Darkness.
An endless abyss wrapped around me, weightless yet suffocating, like I was submerged in a quagmire of nothingness. There was no sensation of falling, no air to breathe, no ground to stand on; I was hovering in oblivion.
Then, my very being was yanked towards an unknown destination.
A force beyond my understanding pulled me forward, towing me through the void. The darkness cracked apart, giving way to an explosion of color. An infinite expanse of shifting hues and swirling rings, their vibrant forms twisting around me like a cosmic river. I was in perpetual motion while surrounded by multi-colored giant rings, traveling across cracks of reality itself.
The sensation was unsettling yet… strangely familiar, as if I was going through a tunnel water slide leading to an unknown destination.
Then a sudden lurch.
The multi-colored rings shattered, and a blinding white light flashed onto me.
I felt a heavy force slamming my senses back into existence, like a thousand invisible hands pressing me together.
Slowly, I opened my eyes.
I wasn't in my room anymore.
A grand bed stretched before me.
Vast, imposing, fit for high nobility.
Its massive frame was carved from dark, aged wood, and intricate rune scripts ran along its surface, hinting at wealth to create opulent bedding. A deep crimson canopy loomed overhead, its lustrous fabric lined with golden embroidery at the edges.
My gaze trailed downward.
The polished floor gleamed beneath a luxurious carpet while the walls stretched into a lofty vaulted stone arched ceiling.
I drew in a sharp breath.
Damn, which noble house did I break into?
I swallowed hard, my instincts on high alert as I slowly took in more details.
The bedsheets were disheveled as if someone had woken suddenly and left quickly.
On the wall lay a portrait of a man clad in what must have once been a noble's armor, but the subject was defiled so brutally that only shadows of figures remained. Parts of his face were torn away, his eyes scratched out, and deep scratches were across the figure, all obscuring his features beyond recognition.
The massive windows were sealed shut by heavy drapes, allowing no light to filter in. Instead, the only illumination came from the ornate chandelier, its wax-dripped arms cradling dim rose-tinted flames, bathing the room in an unnatural glow.
But what struck me the most…
Was the silence.
Not just the absence of sound, but the absence of life.
There were no distant echoes, no whisper of the wind, no sign of any living thing in the room. It was as if time itself had been suspended within these walls.
Added to all this weirdness and grandeur, one thing was blatantly wrong here.
The details.
The details of the objects, like the shape of the bed, the furniture, and the walls, weren't quite right. They held an eerie imperfection, like the work of an artist who understood the fundamentals of their subject but failed to capture its exact form.
I turned around to examine the room more and froze.
It stood right behind me, tall, imposing, and familiar.
A black mirror, eerily similar to the polished sphere on the black book, only larger, with more depth, as if it could swallow whoever gazed into it.
And within it, I saw myself.
But not as I was.
As I had become.
A ghostly figure that was hovering in midair. My legs were gone, replaced by a faint, wispy tail, stretching and tethering itself to the mirror like an umbilical cord of spectral energy.
My form was vague and undefined, features blurred, and details missing. Everything about me seemed unfinished.
Except for one thing.
A wobbly sigil on my chest.
At the center of the sigil, a radiant point of energy burned intensely, acting as the anchor from which jagged, crack-like branches extended outward. These dark, vein-like formations appear both restraining and emanating force as if the sigil exists to contain overwhelming powers within.
From this central point, four thick, interwoven lines extended outward, forming an 'X' shaped structure. These extensions resembled coiling dark vines, each arm adorned with an intricate fusion of jagged spikes and thorn-like protrusions.
Encircling this structure was a thick, circular framework layered with repeating geometric and organic shapes. Interconnected vein-like structures weave throughout these patterns, enhancing the sense of the sigil being both a seal of containment and a medium for something unknown.
Within this larger structure lies a secondary, smaller ring, in which a '+' shaped formation of dark, thorn-like lines emerges. Unlike the distinct X-shaped lines, these appear fragmented and unstable, with blurred edges and fractured segments suggesting an ongoing struggle to manifest or maintain itself fully.
The outermost layer of the sigil was an enclosing ring existing as a serrated, almost ritualistic boundary, reinforcing the sigil's structure. This last layer of defense gave the impression of both fortification and an ever-impending rupture.
