“Don’t get too happy.” Dynamos said. “It will lose its effect at some point. There’s only so much a being can take and benefit from like this. Instead, you should free up your Existence. The first thing you should buy is Divinity Book 1: Cultivation to Godhood. It has everything you need to know about Existence cultivation up to the Godhood stage—the first stage of the Divine Realm, if you’re wondering. It will solve your abhorrent cultivation and let you freely use your potential. And you should use as much as possible because you’re going to need it in the arena. Nothing but giving your hundred percent, and you will forever remember the chance that you missed.”
Arslan nodded. It would benefit the entire Empire, so he could freely trade even a Demigod treasure. If something was only useful to him, he would pay with his own assets.
“Secondly…” Before Dynamos continued, Selena and Mortelle interrupted, “Can we also trade?”
Dynamos sighed and used Karmic Divine Art to understand who everyone was. He bet ordinary mortals would have sore throats, and teachers would be annoyed by these questions. At least that’s what he had heard when he finished his studies of Mortals in the first week of his birth.
After learning everything about them—unlike Arslan, whose Divinity protected his Existence from giving away details—he answered, “Sure, you have the necessary treasures to trade for this. But for something else…I’m afraid Miss Mortelle doesn’t have it on her.” Selena and Mortelle smiled before Mortelle curbed her smile, but Dynamos uncaringly continued, “But you can earn even more with the rounds. Relax and enjoy.”
Dynamos warned Arslan, “It’s different for you, Arslan. You will need a lot of things to improve, and for the simple things, you should pay with your own assets, and use the credits you will earn from the rounds at the official market of Out of Boundaries for more unique treasures. After all, even Divines want them, and even the person we are going to trade with doesn’t have most of the things on there.”
Arslan nodded and relaxed in his seat. After noticing his own actions, he smiled inwardly, remembering Derin’s comments on not being a proper Emperor.
Then he considered how he could pay the kid back, but he would. His future kids came to mind, and he considered a possible matchmaking, but he didn’t know if the two children would be a good match. He also didn’t know of their gender. There was no rush, and he didn’t want to force anyone into an unwanted relationship. From his family’s past, he knew it would lead to problems. His father was one example. His father married Lady Roza due to his grandfather’s promise, and the children suffered from it. Thankfully, Lady Roza was a fine lady.
He pulled himself out of his musings, sipped his drink, and his attention went back to Dynamos.
“What was I going to say?” Dynamos mumbled. “Ah. Secondly, your Path is as useless as they come. What were you even thinking getting something that Domination could do for you with just a bit of knowledge from your Mind Spark? Let me guess, your Existence couldn’t handle other Paths,” he smiled at the end.
Arslan agreed by nodding. He liked Momentum, but it would be false to say he didn’t also resent it. Existence was so much more than a few physical rules. His Mind Spark was already large enough to rival some Immortals, filling his Existence and creating enough Mind Energy to generate Innate Energy. Without it, he couldn’t have moved his Existence and would have been forever paralyzed without enough Mind Energy. This came at the cost of choosing a relatively easy Path.
“Your Innate Talent is also marvelous. You recorded it as World of Red, right?” Dynamos’s eyes were shining by this point.
“Will you again surprise me? I feel like a child by your side,” Arslan smiled at him with satisfaction. He really liked getting free stuff. Due to dealing with his Existence throughout his life, he had to do a lot of research. He had already broken the limits of his Mind Spark thanks to it. He was thankful for his studies, but he still liked getting easy wins in life.
“Oh man, you have no idea,” Dynamos smiled and took a few sips, then continued, “Your Innate Talent enters the category of Personal trait. Every trait is personal, you might say. Then you would be wrong. Most Traits could have more than a few users, especially if they are transformed in the Divine stage. I will not explain more on this as you should be able to learn that far only in the late Immortal stages from Divinity Book 2. If you could buy it, that is.” He smiled at that.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“So, what will I buy for this, if not the sequel for the Divinity series?” Arslan really liked where Dynamos was going with this. Anyone at the table did too. Although some Divines’ ears perked up when the personal Trait was mentioned, it didn’t cause any waves. Well, to some, even Divines’ ears perking up were waves, but by the standards of Divines, it really wasn’t much.
“The Divinity series helps with the progression of your Existence,” Dynamos said. “You will understand later. What it doesn’t do is touch upon Paths.”
