The third and final room was by far the smallest, but also the most interesting. It was labelled "Personal Improvement" and it contained precisely the kinds of rewards Percy had come here for. There were only two shelves, the first one lined up with orbs of five different colours – treasures corresponding to the common affinities, no doubt. Their function was obvious, but Kassorith still placed his hand on one of the enchantments, the item's description soon confirming Percy's guess.

___

Wick of the Waning Flame

Effect:

Breathe the smoke it releases while drawing mana to your core to acquire a fire affinity. May only be used by up to 11 people. WARNING: Only suitable for pure and common affinity users.

Duration:

55 days (Total), 8 days (Remaining)

Uses:

11 (Total), 3 (Remaining)

___

There wasn't much there, but Percy still found the information fascinating. The artifact was similar to the Lotus of a Myriad Rivers in many ways – it could be used by multiple people and it only lasted for a short time. Eleven uses were much fewer than the ten thousand petals the Lotus had produced, yet it seemed that the Wick could survive a bit longer. At the same time, most of its lifespan had been exhausted already, so whoever claimed it from the treasury would have to consume it promptly.

'If it's anything like the Lotus, I guess it's impossible to slow its decay down…'

Percy still had several questions. For one, this item wasn't a plant like the Lotus, making him wonder what the connection between the two treasures was. Even if they had both been plants, that wouldn't explain how they worked – not when most plants in the universe were simple living organisms stuck at Orange or lower, without properties even remotely this interesting.

'Where do these artifacts come from?' he couldn't help but ask.

'Most commonly, from the remains of dead gods,' Kassorith replied in an even tone – making it seem as if he was discussing something as mundane as the weather, rather than sharing high-level secrets.

Percy wasn't nearly as calm, on the other hand, his host's words throwing his wisp in turmoil. Probably sensing his surprise, the Thess'kalan continued with a smile.

'When a deity dies, their internal world collapses, creating a large concentration of divine mana mixed with potent willpower and concepts that have nowhere to go. It doesn't always give rise to artifacts like this Wick, but the likelihood goes up the more powerful the god was, and the more concepts they had mastered.'

A greater spring like Thess'kala probably got involved in lots of interplanetary conflicts, so it wasn't that strange that their gods looted affinity-changing treasures from their fallen opponents so often.

Thinking about it, Percy realized that it was precisely this phenomenon that Svarog must've based his Decree on, to create the Rings of Sacrilege. Somehow, the mad titan had found a way to preserve not just the basic concepts that could grant one a certain affinity, but even the more obscure ones that mortals could normally only inherit as blessings from their divine parents.

Svarog's infamous ring mould had probably fashioned those concepts into objects that lasted forever and could be used by an infinite number of people. In other words, his creations had exceeded what the regular affinity-changing treasures were capable of in every conceivable way – no wonder they had sparked one of the greatest wars in the history of the universe.

'What about the rare affinities?' Percy asked, latching onto something. 'You said those are very difficult to find.'

Kassorith shrugged. 'Even if we ignore the fact that less than one percent of the population – and therefore gods – have a rare affinity, the corresponding treasures have more trouble forming, since the mana types don't resonate with the world as easily.'

Percy nodded, thinking back to his home world. Remior was rather lucky in the sense that they had produced a whopping three titans with rare affinities while having only given rise to a hundred or so gods in total. Perhaps it wasn't that strange that mages with rare affinities were better positioned to attain divinity or invent a Decree, but Percy still felt that his planet was an outlier in that regard.

That said, even if somebody was to slaughter every god on Remior, there was no guarantee they would obtain a single artifact capable of granting a rare affinity. Even if they did, it might only be useable for a few days and by a handful of people. If that wasn't problematic enough, only those with pure affinities would even be eligible to use it.

If Percy wanted a life affinity for his second core, he would have to hunt down multiple powerful gods who possessed that affinity – and hope for the best. Even for peak worlds, this wasn't an easy thing to do. It was debatable whether it was even worth it – just to strengthen a bunch of mortals.

Something still didn't add up though. Based on what Hermes had said during his original transmission, the Divine Order had been well aware of how the Lotus worked even before they planted the seed, meaning that it hadn't been the first of its kind.

'These resources… Do they come in standard forms?' Percy asked.

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Kassorith creased his brow. 'Oh? This isn't your first time encountering one, is it? Did your backwater planet get lucky in the past?'

Percy didn't respond, not wanting to clue his host in about the Lotus. If it was indeed as rare as Percy thought it was, it might not be difficult for the Thess'kalans to pinpoint which lesser spring had obtained one recently – thus linking Percy to Remior.

Seeing him refuse to answer, the Blue shrugged. 'They do. Divine mana tends to coalesce in very specific ways – usually determined by the exact combination of concepts involved. Sometimes, it produces a plant. Other times, it's a mineral or an inanimate object. Hell, even small critters have been reported in the past. Wicks of the Waning Flame usually come from mid-tier gods with fire affinities. If you want one that lasts longer or works on more people, you'll typically need to kill a stronger god. If you want both, then it takes someone even more powerful than that. Even treasures without a time limit exist, but they can still only be used by a finite number of people. Those are obviously more precious, since they can be stored in a warehouse for years. The most powerful sects keep some of those in their vaults to reward their most talented disciples with – in case they can't get the right limited-time treasure when they need it. I imagine a few might be offered during the later rounds of the tournament.'

