Chapter 413: Temptation Was Constant

Priam took a deep breath, calming his mind as he seriously reflected on his three new abilities.

*Perfect Energy Assimilation* had a simple function, but if anyone in the world discovered its true effect, they would go insane with envy.

It was a passive effect: every time Priam consumed a pill, elixir, or any natural resource, he would always absorb exactly 100% of its effects.

For any ordinary person, continuously using pills and nourishing materials brought diminishing returns. A Meridian Nourishing Pill, for example, would provide 100% efficiency the first time; the second time, it would only provide 20% or less.

That was why all the Alchemists in the world created countless types of pills with identical effects, but using widely different methods and resources, simply so Mages and Sages could continue consuming them.

However... Priam could now simply stack up and consume infinite identical pills, always obtaining the maximum 100% effect, as if it were his very first time taking them.

’Too bad the Ironweald Sect isn’t famous for its Alchemists. Still, that outer branch gave rise to a few specialists capable of creating high-quality pills. Besides...’

He sighed, his chest tightening as he thought of his little sisters. There was still no news of either of them. However, there had also been no confirmation that their mission had failed or that they had died. In other words, they were still fighting to find their way back home.

At this moment, all Priam could do was pray with all his might. But he fully trusted that, eventually, they would return.

He turned his attention to the next abilities. *Karmic Connection Search* turned out to be different from what he had initially imagined. It wasn’t a passive ability, but rather an active technique with an extremely short duration.

When activated, he would be able to physically see the ’threads’ of karmic connections between the people, objects, and events around him. Its practical usefulness would depend on the situation and how lucky he happened to be... and, to his delight, luck was something he never seemed to lack.

Finally, he saved the main course for last. As he carefully read the description of *Transcendental Concealment*, his heart began pounding once again.

It was, indeed, the ultimate evolution of Divine Concealment. With this new technique, he could flawlessly mask his presence from any sense or perception belonging to elite figures. Not even a Sage would be able to detect him invading their territory.

But the benefits didn’t stop there. He could now extend this veil to nearby allies, concealing himself and another person simultaneously.

The ability consumed Creation Essence and, of course, covering a second person tripled the cost. Even so, the effect was simply absurd.

After taking in all the information, Priam stood up. Fortunately, purchased abilities didn’t require months of exhaustive study like Knowledge did. He only needed to understand how they worked and activate them through the system.

Priam thought about going out to check the training grounds of the inner sect. But the moment he crossed the threshold of his room, he changed his mind.

’I need to relax a little from time to time... or I’ll end up drowning in work.’

Letting out a light sigh, he leisurely walked toward the kitchen of that central building.

Once there, he took his stock of rare ingredients and carefully selected spices out of his spatial ring.

Spatial rings were a blessing: inside their dimensions, all food remained fresh as if time had stopped, while also providing more than enough space to store whatever he wanted.

Over the past year, Priam had made an effort to put his own rule of slowing down into practice. At least once a week, he would stop absolutely everything for half a day.

The reason behind this change in habit was Dandara.

Ever since they started their relationship, Priam had forced himself to always set aside some time for her. He felt like he couldn’t ignore her no matter what.

Nurture the Relationship.

Those were the words Priam repeated in his mind to convince himself. But he simply didn’t want to admit that he deeply wanted this. He knew Dandara wouldn’t waste any time, and the two of them would grow physically closer.

In his previous life as James, he had died without ever experiencing anything like this with a woman. In his life as a slave, even less so. But in this third opportunity, Priam was savoring every moment with voracious intensity.

He didn’t want to rush through the stages; he made a point of enjoying every glance, every tease, and every touch. Even so, deep down, he knew the tension between them was reaching its boiling point, and they wouldn’t be able to keep things at the level of dating for much longer.

On their days off, Priam would take her out to explore the surrounding area.

Together, they hunted exotic ingredients and high-level spices. At the end of the day, he would always cook for her—which was why his culinary skills had been improving so quickly lately.

