Chapter 159: Priceless Treasure

Want what? Theo’s eyes widened slightly. Oh no, he had overplayed his hand! The investment protocol was supposed to build loyalty, not initiate a romance.

Feigning offense, he looked at her with mock sorrow. "Aurelia, do you think I am that kind of man? Do you think I am gifting you Syndicate assets just to extract physical favors?"

Flustered, she waved her hands hurriedly. "No! No, I do not doubt you! I was just... too moved. Forgive me."

He eyed her skeptically before saying, "If you truly trust me, accept the Resonance Fragment and assimilate it now."

She wanted to protest, but his expression—daring her to refuse—made her nod heavily. She took the glowing crystal. Given Theo’s monstrous talent, he would have gained unimaginable benefits by refining the fragment himself, yet he had surrendered it to her. The gesture weighed heavily on her heart.

Simultaneously, a chime rang in Theo’s mind.

[Syndicate Investment: Gift successful.]

[Gift: Primeval Resonance Fragment! Calculating return multiplier...]

[Detected gift’s critical importance to target. Triggering monumental emotional impact...]

[3,500x multiplier achieved. Max critical reward triggered!]

[Reward: Chaos-Forged Aetheric Matrix!] 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

[Chaos-Forged Aetheric Matrix: Synthesizes the Abyssal Sovereign Physique, the Imperial Wyrm-Core, and the Primeval Dao Embryo. An invincible constitution that harmonizes all Aetheric paths. Capable of creation and destruction, unbound by worldly laws. Grants swift cultivation, immense spell power, and formidable stat boosts.]

Theo blinked, momentarily stunned. This was vastly beyond his expectations.

His innate constitution was already a hybrid, but now the system had grafted a literal Chaos-Forged Matrix into his spiritual foundation. The result was absurdly overpowered—three supreme physiques merged, their benefits stacking multiplicatively.

The ability of the Chaos-Forged Matrix to harmonize all Aetheric paths was outrageous. In the pre-Empire era, when the world was flooded with pure Aether, possessing such a physique practically guaranteed ascension to immortality. Now, those perks belonged to him: swifter cultivation, seamless bottleneck breakthroughs, and infinitely scalable combat arts.

It was a monumental win.

However, the feedback, while immense, fell slightly short of Theo’s wildest calculations. When he had invested in the Eastern Marches, the multiplier had skyrocketed. Now, with a richer gift and Aurelia’s royal status, the max critical reward had merely added "Chaos-Forged" to his existing modifiers.

Theo reasoned it was due to diminishing returns. It was like a struggling operative climbing the ranks with minimal effort, whereas a Supreme-tier patriarch required exponentially more resources to advance a single inch. The stronger the physique, the harder further enhancement became. He had hoped Aurelia’s multiplier might surge to five thousand, but that seemed unlikely now.

Aurelia held the Resonance Fragment, looking up at Theo’s radiant smile. Her hand gently reached out, brushing his cheek. "I didn’t mean anything else... I just... want to—"

Theo cut her off, his tone serious. "You do not want that. You want to refine this fragment. I will guard the courtyard."

His unyielding dominance left her no room to argue. Pouting with a hint of grievance, she turned away.

Theo smiled, briefly patting her silky hair. "There is no rush. We have endless time to build our partnership."

Her mind immediately conjured visions of them ascending to the Primeval realm together, supporting each other for eternity. Her heart softened further. Rubbing her head against his hand like a contented cat, she grew serious, preparing her meridians to refine the fragment.

"Once the assimilation begins, I cannot stop," she warned him. "I have granted you the clearance tokens for the Imperial Pavilion’s warding arrays. If you grow bored, you may walk the grounds, but do not leave the Pavilion. You are strong, but this is the Imperial Capital. You are an outsider, and the nobility will target you. More importantly, as my... future partner, causing a public scene would make things difficult for me at Court. So, for my sake, please?"

Her final plea, paired with a slight tilt of her head and a hopeful blink, turned her usual icy, royal demeanor into something adorably disarming.

Theo couldn’t refuse. He agreed instantly.

Aurelia sat cross-legged, closing her eyes as she entered deep seclusion.

Theo had no interest in wandering anyway. He sat nearby, analyzing the vast changes to his new Chaos-Forged physique while occasionally monitoring her progress.

A week passed in silence.

When his Syndicate Investment cooldown finally reset, and Aurelia was still deep in refinement, Theo rose from his meditation cushion. He stretched his limbs, his Aether thrumming with newfound chaotic power, and headed out of the Pavilion.

After wasting so much time building his foundations, he refused to miss a single lucrative investment opportunity. It was time to find a new target in the Imperial Capital.

...

Gifting could not stop. Even if Theo currently lacked nothing, who knew what the future held? The Age of Imperial Decline might come. Stockpiling assets was simply good business.

