Jake woke up in his new huge mansion bed after a well-deserved rest. He had taken a nap to rejuvenate himself and felt thankful that was still an option. Jake had learned some races didn’t know how to sleep and never became able to, no matter if they gained human form or not. He was grateful that at least he would never lose his ability to, only the need for sleep. Sleeping was nice.


    Sitting up in the bed, he saw he had slept only three or so hours. He stretched a bit before he got up and headed to the library to finally figure out what the hell a Soulme was. He had already checked the Viper’s drop of blood using Sagacity and found nothing, and the crystal he gained from the lesson didn’t include a description either.


    He would also leave Meira alone for her task, so he went to find the books himself. Not that he would necessarily have asked her either way. Jake was a big boy who could go to the library all by himself.


    The library was huge and naturally came pre-stocked with books. All of them centered around D-grade alchemy and general knowledge. In the middle was arge tome that served as an index of sorts, and Jake went over and opened it. A projection of a list appeared, and with mentalmands, Jake searched for the name Soulme.


    It returned a few thousand results, so Jake tried with something more precise.


    He narrowed it down a few more times until he finally found a book just called: Soulmes! Beware!


    It was a picture book. For children.


    Perfection.


    Jake quickly tracked it down as he took it out from the shelf, and it truly was a colorful picture book. It had a picture of a me on the cover with two small, scaled children, staring at it. Jake couldn’t wait as he opened it and began reading it. Well, reading was a strong word as it was light on text and heavy on colorful pictures.


    He skimmed it for fun but quickly found it wasn’t what he had hoped for. It was more a warning than a guide on Soulmes for children not to absorb any. So, by context clues, now Jake at least knew Soulmes were something you absorbed.,


    Deciding to not mess around anymore, Jake went and actually found a real book on the subject. This one had the far more normal name: Locating, Identifying & Understanding Soulmes For Beginners.


    Could he have just asked Villy? Sure, but he had an entire library to himself, so why not make use of it? The library also came withfortable armchairs, so Jake found one and took a seat as he started reading.


    So… Soulmes.


    Soulmes were not some skill rank or something you ”made”; instead, it was something you found. Soulmes were a special kind of natural treasure found throughout the multiverse, but they were scarce and often quite dangerous and incredibly difficult to find due to appearing in dangerous ces.


    A Soulme formed when an environment reached a certain threshold, and an elemental was about to be born and awaken spirituality, but somehow it failed and turned into a Soulme instead. It was just not truly a living object, but somehow it managed to retain a fragment of a Truesoul from what Jake gathered, making it a potent item.


    This meant a Soulme did have partial properties of living beings. It did not have levels, but it could grow independent of anyone or anything else. It was not in the same vein that other items grew either. Items just grew with time and absorbed atmospheric mana while beingpatible for upgrades, but a Soulme needed to ”learn” and upgrade itself. Because while a Soulme did not live, it did have instincts thatnded somewhere between a natural treasure with innate defensive abilities and a truly living thing.


    These rare mes were incredibly valuable due to their special natures and something most alchemists desired, but it wasn’t as simple as finding one. Firstly, Soulmes had rarities, and while they could be upgraded, it was difficult. The only way to upgrade a Soulme was to have it absorb simr Soulmes in order to ”learn” from them, as mentioned earlier.


    So even if one got amon rarity Soulme, it wasn’t necessarily good. In fact, Soulmes below rare were often not viewed as anything worth ever absorbing. These mes should instead be used as fuel for other Soulmes.


    Then there was the issue of also needing apatible Soulme. Soulmes came in all shapes, sizes, affinities, and with innate concepts. Jake would not be able to absorb a Soulme of pure light magic, and while he could absorb a Soulme of the water affinity, it would probably ”nerf” him and his current Alchemical me as he would get a me he wasn’t good at using and didn’t truly fit him.


    Alchemists had found ways of absorbing these Soulmes and making them a part of themselves by integrating them into their Truesouls, like they were Soulbound items. This process also integrated the Soulme with their Alchemical me and effectively permanently merged the two. Big focus on the word permanently because once a Soulme and an Alchemical me were merged, it was viewed as permanent. The book did mention methods of undoing it and unbinding a Soulme existed but also emphasized it woulde with severe consequences.