Back in the present, Priam began preparing the meal without rushing at all, savoring the process.

As soon as he placed the last dish on the table, he sent a short and direct mental message:

The food is ready.

Exactly three seconds later, the front door was blown open by the wind, and Dandara shot inside like a bolt of lightning, her eyes shining with anticipation.

And so, far from the eyes of the sect and the weight of their responsibilities, they spent the following hours together, enjoying the warmth of each other’s company.

...

...

...

The day had barely begun to appear on the horizon when Priam opened his eyes.

He actually slept through the night.

He felt the warm weight and deep, steady breathing of Dandara against his chest. Looking down, he saw her sleeping like a rock, completely clinging to him, her legs intertwined around his waist like a possessive vine.

He slipped his hand toward his spatial ring and took out his emblem.

It was a message from Central Elder Maut.

Priam’s eyes instantly lit up. Maut had finally discovered the purpose and method of processing those two unknown metals. He was requesting Priam’s immediate presence.

Priam tried to gently slip free from Dandara’s arms without waking her, but her body seemed to react instinctively, tightening her embrace even more every time he moved.

"Oh...?"

Remembering a crucial detail, Priam raised both hands with an amused smile.

He slid his fingers toward the two pointed ears atop her head, gently stroking their velvety base with extreme care.

In the very same instant, Dandara’s expression changed; her tense muscles completely melted, the strength left her legs, and she let out a needy little sigh as she sank into the bed, falling into a state of absolute relaxation.

Taking advantage of the opening, Priam slipped free from her embrace and carefully tucked her beneath the sheets.

She didn’t wake up, but the silly, satisfied smile plastered across her face as she slept was almost comical.

Priam let out a muffled sigh. Those ears were her instant weakness; all he had to do was gently stroke them, and she would turn into a docile, powerless creature.

On the other hand... her fluffy tail was a completely different story.

Whenever he dared to massage that area, the effect was the exact opposite: Dandara seemed to catch fire from the inside. Her breathing quickened, her skin grew hot enough to give off steam, and her eyes took on a wild gleam.

Priam remembered perfectly the first time he discovered that. They had been lying together, completely pressed against each other. In a moment of pure distraction, Priam’s hand had slid down her back until it reached the base of her tail, where he began massaging that sensitive spot.

The result had been immediate and overwhelming. Her body temperature shot up to absurd levels, her skin flushed a fiery red, and she lunged at him with ferocity. Things had gotten so heated that they had come within a hair’s breadth of reaching the final stage...

The only reason Priam hadn’t completely lost control that night was because his emblem suddenly received a message from one of the generals, bringing him back to reality.

He had promised himself that he wouldn’t tease her by touching that spot for the time being, unless he was willing to deal with the consequences. But the temptation was constant.

After briefly recalling that and taking a deep breath, he moved.

Priam quickly left the building and walked over to the teleportation inscription. All he had to do was use his emblem to be transported directly to the destination, since Central Elder Maut had sent him the exact location.

Within seconds, he emerged inside a colossal forge.

The place stretched for hundreds of meters—a massive open-air complex filled with blazing furnaces, piles of rare ores, thick smoke, and flames dancing everywhere.

Despite the imposing scale of the place, the forge was almost deserted.

"Over here, kid!" an energetic voice rang out through the steam.

Priam turned around and spotted Central Elder Maut waving at him. He was alone, dressed in worn-out blacksmith’s robes and covered in soot. He looked like an ordinary, humble craftsman rather than one of the sect’s most powerful figures.

As soon as Priam approached, Maut asked for the two unknown metals. Previously, he had only used a single artifact to replicate their energy frequencies and study the composition of the materials.

Priam handed over the ores.

Maut then took out small pieces of metal in various colors and began bringing them close to and touching them against the two materials one by one, as if testing their reactions.

The process took several minutes. When he finished, he turned toward Priam and gave him a satisfied nod.