The entire sigil appears constantly changing, shifting, and transforming between perfect symmetry and unstable fragmentation. It exuded an uncanny duality as though it possessed the full capacity to be either an ideal sacred symbol or a cursed, broken sacrilegious emblem. This sense of paradox extended to its overall presence, which feels both ancient and forbidden, designed to imprison unfathomable forces or serve as the key to their release.
I didn't know how long I stared at the sigil in a trance.
This is the first time I've seen it this clearly.
Seeing the reflection, I could wholeheartedly agree with the notion that spirit represents the deepest part of a being, as I could feel the reflected sigil was more to me than an activation button for system interference. I felt the sigil in the reflection was so important that I couldn't put it into words.
Wait a second, a reflection?
What the hell? I am a spirit now! I shouldn't have a reflection in the mirror unless… I am in the goddamn spiritual plane.
My breath caught.
Have I come here through this mirror? Did the black book drag me into the spiritual plane? Does the black book possess such power?
I felt myself overloaded from the realization before eventually calming down.
The odds of this being the spiritual plane are likely high. Only that would explain all the weird things I am seeing around me.
I looked back into the black mirror, taking in my form once more. That's when I noticed the sigil was busy fending off being dominated by two colors.
The deep purple, likely representing my Charm Demon bloodline, occupied most of my spirit and tried to engulf the sigil while a crimson red desperately tried to push off the deep purple. The sigil itself seemed to push them off from trying to control it. The situation was now with the deep purple dominating my spirit.
I assumed the purple color represented my charm demon bloodline. But now, looking at it closely, I felt it was a form of mana, likely the corrupted spirit mana that I had accumulated until now.
As I peered deeper, I suddenly realized the corrupted spirit mana was being absorbed by the room's walls.
It wasn't a violent leaching but a slow, steady, and subtle drain, like a thread pulled from the tapestry.
My heart pounded.
What would happen if the walls drained me completely? Would I be in danger? Will it affect my spirit?
Well, I should operate on the assumption something bad would happen.
I quickly focused on the eerie process, gauging the depletion rate. If I was right, I had about half an hour before I ran out of corrupted spirit mana.
My immediate next worry became whether I should stay in this place anymore.
I turned to the black mirror, gazing deeply at the wispy tail tethering me to it.
If things went south, could I escape through it? Would it still be safe when I need it?
If something were to happen to my spirit here, then I would become a mindless hollow back in the material world, which would be as good as dead.
Being trapped in an unknown environment with potential danger like this, leaving immediately would be a no-brainer.
But I hesitated.
The situation was ultimately caused by the heirloom Granny passed onto me. The black book likely granted me the Ghost form to explore this place. So what if there was danger?
An untapped place like this should be brimming with potential Ascension resources that were all for me to take. How could I say no to such a good opportunity? Besides, what kind of man would I be if I said no to an adventure and ran back like a coward?
In the end, I chose to explore.
The massive double doors of the bedroom stood wide open as if welcoming me into the unknown.
I hesitated briefly, but the allure of treasures within this strange place on the spiritual plane was too tempting to ignore.
Stepping past the threshold of the luxurious bedroom, I was greeted with a long corridor.
A dark red carpet stretched beneath me, unfurling like a regal passage into the darkness.
I paused just above it, floating in the dimly lit passage.
A glance back at the bedroom revealed something peculiar.
My wispy tail, which was connected to the black mirror, had stretched as I moved.
It was still tethered, a silent sign that my escape route remained intact.
But was there a limit?
Would I eventually be pulled back like a leash snapping taut, or worse, would the mirror sever my connection if I strayed too far?
There is only one way to find out.
I pressed forward, taking in every minute element of the corridor and occasionally glancing back at the state of my wispy tail.
The passage made of polished stone had torches mounted here and there on the wall, ensuring it was not completely submerged in darkness. In their dim light, I was piecing together the scene of the wreckage.
Tattered banners, once bearing noble insignias, now hung in shreds, their designs slashed beyond recognition. Shattered luxury vases lay in ruin, their fragments scattered across the stone floor. Mutilated paintings and other broken exotic items lined the hallway.
It became clearer that everything that could be sabotaged along the corridors had been done. The extent of destruction spoke not of careless looters but of a deep, festering grudge against this noble house or perhaps the owner of the bedroom I had awoken in.
The defiled portrait I had seen earlier reinforced my assumption.