    So you shouldn’t just merge with a Soulme haphazardly. If Jake merged with amon rarity one now, it would downgrade the rarity of his Alchemical me tomon, and based on the nature of the Soulme, potentially make his Alchemical me skill useless for what Jake currently used it for.


    This did mean many alchemists never got a Soulme. Soulmes weren’t necessary, even if they were good to have, and an alchemist with a Soulme and one without at a simr rarity and level would be unequal. However, it was far easier just to upgrade your own Alchemical me to higher rarities and far easier to have one suited to you if you never absorbed a Soulme.


    To put it simply, a Soulme was absorbing a natural treasure that merged with Alchemical me, adding anotheryer of difficulty to the upgrade process while ”locking in” the nature of the me semi-permanently. This did result in a better me – assuming you got one suited to you, that is.


    However, he did discover one thing… getting an Arcane Soulme was not going to happen. Transmuting one was not possible due to their state as semi-living entities. Giving birth to one, while theoretically possible, would likely take Jake thousands of years and way more resources than it was worth. And that was from an optimistic viewpoint.


    So, anyway. Now that Jake had an idea what a Soulme was, the next question was obvious.


    How did he get one? And should he even get one?


    To the surprise of absolutely no one, the easiest way to obtain a Soulme was to just buy one. Alchemists had devised methods of trapping Soulmes and sealing them forter sale, but even that process was difficult.


    As the Soulme had innate spirituality, it would struggle. It would try to destroy whatever sealed it, and often its power was not to be underestimated. Jake even read many examples of people dying to Soulmes that they tried to capture. The only thing more dangerous than capturing a Soulme was to try and merge with it.


    When the dragon teacher had mentioned the risk of scorching one’s Soulspace, it was not a joke or an exaggeration. It was amon urrence that people who had spent obscene amounts of money on a Soulme would find themselves killed or crippled in the process of absorbing them. The book Jake had found did not touch on any absorption methods but did warn one against attempting without a solid n.


    The question of if he should get one was also tricky and one he couldn’t truly answer. It was the kind of thing Jake would only know if he ever came across one, and when that happened… well, he would follow his intuition.


    Albaromoz Emberflight returned from holding his first lesson in quite a while as he instantly took out a token and sent a message towards an Elder of the Dragonflight. The information he included resulted in an instantaneous answer as he was granted an audience immediately. However, not with the one he expected…<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He headed to the teleportation hub as he went towards the territory of the local Emberflight n. The Emberflight n was a Dragonflight consistent of thousands of branches spread throughout the multiverse in many different sectors ands. They had naturally also chosen to have a presence on Primordial-4 due to the vicinity of the Order of the Malefic Viper. Also, the fact it was a Great just made it a natural space to set up a branch.


    The Emberflight n was a Dragonflight that specialized in the concept of fire but also alchemy. The Order was a great ce to send their young and for them to learn methods not taught anywhere else. In fact, the Dragonflight currently had well-over ten thousand of their young geniuses attending, and many higher-leveled beings like himself also make use of the Order.


    Albaromoz teleported a few more times before he went towards the Firebound Peak, home of the local branch leader. It was a Grand Elder of the Emberflight n that had stepped into the realms of divinity dozens of Eras ago.


    Flying towards the mountain, he felt the pressure from the mes that burned at the top. It pierced the sky like a pir of the world, extending an impossible distance. The heat emanating from the Peak halfway up would be enough to kill a C-grade, and the chamber of the Grand Elder was something Albaromoz as an A-grade couldn’t handle easily.


    When he reached the Peak, he found himself before a giant golden gate leading into it. He kneeled before it as it swung open, inviting him in. This was only his second time there, with the first time being when he had been granted his Soulme by the Grand Elder herself. It was a Soulme nurtured by their n only granted to elites, and Albaromoz had gained his shortly after reaching A-grade.


    Through the golden gate, he entered a massive hall of gold with countless precious treasures scattered throughout. A single pir of the hall would rival the wealth of most A-grades, and the treasures scattered haphazardly would be able to create wars in even A-grade empires.


