Looking at the treasury, the team members couldn't help but freeze, with the exceptions of Damon, Derin, and Arslan. When Damon assisted the Empire with research into the theory of destruction and how existence interacts with it, he gained enough merit to visit. However, he was still a little surprised since he still couldn’t see through the black boxes with their misty appearance. It seemed the treasures in them dared people to figure them out, but it was a pity they were not visible unless one could pull oneself out of the current time and space. The minimum requirement was to be an Eternal, at the 9th stage of Immortality. Damon knew that Arslan could displace himself from the current time and space, even if only a part of his body, like his eyes, and see through them like an Eternal would. He couldn’t wait to become an Eternal or for his Path to suppress time and space enough for him to not mind this level of protection.
“What’s in it?” Dante questioned, pointing to a particular one stored vertically. He felt a resonance, which meant it was very helpful or suitable for him.
“A sword,” Arslan answered simply, but it was all Dante needed.
Arslan, knowing what Dante was thinking, said, “You can take them as long as you are able.” He knew that the only way to avoid getting annoyed with questions was to raise their competitiveness and give them a challenge—a big one at that. He looked at Derin and asked, “So, what have our Creators prepared for us?” This was crucial since he guessed the items they would get would not be any worse than some of the contents of these black boxes, considering the pride of the dragons.
Derin moved to a large table with a few unidentifiable pieces of equipment on it. She let Mind Energy enter the ring on her finger and released a few contents that distorted the space for a moment before the room suppressed it. “Eternal grade,” echoed a voice in everyone’s mind.
Although an Eternal can exist outside of time and space, they can’t manipulate it—not yet, anyway. That’s why they carried Eternal-grade items that would give them an advantage against those who don’t have them. These items had the minimum requirement of interacting with either time, space, or both. Anything below was just an Immortal grade, which was not very appealing, even their Life Treasures as mortals at the Immortal grade. This was one of the reasons why Domination was very bizarre. Arslan couldn’t exist outside of time and space without enough strength; however, he could manipulate them as if he had the authority to do so. He also had a few theories about this.
“Yes,” Derin answered, pointing at the black boxes. “Not at the same level as them, but they are custom-made for you. Some can interact with space, some with time. Here,” she pointed to a silverish crown, “this is the one made for me. Due to my Path, both time and space give me the same advantage. However, it’s undeniable that space gives me more maneuverability in combat, as well as surveillance and tracking. It lets me use my Mind Spark to send Mind Energy through space and interact on a personal level.” Everyone could hear the pride in her voice. They guessed she had also helped in creating them, being a Creator herself.
After putting the crown back into her ring, she showed an eye that had stars in it. It was special, very much so. To explain its details, she said, “This is a treasure with a space attribute, like mine. However, mine is about interacting my Innate and Mind Energy with space. This beauty can do more. It can make calculating space as easy as breathing. All you need is to be able to see. At its peak, you can calculate a galaxy’s space structure, making it much easier to manipulate. The best thing is, of course, the research on space. It can boost the comprehension of space so that anyone can compete with the geniuses of races with innate space traits. This is for you, Angel. With this, you should also focus on more material aspects of existence to use your predictions. As for creating new techniques and other details, that’s up to you. All you need to do is use your Mind Energy. It will tell you more about that.”
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Derin handed it to him, and seeing the way others looked at the treasure, she felt satisfied. Without losing momentum, she continued her presentation by showing a liquid with red and gold mixed in. “This is the blood of a Demigod Dragon. A flood dragon, to be exact, with a pure bloodline. I have also engineered a code into its existence so that you can use it with near full control. It will be destroyed if you lose it and someone else takes it, along with other countermeasures. Take good care of it, Scarlet. Blood is your specialty, and with its existence not rejecting you, you have endless possibilities. The owner of the blood asked you to live up to its standard, which is very high. But I doubt you will fail her.”
Seeing Scarlet with a swooning look, Derin’s pride rose even more. However, she was a bit upset when no one had a similar gaze for the eye before. Thinking it was because their paths weren’t related to blood, she got over it. Next, she decided to go big. Arslan, seeing this, just had a fond smile as he cast his gaze at the blood for a second before ignoring it. If Derin had noticed, she might have guessed that the source wasn’t a secret after all.
Back in the room, Derin raised her hand, and a bottle with a ship inside appeared. The moment it appeared, everyone had the same thought: time. With how it shimmered in and out of existence with an almost dreamy feel, it was of very high quality. Only a very strong Demigod could create something like this, as the intricate manipulation of time at that level required just enough Divine presence to guide it. While it wasn’t unheard of for an Eternal who was millions of years old, it was unheard of for Creators like that in this galaxy, thus the sensation it created in the room. However, it didn’t move Arslan that much. Dragons, being the darlings of Chaos, had exceptional Time and Space traits. Even his ancestors could create something similar. It was just a pity they had left for the central cosmos. However, the black boxes were more than enough to compensate for their absence. Derin’s involvement in being able to create such things was what really moved Arslan.
“This is for you, Chris. If this can’t make you feel safe at your level, nothing can. It has the ability to scry the past to give you possible future knowledge. As you all know, Haven doesn’t like the future to be...how should I word it...interacted with by everyone. However, it could go to the River of Time to save you if it senses a deadly crisis just before it happens. Limitations? It uses your time every time it senses death, and the time spent in the River of Time would be double the price. However, with your foundation, that shouldn’t be much to fret about. You have a long life, especially with how many treasures you used to raise your lifespan with the ‘just in case I need it’ mentality.”
She sent it to Chris. Meanwhile, after hearing the specs of his new treasure and Derin’s comment, he still wasn’t sure of its safety. He guessed that having a strong wife was still a must. What if a Demigod attacked? What then? Should he forfeit his life? Even a Divine might attack. He was just a fish in an ocean. He could only pray they didn’t mess with him, or he would seduce their daughters! He suddenly became enlightened after this thought. With resolve, he said, “Thank you. I should quickly go and bond with it. No one knows what might happen at any second. Your Majesty, please allow me to be dismissed.” He almost left without permission.
“Just go,” said Arslan with a wave of his hand. He was not in the mood to listen to Chris’s future possibilities that might cause their death at any moment. Right after that, he heard an emotionless voice that said, “Kante and Lyra awoke. Should I send them towards you?”
“Yes,” Arslan answered. “Tell them to be quick.” Right after that, the ground lit up, leading out of the room and splitting into two different paths.
After Arslan noticed everyone looking towards him, except for Chris, who had a happy look, he said to satisfy their curiosity, “Kante and Lyra are coming.”