Chapter 436: Divine Curse

The days passed slowly aboard the Flying Boat. During the journey, Priam talked quite a bit with Meien about various subjects, including the Paragon Technique.

Priam felt that this technique might be adapted to work with high-level pills specifically created for that purpose. That way, there would be no need to refine a living person. After all, the original technique’s biggest dilemma was the requirement that the target remain alive throughout the entire process—the name ‘Heavenly Devil’ wasn’t there for nothing.

Priam wouldn’t feel comfortable using it in its conventional form.

Most humanoids wouldn’t hesitate to use it on Primordial Chaos Beasts, but he knew they weren’t true enemies or genuinely evil beings. Besides, Mirra was one of them, and that would definitely make her uncomfortable.

Meien listened carefully to every one of Priam’s ideas before nodding.

“Maybe it’s possible… But besides being an incredibly complex pill to produce, it’ll need to have 0% impurities. That’s something no alchemist in the world would dare guarantee.”

Hearing this confirmation, Priam smiled with satisfaction. He remembered the beginning of his journey, when he’d just recovered his memories and removed the impurities from a few simple pills just to make a little money.

“If you can come up with the recipe and refine the pills, I’ll take care of eliminating the impurities.”

At those words, Meien’s eyes lit up with pure excitement.

“I’ll do it! Just give me some time. If they’re pills made from pure natural Yin or Yang, I’ll definitely be able to do it. In the future, I might even study some new variations.”

Priam nodded. “You’ll have a few years to dedicate yourself to your studies. When you and your sister join the inner sect, I’ll provide all the resources you need. Yin and Yang refinement pills will already be useful for 70% of the soldiers.”

The two continued discussing and exchanging ideas in a relaxed tone. Little by little, their conversation shifted to more casual topics.

That journey and adventure had been a precious opportunity for Priam to get to know his little sister better. However, it didn’t take long for one small detail to leave him concerned.

Not once did either of them mention romance or anyone they might have a special interest in outside their own family. It was as if neither of them had ever liked anyone outside the family in their entire lives.

‘They really devoted themselves too much to their studies and training. They ended up with no time to develop that side of their personal lives… Maybe I should give them a little push in that direction in the future,’ Priam reflected, setting the thought aside for later.

Time continued to pass until, at last, the planet of the 11th branch of the outer sect appeared on the horizon before them.

The Flying Boat landed gently on the surface, where Dandara and Suien were already waiting for them.

They’d been away for almost a month, but one look at Meien’s radiant expression was enough for Dandara to know that the mission had been an absolute success.

Dandara turned to Priam and gave him a slight nod. “I’ve finished the basics with those rookies. If they can lift their heads and overcome the trauma, they’ll be reborn as phoenixes.”

She spoke in a casual tone, as if physically and mentally shattering those young Sages were the most natural thing in the world.

Priam let out a small snort but nodded in agreement. Then he turned to the twins to say goodbye.

“You’ll have a few years to prepare for the entrance exam. Focus on absorbing everything Dandara has taught you, as well as assimilating the unique power each of you received from that singular World. Don’t try to force a level-up right now. Once you reach the inner sect, I’ll help you catch up with the rest in no time. The most important thing right now is for you to become truly powerful figures.”

“YES, BIG BROTHER!”

The two replied in unison, brimming with energy.

Dandara smiled faintly, took Priam’s hand, and the two boarded the Flying Boat.

With his duty fulfilled, Priam activated the controls and sent the Flying Boat speeding toward the Inner Sect.

…

On the way back, Dandara listened to the whole story and became ecstatic when she learned about that race’s potential. Then, after hearing about Priam’s future plans, she grew even more excited.

As soon as the couple returned to the inner planets and landed, Dandara hurried off to meet the Pixies and get everything ready as quickly as possible. This was her last remaining task there, since the rest of her faction was still carrying out missions in other worlds.

As for Priam, he had barely set foot on the planet when he received a message from Central Elder Maut. He immediately hurried to the forge.

This time, the place was bustling with activity, filled with smiths working at full capacity.

Knowing exactly where to find him, Priam approached.

Maut was holding a large hammer and polishing the blade of a sword. When he saw Priam arrive, he stopped what he was doing and turned around.

“Kid, the job was done perfectly,” he said, taking Ananke out of a spatial ring.

The equipment had now transformed into a reddish sphere that radiated a completely different aura. A steady pulse emanated from it, as if a heart were beating softly.

As soon as Priam reached out to touch it, Ananke reacted eagerly, splitting into two and covering both of his fists like scarlet gauntlets.

“His intelligence has increased considerably, and the Living Metal has been incorporated perfectly. All you have to do is give him the order, and he’ll assume an organic state, allowing him to absorb resources to nourish his physical body,” Maut explained calmly.

“I don’t know whether he’ll succeed or how long it might take. But if you pour in enough resources, his chances of breaking through to the next level are pretty high.”

Priam nodded, extremely satisfied. Basically, Ananke retained 100% of his original functions, but now he’d gained the ability to be nourished and grow indefinitely.

After storing him away, Priam turned his attention back to the Central Elder.

Maut smiled and raised a small, richly ornamented golden box.

He gently opened the lid, revealing his masterpiece.

Inside lay two rings radiating a soft, whitish aura. One had an emerald-green hue, adorned with meticulously carved details. The other was identical, but crafted in shades of blue and purple.

The beauty and intricate details of each piece were astonishing. No matter where you looked, you could spot dozens of different engravings, as if the craftsman had spent countless hours perfecting every single detail.

“Haha… That young lady seems to like you quite a bit. Put some of your soul energy into the blue-purple ring so the metal can permanently record your aura. I’m sure she’ll feel as though you’re always by her side. The same goes for yours, the emerald-green one. As for the colors, I chose them to match each partner’s eyes perfectly.”

Hearing that, Priam blinked several times, feeling a little dazed. After a few seconds, he swallowed nervously and put the box away.

He quickly tried to calm his thoughts. ‘I don’t need to get nervous about this. I only asked him to make the rings because I had the opportunity. It’s not like I’m going to give them to anyone now or anytime soon…’

“!”

The very instant he formed that thought, Priam instinctively felt as though he’d cast a divine curse upon himself. An icy shiver ran down his spine, leaving him stunned.

“Hahaha… Kid, don’t be so tense. My advice is not to drag this out too long and just give it to her already. In my case, I took so long to work up the courage that, when I finally did it, my wife slapped me so hard I nearly blacked out. After that, she went days without speaking to me or giving me an answer, just to teach me a lesson.”

Priam sighed softly, then nodded. “Thank you.”

The old blacksmith chuckled and said goodbye.

With unhurried steps, Priam left the forge and headed toward the sect’s registration building.

Upon arriving, he requested an Elder and asked him to record his message.

“I’m leaving for the mortal plane with my vice-leader. I may take a few years to return. I can’t reveal the reason right now, but I guarantee that when I come back, no one in the sect will have anything to complain about. Just wait for the news.”

The Elder recorded the notice with a serious expression. However, since Priam was a Core Disciple, even if he disappeared without giving any explanation and returned a hundred years later, he wouldn’t face any punishment.

With the message delivered, his allies would know about his temporary absence. After all, they could return at any time once they completed their respective missions.