"It’s confirmed," the Elder began, raising the first metal. "This one possesses the unique property of fusing perfectly with other metals and temporarily altering their structure, transforming the alloy into something similar to the organic tissue of a living body. Since it doesn’t have an official name, I decided to call it *Living Metal*."

He paused before continuing his explanation:

"When this transformation is activated, the metal becomes fragile and useless for direct combat. However... in this ’organic’ state, the material can be nourished in the same way as a flesh-and-blood body. Spiritual herbs, pills, and strengthening resources—things that would be completely incapable of affecting a cold piece of iron—can be absorbed by it. When the Living Metal property is deactivated, it returns to its rigid state and once again accepts traditional weapon-refining methods."

Maut gave a slight smile.

"In short: at first, it doesn’t provide any direct increase in power. However, if you invest a colossal amount of resources and nourish the equipment while it’s in this organic state, there’s a real chance of breaking through the material’s limitations. A Spiritual-Grade weapon, for example, could nourish its structure until it evolves into the Ancestral Grade—or beyond. Ordinary equipment can never rise in grade once it’s completed because the foundation of its material is fixed. But this Living Metal breaks that universal rule."

Priam listened to every word with his eyes wide open. If what Maut was saying was correct, by nourishing equipment enough, it would even be possible to create a legendary Eternal Equipment, the kind only immortals used.

After catching his breath, Maut held up the second metal and continued in a more solemn tone:

"Now, this second one is absurdly exotic. It was the one that gave me the biggest headache just trying to understand the basics. I named it *Heavenly Mind Metal*."

The Elder straightened his posture and summed up the concept:

"In short: this metal doesn’t work on its own. It needs to be divided into at least two parts and fused with a catalyst metal. When two different artifacts are created from it, they must be individually nourished by the mental energy of different people for a period of time. Once they reach a certain threshold of assimilation, when the two artifacts come close to each other, the parts enter perfect resonance. This resonance causes their mental energy to merge into a single whole, which can then be easily absorbed. Don’t even ask how I figured that out... It was an insane amount of work, and I thought I’d never decipher it."

Priam pondered the explanation for a few seconds. The concept was fascinating: the metal acted as a bridge between the minds of two people, generating an anomalous mental power.

"Kid, I heard you’re using one of my old creations. That Equipment I developed with Etherium back in the day," Central Elder Maut commented, observing him.

Priam nodded and took out Ananke, which immediately covered his fists like a glove.

Maut approached, stroking his beard thoughtfully. After a few moments, he nodded approvingly.

"I can rework this equipment and incorporate Living Metal into it. Since I was the one who created it, I can preserve its core and consciousness intact. It would basically be a complete upgrade. What do you think?"

Priam accepted without hesitation. "That would be perfect. It was incredibly difficult to find equipment that was so compatible with me. Being able to make it evolve and keep up with my growth is exactly what I need."

"Great... As for the other metal..." Maut stroked his beard again, pondering the best design.

Priam also became thoughtful for a moment, until a sudden idea made his eyes light up.

"The Heavenly Mind Metal needs to be divided into at least two parts, right?"

Maut nodded. "Already know what you want me to make?"

"Yes. Can you shape two rings?"

The Central Elder’s eyes immediately sparkled. Any project that wasn’t a weapon or combat equipment was a breath of fresh air for his creativity.

Connecting the dots instantly, Maut gave him a knowing smile. "I understand... Leave it to me. I’ll make something that woman will absolutely love."

Priam nodded, feeling his face grow slightly warm. He had recently discovered that, in that world, couples also had the custom of sealing their union through rings.

There were no grand, bureaucratic wedding ceremonies; simply giving each other a ring and swearing mutual loyalty was the ultimate gesture for them to be recognized as husband and wife.

Priam handed Ananke over to the Central Elder—the payment for the work would be a few hundred of those crystals.

Before walking toward the teleportation inscription to leave, Priam sent a brief message to Dandara. Then, he activated the inscription and headed toward another region of the inner sect.