Arslan smiled and said, “Let me guess. There is another series for Paths. And they also touch upon the Innate Traits, probably to let a cultivator prepare for whatever Divine stages hold for them.”
“Bingo.” There was a sound in the whole room, and most Divines looked at them with smiles, some of which were terrifying.
“Good sir, here’s your prize,” the lady from before arrived, giving Arslan a flirtatious look. She had a silver ball in her hand, and Arslan understood what it was. An extension, just like any treasure or technology that was attached to the Existence of a being.
“This is the Out of Boundaries extension,” Citri explained. “Not everyone can visit here personally, but they still want to watch. This will let you do that. There’s also an added credit bonus for your first time competing here. There are also other benefits. And it was all thanks to Dynamos guiding you to an answer you didn’t know. Think of this as your initiation mission.” She then looked at the others at the table and said, “Unfortunately, only those who had a referral could get it. And you all fall under this gentleman.”
The others could only give wry smiles. This was truly a rare opportunity that they had missed, but having the chance to get precious resources and broaden their horizons was already enough.
Arslan turned to Dynamos. Benefits. They really are everywhere, Arslan thought. He took the extension and sent it to his Seal. It’s a mechanism that not only let him have control over the Empire, but also served as a pathway to outside extensions to protect from possible influence.
In the lobby screen of his InnatePad, a silver button with 'Out of Boundaries' written on it appeared. After looking inside, he noticed that only a few options were available. The most interesting part was that it allowed the recording of the room and competition within certain limits. He could at least show Derin how this place looked. He was sure she would like to come here next time. Then he noticed that there would be the same event every year. He also felt odd that the timing could be arranged, as he guessed it would be different in other places than this cosmos. He knew that if the cosmos was natural, time laws would be different in each part, yet this showed synchronized timing. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how it was done.
He then thanked Citri, and she left.
Eren was curious about the extension but held his tongue. He knew it wasn’t the right time or place.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Dynamos cheekily continued, “I have already expanded two other chances on you, but you didn’t comment on them. I had to lower my standards, I guess.”
Arslan guessed as much. If he knew it, he would have racked his brain to find the little details. One of them should be about the Divinity series. If the first book included information up to the first stage, it meant the other books should cover even higher stages. However, he wondered just how high they went. He figured he would find out when the time came. First, he wanted to fix his Existence.
“Let’s start the trading,” Arslan said.
Dynamos nodded at him, then looked at Selena and Mortelle, and said, “Ladies, please come. You can acquire the first of the Divinity series. I just don’t know if you can part with the things you have.”
He then looked at Mortelle and said, “Don’t worry about whether it will be helpful to you. No matter the Path you take, it will be the most important thing you have acquired in your life. Even your little beast can benefit from it, let alone your whole Sect. However, if you want to acquire the Path series, you will have to achieve higher ranks within the competition.” He paused and continued, “Of course, if you submit to my good friend Arslan, he would gladly share the related information that is transferable. Right, Arslan?”
Arslan nodded. It would be an easy win for him, as this meant the books held unimaginable information, including cultivation on Beasts, especially their own type of language that was like a formula.
“This…” Mortelle didn’t know what to say. The sect was too big for her to make a decision. She could only make the decision on behalf of this cosmos branch. However, this would mean separating from the main Sect as a whole. “I would have to discuss with the Sect Leader.”
“By all means.” Dynamos smiled. Mortelle might not know, but he knew the outcome once the Sect Leader and others learned what these two books could earn them. “You might think that you can get the series later on, but only Arslan can join later. And I’m afraid, even if you were to place first in all the events, you couldn’t acquire the necessary credit. Unlike you, Miss Selena, who is already on the verge of becoming a Demigod, doesn’t need the help as much as you do. She could always join here as a member once she becomes a Demigod without needing a referral. She just needs to pay. And let me tell you, even she can benefit from these Books even though she is soon to be a Demigod. And it’s not by a little.”
Selena didn’t want other people to know that she was already on the verge of apotheosis’ initial stage. But it wasn’t necessary to hold back her breakthrough unlike the competitors. She was a protector, after all. However, it seemed she would have to become a Demigod before she left here, knowing that once anyone other than she knew, some Paths could acquire the information from them. She would be hunted down by other Demigods if she was still an Eternal.