they wanted, regardless of how this meeting went. If only because they were stronger.

But Kaito knew better than that. Spirits were fickle beings in the best of times. You didn’t force something as personal as a soul bond. Kindness and respectfulness would be his best tools in this situation, rather than changing subjects.

He pointed at the jar with the spirit inside. “Do you think the spirit will help my daughter?”

Julius took some time to think about it and eventually shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“You do have an idea what the spirit is for though, right?”

“I was told that your daughter is sick, but that is really the extent of it. Truth be told, I’m not sure it’s a good idea. This spirit is very strong and very dangerous.”

“So you’re saying that it will be very difficult for anyone to control it, even when it's bonded?”

“Yes, the requirement of control will be insanely high. You will also need an immense amount of willpower.”

Kaito actually let out a sigh of relief when he heard that, and he could tell that it confused the young man.

“Luckily, my daughter Lora has phenomenal mana control. Since she is only able to access a small fraction of her mana pool, she has to utilize the rest with utmost precision. Her willpower from constantly dealing with the curse has also risen to an impressive level for one her age.”

“Hmmm, then perhaps there is a chance,” Julius muttered with a nod.

Kaito held back a hopeful grin. He didn’t want to say something too early, but he had a good feeling about this. Something in his bones told him this young man could help him out. It certainly wasn’t planned or anything, but he was glad for it anyway.

“If you don’t mind, what kind of curse is your daughter troubled with?” Julius suddenly asked. A slight bit of hesitation leaked into his voice, as if he didn’t know if he should be asking such a question.

Kaito didn’t mind, though; he waved away his concerns. “Don’t worry, if you are going to be helping her, I should probably explain some things.”

And so he quickly told Julius about the Shackled Vessel Curse and how it conflicted with her bloodline. He didn’t tell him everything, but he wanted to make sure that Julius understood the general issues she was facing and what the spirit might hopefully fit.

Admittedly, he was also hoping that this would garner some sympathy for Lora and sway Julius’s opinion. He didn’t know for certain, but considering that the two merchants willingly handed over such a valuable spirit to Julius, it was quite likely he had the power to decide whether or not to help.

By the time he finished, they had arrived at the special part of the estate where Lora and the rest of his family stayed. Considering his position in the clan, he was given many privileges. This private area was one of them.

Unsurprisingly, Lora was already there waiting outside. She knew he had contacted someone about a possible spirit that would fit her situation and was more anxious than anyone.

She ran over to them and was slightly out of breath when she reached them.

“Is that the spirit?” she asked with a hopeful look on her face.

He nodded. “Yes, but before that, this is Julius,” he introduced her to him and turned to the young man right afterward, gesturing at her. “And this is my daughter, Lora. She is the one whom I hope will be able to bond with the spirit.”

He saw Julius’s eyes scrutinizing Lora, but it was the way his aura and other senses moved that grabbed Kaito’s attention. It was very thorough, but it also didn’t go so far as to be misconstrued as rude.

“I see what you mean,” Julius said softly.

“See what you mean?” Lora repeatedly patted her own body, looking confused, wondering what he saw in her.

Julius didn’t answer her; instead, he looked over at him. “Do you have somewhere where we can release her?” he asked, pointing at the jarred spirit.

Kaito nodded and gestured at the inside of the building. “Yes, please follow me.”

His daughter didn’t seem at all bothered that they were ignoring her, a hopeful grin on her face, and followed behind the two of them as they walked through another gate.