Nourishment, Tools, Blessings, and Curses

"No wonder."

Ronan recalled asking Eris Ancient Thunder Eagle, about information about the Middle Ring Continent. Eris described how the sky over the Middle Ring Continent was occupied by a terrifying giant serpent. The serpent spent most of its time sleeping, but every time it woke up, it would frantically feed, leaving a deep psychological scar on young Eris.

Ronan was surprised at the time, but now he understands that the Middle Ring does not exist as a continental plate as he imagined. Instead, it is divided into completely independent domains by many powerful magical beasts left over from the ancient times. The domain serpent where Eris was born may be the territory of Jormungandr, the Twilight Serpent Jormungandr.

"The ten domains named Ether ferocious beasts are the healing cradles of these beasts. The beings residing within them have a relationship of sustenance and being sustenance with the magical beasts that rule these domains."

"What's the meaning?"

Ronan's eyes flickered.

Alazan, in the form of Golden Ladybug, fluttered before Ronan's eyes. "Now that you're out of the Void Realm, feel it carefully."

Ronan blinked and disengaged from the Mist Space.

Inside the dark and quiet mountain cave, green moonlight crawled towards him from outside the cave like countless tiny insects.

Ronan released his Soul Power and sensed it briefly. After a moment, his expression turned slightly horrified, and he couldn't help but blurt out, "There is a power in this void that is constantly drawing my power away."

This force was so weak that Ronan almost ignored it.

But it truly exists.

It shares the same origin Finnir's Power that attempted to leave its mark on Ronan, drawing not only Ronan's spiritual and Soul Power, but also his life energy, thoughts, ideas, inspirations, and almost everything else.

It was as if an invisible tube extended from the top of Ronan's head, continuously transporting what he absorbed from him to some unknown place.

"Yes."

Alazan, "Remember what I mentioned to you before— the Shared Magic Array?"

"The entire Finnir Territory is situated within an enormous Shared Magic Array?!"

"Yes. Every living being existing within Finnir Territory is 'fertilizer' providing Finnir with the nutrients to recover... Using this word might not sound very nice..."

Through Alazan's explanation, Ronan gradually came to understand that this "nutrient absorption" was like a "protection fee" that had to be paid to operate within the territory.

Every realm is the same; after all, the shattered world plates and the ancient ferocious beasts have merged, making them a true part of their bodies.

It wasn't entirely "protection money"; Finnir also made some "contributions."

The "absorption" that Ronan felt was actually two-way—while living beings were continuously supplying "nutrients" to the ferocious beasts that controlled the domain, they were also receiving the radiation of the ferocious beasts' soul and bloodline power.

This kind of radiation is beneficial to many living beings, subtly improving the recipient's physical and spiritual qualities and raising the upper limit of their life level, among other things.

Of course, inevitably in the end, the bloodline will evolve in the direction of the corresponding ferocious beasts of the realm, becoming a different kind of "bloodline".

"... Over the long course of time, the existence of the Ten Domains has unconsciously created a large number of followers, believers, and even 'bloodline descendants' for these ancient top overlords."

The Wizard World in Middle Ring is vastly different from that in Upper Ring. You'll understand as you gain more experience. Wizards in the Middle Ring Continent don't distinguish their factions by the color of their robes—black, white, or gray.

The environment in which they lived greatly influenced their character, making them as cunning as Finnir, as passionate as Phoenix, as Leviathan Phoenix, and as rugged as Behemoth.

Their background determines their stance.

Damien, remember that when you deal with wizards in Middle Ring, the first thing you should do is find out which realm they come from.

Of course, nothing is absolute; there are many wizards who do not live or operate in any major domain.

Ronan nodded slowly, taking Alazan's words to heart.

Alazan continued, "There's one more thing you need to know."

Taking Finnir Territory as an example, the closer one gets to the center of the domain, which is where Finnir sleeps, the stronger this 'life interaction' becomes.

In other words, you will give more and receive more.

This isn't entirely a bad thing.

"From ancient times to the present, over such a long period of time, wizards have long since devised a set of effective methods to combat the 'exploitation' of the ancient ferocious beast overlords."

Ronan's eyes flickered slightly, "Confrontation?"

To be more precise, it should be 'exploit'.

Powerful wizards joined forces to intercept the boundless nourishment of living beings that the ancient ferocious beast overlord 'absorbed' within its own domain, and then used it on themselves. You should have felt it; this 'nourishment' contained a great deal, it could even be called a condensed essence of life.

Its benefits are also obvious: it can greatly enhance a wizard's lifespan, energy, and wisdom, and allow some topics, research, and practices that originally required a great deal of effort to achieve results with less effort and time.

To some extent, the emergence of the Ten Great Realms accelerated the progress and prosperity of the entire wizarding civilization.

Ronan's eyes flashed with a strange light. No wonder the selfish and proud wizards were willing to be "exploited" in the Ten Domains. Even the gods could not gain their faith, let alone mere ancient magical beasts.