So who had done this?
Had it been an invading force? A rival noble house? Or was this the result of soured internal strife that resulted in betrayal from within?
I had little knowledge of nobility. But if I could recognize the architecture, the choice of décor, or any insignia that might make this noble house unique, when I returned to the real world, I could narrow down and pinpoint what I was dealing with.
After hovering a considerable distance in the dimly lit corridor, I noticed a change in the environment ahead. The long corridor widened, leading to an open courtyard.
The space was vast, enclosed by high, looming stone walls.
I instinctively turned my gaze upward, expecting to see a starless sky or the pitch darkness of the night.
Instead, what greeted me was something far more unnatural.
A dome-like ethereal membrane stretched across the sky, sealing the entire space. It was something between opaque and transparent, with a strange shimmering effect, like ripples over the surface of a lake.
I frowned.
A barrier?
I studied the dome for a while, but I couldn't make out much beyond its occasional glimmering.
Was this entire noble house locked away, cut off from the rest of the spiritual plane, or did it extend just this section of the house? But why? And by whom? Was it meant to keep something out… or keep something in?
After mulling over it a bit, I stopped dwelling on the problem I couldn't solve and turned my attention to the courtyard.
Three additional paths branched out from the courtyard, cloaked in the darkness.
This seemed like a junction where corridors converged.
Which way should I go?
Since I had no clue where the paths led, I decided to search the courtyard first before choosing a direction.
An intricate, cracked and torn stone pavement stretched beneath me as I hovered forward, weaving through the carefully arranged greenery.
In the center of the courtyard stood a water fountain remarkably pristine, but the statues surrounding it had not been so fortunate. Beheaded, limbs severed, deep gashes carved across their once-proud forms. The same spiteful destruction that wrecked the corridor had reached here too.
Despite the eerie stillness and signs of deliberate ruin, I could still see traces of artistry. The courtyard's layout, the routes, and the foliage intertwined in deliberate arrangements meant to create a serene ambiance. It seemed the place had once been a retreat or perhaps a personal sanctuary for the bedroom's owner.
But now, all that remained was a graveyard of beauty.
I drifted through the garden, my ghostly form gliding weightlessly above the stone pavement. My eyes scanned every bush, every vine, every patch of overgrown plants.
If this place once housed nobility, surely there had been things in the garden for more than decoration. Perhaps deliberately cultivated fruits, roots, or herbs for a concoction or recreational substances. If I could find something valuable like that, I could assimilate it into my spirit, extracting its information and learning its properties for future use, possibly even helping me create a recipe.
I darted through the greenery, running my wispy fingers over the vines creeping along the stone walls. I crouched low, inspecting the roots and flowers. At one point, I even uprooted a few shrubs just to be thorough.
But after minutes of searching, I found nothing.
I let out a sigh, so much for easy gains.
I was about to give up when a faint glint caught my eye.
It was barely visible beneath a bush, buried under dirt and twisted roots.
My ghostly figure quickly crawled forward, pushing through the foliage and grasping whatever had caught my attention. When my fingers closed around the small object, I withdrew my hand.
Standing up, I brushed the stray leaves from my hair and slowly unfurled my fingers.
My eyes widened.
Then a grin stretched across my face.
Jackpot!
It was a Dao essence.
Well, it was not quite a Dao Essence yet. That would require refining this raw, unrefined form. Calling it a Dao Ore would be more apt.
From my limited knowledge, I knew that the burnt sienna hue of this thing meant it had a high concentration of Spirit Dao Essence. If refined properly, it would turn into golden-yellow crystals, a resource invaluable to any Ascender walking the Spirit Path.
But for me? Right now, this little pebble was completely useless.
I couldn't assimilate it.
I didn't know how to refine it.
I didn't even know what to use it for.
But if I could get it to a refiner or trader, they would become a valuable bargain chip.
The problem?
I couldn't trust just anyone.
Dao Ores formed naturally in places where a particular path was strong. But finding one didn't mean you could just take it. That right belonged to the true owners of the world, the three big shots. Just as they owned everything from the important land, law, press, and military, they also owned Ascension resources like Dao Ore.
Take Crafts Wood Village, for example. The area in and around the village ought to contain naturally occurring Wood Dao Ore deposits. But if the villagers stumbled upon Wood Dao Ore, they wouldn't dare take it.
