CHAPTER 451: Origin Crystals

After the twelve spheres had appeared in the centre of the altar, intense elemental energy of all kinds suddenly filled the previously energy-free area.

At the same time, the four humanoids on the altar, each with five horns on their heads, quickly sped up and poured the huge amount of magical creature hearts and crystal cores into the big mouth.

There were thousands like them worshipping the event beneath the altar. Their green eyes shone with excitement. They were not unlike the religious fanatics Han Shuo had encountered, with a bigoted, unreasonably zealous attitude. Their bodies shivered slightly as their booming sound gradually became more energetic.

Hiding in the thick branches and leaves of a large tree, Han Shuo had a clear view of everything that was happening in the large lake in front of him. His heart held an uncontrollable desire to possess the orb emitting the pure elemental aura of death, but still, Han Shuo was not one to act rashly.

The strange-looking creatures with the five horns all emitted an aura that could rival that of the Ancient Lizard King, a demigod existence, in its formidability. If these four creatures were to join forces and circle around Han Shuo, Han Shuo was not sure if he could escape alive.

With eyes full of greed, Han Shuo's gaze remained fixed on the round orb filled with the rich element of death. His mind told him to quickly consider all the ways and consequences of obtaining the orb.

Suddenly, his senses projected three beings that were roughly similar in strength. The appearance of these three slowly approaching beings gave Han Shuo an idea, his eyes gleaming with delight.

Han Shuo, who had been very careful to hide his body from the beginning, gradually glided in the direction of the three ghostly presences, while quietly releasing a spirit of his own, which was hidden so that an ordinary person would have no way of detecting it.

In fact, as he had planned, the strand of presence that Han Shuo had deliberately let out caused the approaching experts to immediately sense it. With Han Shuo at the centre, the three of them gathered in a very short time. In the blink of an eye, one after the other, the three mighty beings from the Profound Continent suddenly gathered a short distance away from Han Shuo.

"Huh? It's you! The old monster!" As soon as the old man with the eyebrows creeping up his neck reached the spot, he let out a soft cry and stared somewhat astonished at the former State Preceptor of the Verdun Dynasty, Stratholme.

"Reynold, you little bastard! You're not dead yet! Hehehe, good, good," the handsome, charming Stratholme teased the lightning-sacred magus of the Brut Merchant Alliance as he smiled with delight.

The composed upper-class woman, shrouded in a faint mist, was the last to arrive. She glanced at Stratholme and greeted him in a soft voice, "Stratholme, long time no see!"

"Elder sister Tiana!" Stratholme, the old monster, said smiling after bowing to the upper-class woman shrouded in mist in the distance.

This upper class woman named Tiana nodded her head in acknowledgement at the old monster, and soon after turned to look at the smiling Han Shuo and asked with a confused face, "This is...?"

"Hehehe, I'm a nobody. Um, I am from the Lancelot Empire!" As Han Shuo gracefully bowed to the three, his heart was filled with shock. He hadn't expected the old man with the long eyebrows to be the Sacred Lightening Magus Reynold Dila of the Brut Merchant Alliance.

As a high-ranking member of the Dark Mantle, Han Shuo was aware of how well known this old man was in the Brut Merchant Alliance. Even the leaders of the core merchant guilds that made up the Brut Merchant Alliance had to be awe-struck and respectful of this old man, and they would not let their guard down in front of him.

And yet, of the three, such a character was the weakest.

Unlike Stratholme, the old monster, and Tiana, the upper-class woman, Reynold, the Sacred Magus of lightening, was far inferior. No matter how formidable Reynold was at the Sacred level, he was only a sacred level expert.

But Han Shuo could sense the formidable aura of a demigod level expert from the bodies of Tiana, the upper class woman, and Stratholme the old monster. Stratholme the Old Monster had a well-known reputation, and Han Shuo had heard about him many times. The fact that this dirty old man, who had been the State Preceptor of the Verdun Dynasty about a hundred years ago, could break through to the Demigod Realm is enough to illustrate how terrifying his power must be.

Stratholme, the old monster whose appearance was inconsistent with his actual age, addressed the upper-class woman as 'Elder Sister Tiana'. Despite being one of the most senior members of the Dark Mantle, Han Shuo had no idea who this upper-class woman was. However, from the way Stratholme addressed her, Han Shuo deduced that this woman must be somewhat older than Stratholme.

"The Lancelot Empire? Since when did the Lancelot Empire have such a young expert?" Tiana was taken aback and looked at the old monster Stratholme and the sacred magus Reynold with a puzzled expression.