    It was truly a wonderous Dragon Cave, far better than Albaromoz’s own.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ”Child of Emberflight,” a voice echoed as Albaromoz felt the pressure, and he instantly kneeled. A being appeared before him as he purposefully bowed even deeper.


    ”Patron Fireplume,” Albaromoz spoke in reverence. Yes, the Grand Elder was not only his benefacter and leader of the local branch but also his Patron. He looked up and saw the horned woman, wearing a deep red dress that looked to be burning as she stood in the middle of the hall and regarded him.


    ”This knowledge you bring is not to be taken lightly… are you certain?” her ethereal voice echoed throughout the hall. Albaromoz felt the barriers fully up as their conversation was fully sealed from the outside world.


    ”I would not deign to use the word certain, but I do hold enough confidence to request an audience just on the chance I am correct. The ambient mana surrounding him was fresh, not from here. His knowledge seemed surface-level at best, even if he had deep insights into certain elements. Additionally, he somehow possessed enough Academy Credits to attend my lesson, which means he must have a backer within the Order. He was thest one to sign up for the lesson, too, despite it being avable for two years… and he signed up the day the new batch from the ny-third universe finished the entry-dungeon. He had the blessing of the Malefic One and was able to hide from my Identify effortlessly. What he did feed me was purposeful… and I felt a presence that should not belong to one such as him,” Albaromoz exined.


    ”borate.”


    ”The presence was… and pardon my disrespect, more powerful than Patron Fireplume’s, at least it felt as such. Yet he was no god as he possessed a blessing. Coupled with my belief, he is one of the neers from the new universe…”


    Albaromoz had confidence in his theory. In fact, he was certain enough that he would bet his life on it.


    His Patron naturally understood as she also answered in a serious voice. One that meant she also understood the gravity of the discovery.


    A young human, likely only D-grade at best, able to hide his identity and remain unperturbed beneath the presence of an A-grade. One who could leak a presence more powerful than a god while also holding a blessing from one, meaning he wasn’t a god himself. One with deep insights into certain elements of something while only having surface-level elsewhere. Newly integrated… the conclusion was obvious to Albaromoz and his Patron.


    ”It’s a Bloodline Patriarch.”


    The conclusion was obvious. A transcendence was also theoretically possible, but passive transcendences were beyond rare. No, a Bloodline made far more sense.


    Bloodlines appearing far more in new universes was a well-known fact. It was like the system had ”stored up” Bloodlines until the generation that would be integrated happened. They were also always Bloodline Patriarchs with entirely new Bloodlines as they came from a new universe. This was a golden opportunity, and Albaromoz knew it.


    ”However, he is already a member of the Order of the Malefic Viper,” Patron Fireplume said. ”Moreover, you failed to get his contact information. This is, of course, assuming you are correct. Something I have no way of discovering as he is hidden within the Order.”


    ”With permission, may I direct the young mistress to evaluate him during a lesson? If my theory is correct, he is bound to attend some of the introductory lessons, and including her as one of the scouts would allow us to see if he does indeed possess a Bloodline,” Albaromoz inquired.


    The young mistress was a young talent of the n who came from a prestigious line from the main n headquarters. She also possessed the Bloodline of the main n, making her an ideal candidate as those with Bloodlines could feel one another.


    Patron Fireplume appeared in thought for a moment before she agreed. ”Very well, but keep me updated at every step. If it is truly as you say, he may have a pinnacle-level Bloodline. And whatever happens, do not cause issues within the Order or overstep any boundaries.”


    That was a given, Albaromoz thought. He didn’t have a death wish.


    ”Less than a week,” Vstromoz smiled in triumph.


    ”For it to be discovered he has a Bloodline… not that he is your Chosen,” Duskleaf protested.


    ”See, the key is in the details. We made a bet how long it would take till his secrets were discovered by a public faction, and I said less than a week, and you said more than a week. By all metrics, I win,” the Viper insisted.


    ”Fine, you win, congrattions, you are the best and most correct ever,” Duskleaf said sarcastically. ”Are you gonna do anything about it?”


    ”Why would I? Isn’t this just gonna make things more fun?” the Malefic Viper said with a big grin.