'What about treasures that grant a composite affinity directly?'

'Well, they exist. They are rarer than common affinities and more common than rare affinities… But they're kinda useless. The only advantage is that they can grant somebody with a pure affinity a composite one directly – so they only need to consume one resource instead of two. Other than that, they just limit one's options, since they can't be used by somebody with an unrelated common affinity.'

Percy sighed, realizing the resources currently available to them weren't very useful for him. In theory, the time limit didn't matter much if he used the treasure immediately. Sadly, his main body was currently hiding on the uninhabited side of Remior, so he couldn't return to Twilight City or the Camelot province in the near future. Hell, eight days were probably not even enough for him to get through the tournament or return to his main body, let alone bring the treasure to Nesha or Elaine.

If he wanted to spend one of his rewards on the girls, his best bet would be to wait for one that lasted for several months at the very least. In fact, he still didn't know what the wasp familiar's second affinity would be, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a treasure at hand just in case.

The exact affinity was also something to consider. Water would be useless for Elaine and Nesha didn't need earth. That only left fire, air or lightning. Of the three, lightning was probably the best for his girlfriend, as metal mana was more suitable for runecrafting than lava or dust. It would also give Elaine the same acid affinity as Galahad, so the two could practice together.

'These are some high requirements though. A lightning resource that will last for a minimum of six months and has at least three uses left…'

Even then, there was a risk it would be useless for the wasp if it awakened a lightning affinity on its own, but that was outside Percy's control. Regardless, he had to win his way through the tournament and hope they offered what he wanted by the finals, otherwise he'd have to make some concessions.

Strictly speaking, it was in Remior's best interest for him to pick a treasure that could be used by the greatest number of people – instead of only thinking about himself and his friends. However, Percy wasn't currently in a position to worry about that. The last thing he needed was to give everyone another reason to hunt him down, or to cause another round of fighting between the noble families.

'They made their bed when they put a bounty on my head… If they want a fancy composite affinity, it'll have to wait until this whole mess is over.'

Oblivious to his thoughts, Kassorith shifted his gaze to the bottom shelf – the one that contained the items they had come here for. There were only two types of glowing orbs on this shelf, housing the secondary ingredients meant for the optional modifications of the ritual. The Thess'kalan picked an orb that shone in a deep shade of sickly green. He was clearly looking forward to enhancing the potency of his venom more than he cared about sharpening his thermal sense. It wasn't what Percy would have prioritized, but he knew this wasn't his choice.

___

Conflux of a Thousand Toxins

Description:

Contains venom harvested by hundreds of high-grade Thess'kalans, many of them possessing the Greater Thess'kalan Physique or powerful poison-related bloodlines. In addition, the vial contains hundreds of toxins from other sources, such as poisonous plants or venomous beasts. Each toxin has been cured separately and extensively by expert alchemists before being added into the mixture – to minimize its lethality and ensure it can be absorbed into one's body as safely as possible. WARNING: Do not consume directly. The substance is only intended for use as part of the Ancestral Lineage Sect's ritual.

___

The thought of exposing his body to a concoction this dangerous caused Percy to shudder. Especially since he still didn't know whether the ritual would work for him.

'If I do go through with this, I have to make sure I have lots of Yellow or even Green healing potions ready, just in case…'

Kassorith didn't share his concerns, however. He pressed the bronze badge against the enchantment, watching the glowing orb shatter into countless tiny motes of light, a small gemstone vial floating into his hand. Unfortunately, his spatial pin had been confiscated before the start of the tournament, so Kassorith would have to ask for permission to store his reward there until the conclusion of the event.

'I can keep it for you if you want,' Percy offered with a mental smirk.

'Fuck off,' Kassorith spat. 'I'd rather trust a hasslath.'

'Hey, you are the one who tried to kick me out of your body before upholding your end of the bargain – not me,' Percy reminded his host. 'Your soul injuries are still stitched up, aren't they?'

'We both know why you're keeping me alive. But if I give you that vial, something tells me I'll never see it again,' the Blue replied with a scoff.

'Suit yourself. I hope you don't forget that next round is my pick though. Or we'll have a problem.'

The two then left the dark cave, looking forward to their next opponent.

Overall, Percy was happy with the rewards on offer. Granted, most of them weren't directly useful for him at the moment – for one reason or another – which was admittedly a little disappointing, considering that this was a greater spring.

Still, between the three ingredients for the ritual and the affinity-changing treasure he hoped to find, there was plenty to get him excited. And that was without including the valuable core cleansing technique his host had already taught him, the rare opportunity to face off against eight elite disciples, the valuable information Kassorith had shared about gods and demigods, and, most importantly, the main thing he had come to Thess'kala for – the life-extending leaf Syrreneth had promised him.

'Only three more battles to earn it…'

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