Instead, they will dutifully hand over every fragment to the village head, who would log and tally the findings before passing it to the Temple. The Temple had licensed refiners, strictly monitored to prevent any private dealings, and ensure that no excess resources slipped through their fingers. They monopolized the refinement and distribution, so that none of it fell into the hands of people they deemed unworthy.
And the villagers? They don't even question how the entire thing seems rigged and how they are being denied something that already exists in nature. Why?
Because of faith.
Priestesses like Rafaella conducted classes not just to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also to instill loyalty and devotion to children's minds at a very young age. By the time they grew up, they weren't just devout followers of the Temple. They were enforcers who would police each other, ensuring that even their neighbors adhered to the same doctrine.
Any villager caught hoarding even a speck of what 'belonged to the Goddess' would be labeled a blasphemer who dares to steal from the Goddess herself.
It was pointless trying to talk sense into these sheep. Faith blinded every one of them.
Thinking over it again, I shook my head. My thoughts were not unique or anything. You don't exactly need otherworldly knowledge to figure out that benefits from the gods are conditional.
Yet even those who weren't blinded by faith wouldn't dare hoard Dao Ore in large amounts. Not out of loyalty, but out of fear.
A fear that hoarding resources could lead to disaster.
The Temple assigned officials like priestesses and guardians, mainly based on two factors:
The probability of a Beast Tide.
The value of the resource point.
Small villages like Agroville, Crafts Wood, Blossom Peak, and Moon River each had one priestess to oversee the rituals and shared a single guardian.
But for the villagers, this was far from ideal.
More priestesses meant more blessings, faster healing, and easier religious ceremonies.
More Guardians meant stronger law enforcement and better protection against outside threats.
So it was in the villagers' best interest to keep the Temple invested in their land.
Besides, the more Dao Ores accumulate in a place, the more likely that powerful monsters and Beast Tides will target it. If the people started hoarding Dao Ores for themselves, the Temple's calculations would become inaccurate and they wouldn't see a need to raise the security. And when a Beast Tide comes along, the entire village would be defenseless, resulting in a total wipeout.
Thus, no one dared steal Dao Ores for themselves.
Of course, all this information was subtly packaged in the classes for the villagers. You can't let the plebs act selfishly because of ignorance, right?
All in all, it was a perfect system of control.
They had built an environment where people either willingly submitted out of loyalty and devotion or convinced themselves that it was for their survival.
Even if someone realized they were being exploited, they wouldn't dare act, fearing they would jeopardize the entire community.
The best they could do was skim a little here and there. Nothing that would threaten the system.
I sighed; unfortunately, all these circumstances made my tasks ahead a struggle.
If the refiner I approached was a snitch, they would report me to the Temple, and I'd be behind bars before I knew it. Most traders wouldn't even touch something like this, fearing it was stolen from regions controlled by the big shots.
That left me either approaching black market traders or directly giving it to the temple for a reward.
Both were not desirable.
The caring brothers from the black market would be super interested in the origins of the ore. They wouldn't want some naïve youngster squandering valuable resources, so they would always pry into what I was doing and where I was going. If they are generous enough, they might send some very friendly bodyguards to watch over me 24/7.
They are such caring people.
The folks from the temple are no better. If I turn in a Spirit ore outside their calculation, they'd demand to know where I got it. They'd claim that the Spirit Dao Ores would attract Spirit Creatures and that the Temple had to eliminate the threat.
Therefore, none of these choices could be considered.
For one, exposing the black book wasn't even up for debate.
This single shard was proof that this place held far greater treasures. If something like this was lying around in a garden, what else was hidden deeper inside? Why should I share it with anyone?
Besides, if I turned everything over for immediate profit, I doubt Granny would be happy about me throwing away a family heirloom.
Or perhaps she would be, provided I was generously offering it to the temple.
Who am I kidding? She'd surely praise me for being open-hearted and seeing the bigger picture. The fossil might brag about how I was growing into a responsible adult.
Thankfully, none of that was happening.
In the end, I shook my head. There was no point worrying about how to spend money before even winning the lottery.
For now, I had to locate and collect a sizable amount of Dao ores here. Then I had to figure out a feasible method to bring them into the material world. Most importantly, I had to understand the threats that might endanger me.
Right then, I sensed a movement from one of the dark corridors.
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