Leaving Aurelia’s Imperial Pavilion, he found the surrounding estates desolate. Aurelia’s icy aloofness meant she hadn’t built a political following of her own. Theo shook his head. *Inconvenient.* As her future political partner, he would need to help manage her faction, especially if he wanted a steady stream of targets for the Investment Protocol.

He wandered the skies of the Imperial Capital as if he owned the place.

An Imperial Seneschal approached, demanding his purpose. Hearing Theo’s nonchalant response of "just strolling," the Seneschal’s mouth twitched. Few in the Capital welcomed the Abyssal Sovereign’s presence, yet he strutted through their sacred airspace without a care in the world.

"I have matters to attend to. Perhaps the Sovereign should return to the Princess’s Pavilion..." the Seneschal said, uninterested in babysitting a monster.

Theo waved a hand grandly. "No need, Seneschal. Go handle your affairs. I will explore our Capital a bit more, see if any prodigies catch my eye."

The Seneschal’s mouth twitched again. *Our Capital?* He acted as if he were the Emperor himself. But Emperor Valerian’s orders had been crystal clear: emphasizing the stakes of the new alliance, no one was permitted to attack Theo. With a stiff bow, the Seneschal departed.

Theo flew onward. The Capital’s ethereal beauty, with Wyverns dancing in the sky, remained stunning despite the political upheaval he had caused. As the center of the Empire, its foundation was deep, surely brimming with exceptional female operatives.

Soon, his eyes lit up. A silver-scaled Wyvern approached, carrying a young woman in a water-blue uniform. Her waist was cinched with a jade sash, her figure graceful, her skin pale. She was clearly a high-ranking noble, and her Aether-signature placed her at the peak of the Exarch tier.

His system chimed: [Detected Investment Target: Lady Flavia! Feedback multiplier: 1,500x!]

Theo nodded, satisfied. A top-tier multiplier for an Imperial prodigy. Perfect.

Without hesitation, he altered his flight path to intercept her. The silver Wyvern halted abruptly.

Lady Flavia frowned, instantly recognizing him. In the past week, news of the Emperor’s alliance with the Abyssal Syndicate—and Theo’s impending marriage to Princess Aurelia—had swept the Capital, sparking widespread outrage. Their blood feud made his sudden acceptance into the Imperial Court unbearable, especially for the male nobles smitten with Aurelia.

Many female nobles also opposed Theo. Prince Aurelius, the former Imperial Heir, had been their untouchable idol—powerful, aloof, supreme. Theo had killed him during the tournament. Theo’s brazen entry into their Capital was intolerable.

Flavia was among those mourners. When she first joined the Imperial Court, Prince Aurelius’s lofty presence had sparked her admiration. His death at Theo’s hands fueled her hatred—not just for Theo, but for Princess Aurelia, whom she scorned as shameless for embracing her brother’s killer.

Seeing Theo now, only her weaker cultivation and the Emperor’s strict orders against conflict restrained her from drawing her blade. Suppressing her rage, she eyed him coldly. "What does the Abyssal Sovereign want, blocking my path?"

Theo, unfazed by her chill—which was entirely expected given his history of executing Imperial nobles—smiled. "Nothing much. I see you are at the peak of the Exarch tier, one step from the Supreme realm. I would like to offer you some guidance on your path."

Flavia blinked, stunned. Guidance from the Abyssal Sovereign, whose combat power surpassed most of the Imperial Senate, could skyrocket her progress. Any peak Exarch would be tempted. Why he would offer such a thing was unclear at first, but his rumored reputation clicked in her mind. He found her attractive.

She sneered, shaking her head. "A sudden burst of kindness, Sovereign? Do you fancy me? Apologies, but I am not Princess Aurelia. I am not so shameless. You will never match Prince Aurelius in my heart. I am the woman you will never have!"

Her words felt cathartic to speak, but Theo neither raged nor despaired. He merely nodded with a polite smile. "You misunderstand. I only noticed you were nearing a breakthrough and wanted to help."

Her mocking eyes screamed *Keep lying.*

Theo said no more. With a flick of his wrist, he produced a glowing blue gemstone. "This Abyssal Sapphire Core suits your water-based Aether arts. Assimilating it during your breakthrough will double the power of your domain. It is yours."

Flavia’s eyes widened. For a water-attribute cultivator, this was a priceless treasure, capable of amplifying techniques and awakening a stronger domain at the Supreme tier. Theo was just... giving it to her?

Her breath quickened, but her pride, hatred, and sheer stubbornness made her grit her teeth. "I do not want it!"

Theo smiled softly. "What I give, I do not take back. Discard it if you wish."

Tossing the sapphire onto the saddle of her Wyvern, he drifted back toward the Imperial Pavilion, his departure swift and decisive.

Left alone on her mount, Flavia wanted to leave grandly, to hurl the gem into the clouds and prove her resolve. But her eyes locked onto the glowing sapphire, and her hands simply refused to move.