Mathew stared at the blue screen detailing the results of the ritual scan. He still felt the effects of the ritual echo throughout his body. Now and then when he moved he winced in pain.

He was only out for a few hours. His head was in Cherry’s lap. Waking up was a pain, but he was fine now. The results, on the other hand, made him not feel fine.

Ritual of Know Thy Self Results

Body Anonomlies:

Mana Drained - Mana from the body is fully depleted (Temporary)

Bloodline Chains of Dawn - B---d---- Lim--e- -y An---to-

Mind Anonomlies:

Fate Marked - Your fate is outside of your control

Soul Anonomlies:

Shattered Soul - Soul is shattered into dozens of pieces. (Permanent)

Ritual of The Whole - A ritual to fuse linked beings together into one whole. Gain power greater than the sum of two wholes.

T-t-e--- -o-- - W---y & ---s

Linked Soul - Agnox

Tethered Soul - Cherry

Linked Soul - I-----

It felt like time slowed as he looked at every part of it. The missing parts were more likely due to the ritual being ended early. The shattered remains of the marble slab remained under the blue screen and at Mathew’s feet.

Cherry was standing next to him, looking at it as well. She said nothing, letting him think things threw.

Mathew was thankful she wasn’t asking any questions. He had no answers. Well, there were a few things listed that he could understand. Both the Mana Drain and the Shattered Soul were obvious. The fact the latter was labeled ‘Permanent’ wasn’t something he agreed with. Even Gaia said it was plausible to fix, but had little faith he would be successful.

Part of his soul was fixed. Agnox and Mathew were linked. It said so on the screen. He felt that part of him where Agnox’s soul fit and there was no line or marking of anything that he could feel that would signal that part of his soul was missing once upon a time.

The screen winked away as Mathew finished reading it. He wanted to know two things most of all. What did it mean he was Fate Marked and what was the other soul linked to him? He was confident the space above Agnox was talking about Wispy & Whis. He knew they were a fragment of his soul. He learned that much when he was in Gaia’s domain. “Are they tethered to my soul already?”

Mathew then focused on the last line. Doozkora’s name would not fit in that last space. There were only six spaces, not eight. Then again, it could have just not had enough time to label the name properly. Doozkora could have another name she went by. There was also the fact whatever was linked to him had a name that started with the letter ‘I’.

There were too many possible explanations. But, he did discover what he was marked with. The ritual that was on his body. Ritual of the Whole. It was a way for him to become just like her. To absorb those he tied his soul with to become a chimera like she was.

Mathew sneered at the thought of absorbing Agnox or Cherry. Then again, Wispy and Whis were a tethered soul like Cherry was. He could link with them like he was with Agnox. He would have four linked souls that if he absorbed them, would give him a ginormous increase in power.

He remembered the story of Doozkora Gaia and Di told him. She was a monster. A servant of the Black King, and wants him for some reason. “Well, I’m not letting her get me. I’d kill myself before I let that happen.”

Mathew stared at the empty space. Where the Ritual of the Whole was listed. He was already using his Spell version of the ritual, and couldn’t sense it that way. It only targeted his body. The ritual was attached to his soul.

An idea fueled by fear convinced him to send mana toward the spot where the ritual was branded. He didn’t even think it would work.

Yet, once he touched it, he knew it was there now that he knew what to look for. He retreated from it immediately. “I’m not going to sink to your level. I’m better than you Doozkora. I’ll defeat you myself, my way, without cheap ticks to gain power by killing off my summons.”

One other line that was on the screen glared at him even with it gone.

Fate Marked - Your fate is outside of your control

His fists balled up in anger. “Cherry let’s go. I have some things to take care of around the city.”

The dryad reached out a hand to stop him but didn’t. Mathew walked out of The Workshop, leaving her there alone. His robes were in pristine condition once again. The dust and rubble from the marble slab that was destroyed were gone.

Mathew walked toward an empty space between Di’s shop and The Workshop. The area had been cleared out and already marked with a sign stating ‘Future Trade Center’.

He opened his menu that only he could see, plus a few others like Mr. Melton. The list was limited, nothing had changed since Phase 1 of The Systems integration for Earth had started. Mathew scrolled far down to the structures tab, and there sat an elegant-looking building.

Mathew spent the 100,000 UC to purchase the building, and nearly two dozen stakes appeared in front of him. He spent the time marking where the building would be built. His mind was a quiet buzz, purely focused on the task in front of him.

Once he placed the last stake, he went over to the resource tab of Blue Oaks. Dozens of construction materials had been prepared for this. Stone, wood, and a few other random required materials were already stocked and ready to be used. Some special materials had to be purchased from Di, but it was a small money sink.

With a few more taps on the blue screen, a building slowly materialized inside the marked area. White stones appeared as slabs stacked upon one another. Roman-styled columns erected themselves holding up a small awning for the front of the building. It looked like a miniature capital building. There were no windows, but six empty sections of stone were seen.

Mathew knew this would be where primary trade routes would be shown. Once he established a link with Black Snow, their banner would be presented in one of the empty spots.

Inside the building, a rather large room stood empty with a single glowing light in the middle giving the entire place a glow. Six stalls formed, each identical to the other circling the light.

Each stall was fairly large, enough for three or even four lines to form in front of each. Empty boards stood above each stall. The place was empty and echoed when Mathew walked into it.

He walked to the center light and reached out a hand to touch it. Instantly another screen appeared, much like how the Hearth Crystal would.

