18 The Echidna Who Spreads the Dao; Li Qiye is Proud

[ Walpurgis Venue ]

{Hey, Echidna, you're Aria aren't you?}

It was a few hours after Aria's Dao of Bullshit, and the topic of interest had finally come to a close, with the verdict being to keep a wait and see approach regarding Aria.

The Echidna was pleased hearing this, she wouldn't have to worry about being hunted this way, even if she knew she could easily fend them off, it would still be bothersome.

Everything should have been perfect, her disguise and acting included, but how come after the discussions ended, Milim dragged her to a corner, using [Thought Communication] to talk about her real identity.

Being in close proximity with this thic—*Ahem!* AU Milim, Aria eyed her as she replied, {What makes you think that? My previous explanation wasn't a lie after all?}

{That's the strange part actually}, Milim tilted her head with a look of confusion, {It should have been a lie, but my [Milim Eye] said you were telling the truth. So does that mean you were telling the truth?}

{Is my Dao that strong?} Aria accidentally transmitted through the [Thought Communication].

{Dao? Is that a technique you used to trick my [Milim Eye]?} Milim's eyes sparkled with interest, Aria was able to block her Drago Nova before and now she tricked her Milim Eye! She wondered if the Echidna had more of such techniques up her sleeve and if she could learn them.

Hearing her words, Aria was wondering if she should just be honest and admit that she got too into her role as Echidna, 'That would be so embarrassing, where would I put my face after that?'

Fearing for her dignity, Aria used her [Body Supremacy] to the max to control her facial expression, uttering the first thing that came to her mind, {Unfortunately it's not something that can be easily learnt, Milim.

You must first have an unshakable Dao Heart. With a unshakable Dao Heart, even if a human is weak at first, they would one day be able to reach the apex, me being a good example.

The opposite is possible too, even if you're strong, someone with similar strength can still beat you if their Dao Heart is stronger than yours. In short, the Dao Heart is the most important thing , it is the very foundation.}

"So if I learn this Dao Heart thing, I can learn how you deceived my Milim Eye?" Milim asked with an eager look.

'Gah! She remembered that even after the all the info dump I gave her!' Aria could only reluctantly nod, adding, "That's right, even a slime can reach the apex with if it has a strong Dao Heart." Or rather, Ciel…Is what she wanted to say.

"Okay! Then I'll start practicing this Dao Heart!" Milim's shout attracted the attention of the Demon Lord's and their subordinates, making Aria want to face-palm. "Ah? How do you practice Dao Heart Echidna?"

Aria raised an eyebrow in surprise, impressed that Milim didn't accidentally blurt out her identity like she did Luminous' in the original. Also, why were all these people now eavesdropping on their conversation, even if they weren't actually looking, their [Magic Sense] was.

'Were Demon Lords always this shameless?' Aria couldn't help but wonder, and now she had pull out everything related to cultivation that she had ever read, "Dao Heart, it's not something you can just 'practice', as it refers to one's determination to stick to their own Dao—path.

After picking a path, you must be unwavering, determined to reach the end of your path. This determination is called the Dao Heart, and it shouldn't be rattled by following another's path and losing sight of yours.

Each person's beliefs differ, one person might believe in their inventions and creations, believing that they can use smarts to overcome any difficulties and become a divine craftsman. That will be their Dao Heart.

However, once a problem occurs with your Dao-heart, once you start to feel lost or begin to doubt in your own choices, your progress will forever stall," Aria finished, and it was at this moment she felt multiple intense gazes on her.

'Was the bullshit too much?' Aria thought worriedly, was she going to finally exposed as a fraud? Her train of thought though was quickly broken,

{Lady Echidna, thank you for your gracious gift!}

『Confirmed. Unique Skill: Scholar has been acquired』

{Wut?} Aria gave a unlady-like reply in response to Elaine's words, the former was confused as hell after all, what was she even getting thanked for? More importantly, did she just awaken a Unique Skill?

«Answer. Yes.»

'So I got my own personal [Great Sage]? Cool.'

{Thanks to you, I was able to evolve my Unique Skill into an Ultimate Skill!} Aria's brain short-circuited at Elaine's statement, however it only lasted a moment, as she quickly felt through her Soul Corridor connection that Elaine's words were true.

It wasn't that she doubted her cute High Elf, but it was too sudden, but it seemed that it was true.

{Lord of Devotion; Eusebeia} Aria uttered the name of the skill.

{As expected of you, My Lady.} Elaine wasn't even surprised that Aria knew her Ultimate Skill, rather she was happy, her lady could witness how her loyalty bore fruit into a fitting skill.

The Echidna glanced in her direction, and the moment she locked eyes with her servant, a shiver ran down her spine…A shiver of excitement that is…Aria was certain, 'I am most definitely insane.' Everything that Elaine had previously felt for her, it had multiplied by one hundred…No, it couldn't even be quantified.

Though there was one thing that Aria was certain of, this High Elf of hers would not leave her even in death. She would find her no matter where she went.

"What's your path, Echidna?" Milim's voice brought the Witch of Gluttony's attention back to her.

'Are we still talking about this?' The amount of things that had occurred in the last couple moments made Aria lose focus. Like, how was she supposed to know her random words would have such a profound impact, but when she thought about it, her words were in a way true.

After all, in this universe, determination, belief and willpower are important concepts, especially for Spiritual Lifeforms, as it could literally decide the outcome of a fight. And Dao Heart in a way is the same.

Even the asshole Clayman fell into introspection from her words, the dude was most definitely having a flashback arc, and who knows if this would change him for the better or worse.

Anyways, now wasn't the time to wonder if the clown would become overpowered from her words, but to answer Milim's question, "My path…is everything." Aria's words confused Milim, but she continued, "I want want to indulge in everything life offers, whether it be love, knowledge, experiences, and pleasures. So you could say, I chose the path of Gluttony."

As she finished her words, Aria heard the Voice of the World sounding once again,

『Confirmed. Unique Skill: Gluttony has been successfully acquired 』

"…."

Aria didn't know what to feel at the moment. Though, one thing was certain, she wasn't surprised. Rather, shouldn't she had gotten it the moment she appeared in this world?

«Answer. The seed of the Unique Skill: Gluttony was present in the soul of Individual 'Echidna Tempest', however it required individual to express their desires to completely awaken the skill.»

'Makes sense.' Was all Aria could say, she didn't want to think too much right now, this Walpurgis turned out to be so….Chaotic?

From flirting with Luminous, to provoking Guy, having Velzard stare at her like she murdered her family, humiliating Clayman, misdirecting the Demon Lords from her real identity—even though she's sure Guy is suspicious, then Milim knowing her real identity—which she needs to still question her about. Then saving her dignity by bullshiting again about how she deceived Milim's skill, which led to being respected even more, as well as making Elaine's Unique skill evolve. To awakening Unique skills of her own.

Aria was left wondering if her [Chaos Magnet] flaw was working overtime or something. 'I could do for a drink or two right about now.' Thinking so, she stopped accelerating her thoughts.

"Huh? What does eating have to do with knowledge?" Milim asked with confusion written all over her after hearing that Aria said her path was gluttony.

'Scholar~ Help me out~' Aria shamelessly passed the task of coming up with an answer onto her new skill.

«Answer. Unique Skill: Scholar requires more information to process your request.»

"…."

Life was tough for the Echidna.

****

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter. For some reason I felt out of the loop when writing this chapter, it felt so random…I must have touched too much grass, or cultivation novels just polluted my mind.

Also, what do you guys think of Aria's Gluttony being different from Rimuru's? If yes give some recommendations for sub-skills, will see if I can add them.