"Bryan? Are you the mayor of Brettle City, this Bryan?" At first, Stratholme's eyebrows furrowed, but soon he realised something and a beam of dazzling light shot out of his eyes and landed on Han Shuo's body.

"That's right!" Han Shuo admitted.

"No wonder. It seems that there is still some truth to the rumours. I always thought that the Lancelot Empire was exaggerating when they said that you forced two Sacred Rank experts to retreat. Now it seems that there was indeed such an incident," the old monster said as he nodded.

When Lightning Sacred Magus Reynold heard Han Shuo admit his identity, he focused his attention on Han Shuo. After carefully assessing Han Shuo, he said with a strange look on his face, "So it's you. Hmm, what a bold young man. Interesting."

"Alright, let's get down to business. I think everyone is aware of the situation. We don't need to worry about the whole sequence of events for now, but I assume you all know the nature of the twelve bullets. The four guys with the five horns each possessed demigod-like strength. None of the four of us have any chance of success if we go in alone. Are you all interested in working together?" Tiana, the upper class woman, interrupted.

"Of course we are! The sooner the better!" Stratholme, the old monster, was the first to agree.

The sacred magus Reynold of the Brut Merchant Alliance not only nodded his head, but added: "I am aware of my abilities. Of the twelve orbs, I'm only asking for the Origin Crystal of Lightning. Besides, I will be responsible for dealing with the aftermath!"

"Alright. After it's done, the Origin Crystal of Lightning will be yours. As for you two, we will share the booty according to our contributions. Any objections?" Tiana said solemnly as she looked at the old monster and Han Shuo. Of course, she expected Han Shuo to agree to the proposal.

"I have no objections. I trust Elder Sister Tiana to be impartial!" Stratholme replied in a relaxed manner as he shrugged his shoulders. Immediately after, he turned to Han Shuo and asked, "What about you?"

Han Shuo saw fit to join forces with them. However, it seemed that all of them knew the nature of the orbs, and only Han Shuo had no idea of their functions, even though he could sense the boundless energy within them. So when Stratholme directed the question at him, Han Shuo replied awkwardly, "I have no objection either. It's just that, um, honourable elders, what exactly are these twelve round orbs?"

All three of them became expressionless at the same time as they looked at Han Shuo twice. Stratholme stared blankly for a while before smiling and saying, "You don't know?"

Shaking his head, Han Shuo honestly admitted, "I really don't know."

"These are elemental origin crystals. After fusing with a magus' soul, it will transform the soul into an Elemental Soul, causing the magus' affinity for the element to increase a hundredfold and reach a state where it is most compatible with their elemental energy - a magus with an Elemental Soul could cast spells instantly. It will also accelerate the magus' understanding of the energy of the same origin. Um, in short, it includes a long list of benefits!" Stratholme, the old monster, explained to Han Shuo straightforwardly.

""The most important thing to note is that only a magus who has formed a Soul of Element has the ability to become a god in their line of magic. Soul of Element and Body of Element are the foundations for a magus to become a god!" The upper class woman Tiana added to the old monster Stratholme's explanation with a grave expression.

After hearing what they had to say, brilliant rays shot out of the eyes of the sacred magus Reynold, as if bite-sized lightning bolts were being discharged in his eyes. It was obvious that he was extremely excited.

Han Shuo, who was equally shocked, let out a soft cry. He finally understood why they were so excited and restless. Shortly after, he turned his attention to the twelve spheres in the distance. After a short pause, he asked, "There are four spheres without the presence of pure and intense elements. What about them?"

"You are indeed perceptive in your observations. Not all magic in this world is necessarily elemental. Space magic and summoning magic are examples of this. Okay, the insides of those two spheres are in a state of mist. These are the principles and deep understanding of Space Magic and Summoning, and they can fuse with a magus' soul to form the Soul of Principles, which is similar to the Soul of Element. The Soul of Principles could be used by a magus to further their understanding of the mysteries of space or summoning, and it is only by having a certain level of understanding of the mysteries of these principles that a magus could truly become a god instead of a demigod!" the upper class woman Tiana explained after gazing at Han Shuo in astonishment, somewhat surprised by Han Shuo's remarkable senses.

"The last two orbs. The one that constantly emits lights of combat aura is suitable for use by swordsmen and knights, helping warriors like us to form a Soul of War. Again, it has different effects than the others, but the essence is the same - it allows us to save a hundred or even a few hundred years of time by making our souls possess the foundations to become a god. As for the last sphere, the one with the Aura of Destruction, er, only suitable for psychos. No sane person would ever touch it!" Stratholme continued.

"Let's go, there's no time for chitchat!" Tiana spoke suddenly. As soon as she finished speaking, an azure staff appeared in her hand.

Report Chapter Comments