Mathew knew how this building functioned thanks to Tulido informing him beforehand. He could set tax rates, and fix prices of things bought and sold from his side, but he couldn’t force Black Snow prices to never change. There were even options for limiting who could enter the building, whether they were citizens of Blue Oaks or not. A perk of his profession he assumed.

A few moments later, the blue screen closed, and Mathew stood with his arms crossed waiting. Only two minutes went by before one of the stalls slowly morphed and changed. Two Lost Souls appeared from a door behind the counter and bowed deeply toward Mathew.

“Black Snow continues to follow their agreement with Blue Oaks. We will need only a day to properly set up for open trade.” The left one said. The right one produced a bag, as the left one continued to speak, “We have the final parts of our agreement in the bag, as well as a token gesture of a future of exchange. You have a high prestige of honor seen by our highest ranking members, and we wish to hope to continue good relations with you.”

Mathew took the bag and nodded, “I’ll let my people know to wait a day. Please contact me if any problems arise. Know I won’t allow any hostilities on either side in here.”

Walking out, he heard the two start to work on establishing their trade stall. Mathew peaked into the bag and noticed it was one he enchanted for Tulido before they split ways.

Inside were only a couple of items. Three of which were identical. Three small books that Mathew skimmed through quickly. They were guides for becoming a Lost Soul race. Detailing the process, benefits, and risks associated with following through the process.

Additionally was a small red gemstone. Mathew touched it, but it faded away instantly. A blue screen popped up in front of his face, which caused Mathew to smirk. “Finally.”

Timed Quest: Path to Sovereignty, Part I

Reach the upper reaches of nobility in the universe and claim the titles for yourself. Leaders are not born but are created. As an owner of a Hearth Crystal, you too have a chance to become one of the greats.

Acquire 5 Hearth Crystals 5/5

Acquire 7 Dungeon Cores 7/7

Reach Level 25

Rewards:

Title Choice: Baron, Chief, Magister, or Manager

Upgrade to Safe Zone

Time Left: 284 Days

Mathew selected the Manager title. He couldn’t figure out anything as to what the difference in titles gave, but he believed it would be important for the future parts of this questline.

Title: Manager - Unlock additional benefits to all Safe Zones under your control. Note: If you have less than five Hearth Crystals, you will lose this title.

Timed Quest: Path to Sovereignty, Part II

You have reached the lowest levels of official status within The System. Climb to higher ranks to gain better benefits. From this point forward, others on this quest can steal what you’ve acquired thus far by simply killing you.

Acquire 15 Hearth Crystals: 5/15

Acquire 25 Dungeon Cores: 15/25

Reach Level 80

Rewards:

Title upgrade

A choice reward based on how the quest is completed

Teleportation Network unlocked for Blue Oaks

Time Left: 284 Days

Mathew opened his menu for Blue Oaks and tried to figure out what the ‘upgrades’ were that The System stated, but couldn’t find anything obvious at the moment. He would have to sift through the various menus when he had time.

There were two last items in the bag. One was another crystal, this one much larger. It had the same color and shape as most information crystals Mathew had purchased in the past, but it was three times the normal size. He was confused, so he sent a small bit of mana into it to figure out if it worked like those before, just absorb the information.

Instead, he realized it wasn’t just an information crystal. It was a compound crystal of knowledge, and it was reusable an infinite number of times based on the little bit of information that was fed to him.

Inside was the entire history of Black Snow and its people. Various combat fighting styles. Information on a few ways to cultivate different crops using mana zones within a safe zone. It was an entire guide to get Blue Oaks up and running to be on par with the rest of the universe.

Mathew couldn’t believe the sheer amount of information in the crystal. It was nearly priceless to the future of Blue Oaks. They were doing decent work. Cherry was a phenomenal source of information for crops. But she knew next to nothing about livestock or even how to process resources.

The final item was a metal band with three gemstones evenly spaced on one side, attached was a letter.

“Dear Brother Mathew. Since our parting, I have been in talks with my Elders here, and they have returned my honor for the relationship I formed with you. I’ll be honest in this letter, and that it was close for them to kill me and void the contract we made. However, the fact that Zarilla appeared when we struck a contract is the sole reason they are interested in you. Once you have unlocked for travel and can visit Black Snow, know you will be requested to show up before my Elders. This isn’t a request that can be denied. Know you will be coming here either as an honored guest or as a source of information to study.

As a highly honored guest, a gift was prepared for you. Hopefully, it will work to keep you alive, it has been kept in our vaults for dozens of years, but it is believed you can find a new use for it.

The circlet is for those who summon creatures into combat. This will allow you to share a portion of the damage between them and yourself. It is a mix of Necromancy and other life magic. Be warned as it can be used against you if not treated with proper respect.

It is not strong enough to save your life or your summons life, but I believe it can be something to help your weak tree summon from suffering as much pain in combat.

Stay safe Honored Brother. I look forward to seeing you succeed.

PS - The red crystal will assign one of our Hearth Crystals to you. It’s a small one, used for embassies. I’ll handle things on my side for you.

PPS - You can always write a letter and ‘sell’ it if you need to contact me. The merchant Haki is someone from my own family. You can trust him with the letters.”

Mathew looked at the circlet with thought. “Tulido went all out for me. That feminine figure that appeared during our deal must be extremely important to his people.”

For now, he stored the circlet in his personal storage. He would use his identification ritual on it later. Instead, he needed to blow off steam. To fight something.