They had already used their wisdom to gain enough advantage, and in turn, they used the slumbering ancient overlords as "tools" to help them climb the ranks.

This [Parasitism] and [Parasitism] relationship, this exploitation and counter-exploitation, ultimately laid the foundation for the existence and operation of the entire Middle Ring Wizard World.

"What about this one?"

After listening to Alazan's story, Ronan lowered his head and gently touched the green spot on his chest.

Alazan replied, "The consciousness of the ancient ferocious beast overlords is not entirely dormant; their will needs to be inherited."

Not only Finnir, but in every realm, there are some 'chosen' individuals.

Within their respective domains, these people are undoubtedly the Heaven's Chosen, the darlings of fate, possessing conveniences and benefits that others can hardly imagine.

Of course, as I said before, the prerequisite for obtaining these things is that you must completely open your heart and embrace everything that Finnir requires you to inherit."

"In other words, if I choose to accept the imprint of this will, I must be prepared to inherit Finnir's bloodline, Finnir's evil and cunning, and Finnir's soul instinct to destroy everything."

Ronan spoke.

Alazan. "You understand correctly."

Ronan shook his head, lowered his hand, and calmly said, "Teach me how to refuse, Alazan. You should have a way, right?"

Alazan hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's actually quite simple to refuse. Just leave Finnir Territory before Finnir's will imprint is fully formed."

However, you may have to pay a price for doing this.

"It's better than being forced to become Finnir's servant and lackey the moment you're born."

Ronan's idea was firm. If he had to choose to inherit the will of an ancient ferocious beast overlord, his first choice would naturally be the Primordial Frost Whale that was deeply "bound" to the Ice Emperor, followed by the Undying Bird Phoenix.

Apocalypse Demon Wolf Finnir?

Let's forget about it.

Although Finnir's power was seeping in and leaving its mark on his body, Ronan was not in a hurry, because he had discovered that the Mirror of Emptiness could block the infiltration of this power. As long as he entered the Mist Space, the mark on his chest would stop growing.

And.

From the tone of Alazan's voice, Ronan sensed that he seemed to have found a suitable way out for himself.

"Of the two groups you encountered when you landed, one of them also seems to be being hunted by Finnir's Will."

"Being hunted down by Finnir's forces within Finnir Territory"

Alazan quickly offered Ronan the solution he wanted. "Anyone who isn't an idiot will find a way to escape Finnir Territory."

I secretly left a soul mark on one of them. Find them, and perhaps you'll find a way to leave."

The Golden Ladybug flapped its wings, leaving a shimmering golden spot in front of Ronan.

Ronan grabbed it Itai to re-condense the robe onto his body.

He straightened up and couldn't help but sigh softly, "Alazan, with you here, I really have so few worries."

After saying that, Ronan's figure slowly faded away in the void.

Fawara sat cross-legged by a small, shimmering lake with lush aquatic plants.

He carefully took out several finger-length crystal syringes from his Space Ring, each filled with a liquid that resembled blue amber.

Fawara inserted the needles one by one into the flesh of his chest. The thin needles mysteriously disappeared a few centimeters above Fawara's skin, as if they had bypassed his body and pierced directly into his soul.

The blue liquid from several crystal syringes was injected into his body, Fawara's ashen complexion quickly regained its color, even the dim light in his eyes began to return.

Just as Fawara breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly, a sinister green aura emanated from his eyes and quickly filled his entire face.

Green mist spread through the air, gradually forming huge and eerie wolf shadows. Fawara seemed to have become a helpless prey, with a large number of sinister wolf shadows surrounding his body, making tearing and gnawing movements, with eerie chewing sounds constantly emanating from them.

Fawara frowned instantly, letting out a muffled groan. His remaining arm moved rapidly, forming hand seals, and his lips moved, uttering one incantation after another.

A vast amount of spiritual energy surged around Fawara, but it had little effect on the hungry, eerie wolf shadows.

Fawara's condition, which had just improved, suddenly deteriorated, and his Soul Aura rapidly declined.

Just then, a slender, pale hand reached out from the side and grabbed Fawara's hand.

"I won't let go!"

Fawara forced a reprimanding sound from the corner of his mouth, but the curly-haired boy who grabbed him completely ignored him.

The moment he grabbed Fawara, the wolves that had been surrounding Fawara, tearing at and devouring his soul, suddenly found a more interesting target and pounced on the boy.

All the wolf shadows that pounced on the boy mysteriously vanished.

It was as if a more terrifying monster, unobservable, was hidden within his body.

Fawara's predicament was immediately relieved, but the boy's young face showed deep pain.

When the pain reached a certain peak, the boy's cheeks puffed out, and he suddenly made a vomiting motion.

In an instant, countless flies were spat out of his mouth, an endless stream, like a black fountain, which then dispersed like a dark cloud.

The fly that the boy spat out turned into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared as soon as it touched a solid object.

Things unfortunately tainted by the black mist quickly decayed—grass and trees withered and rotted, fertile soil turned into muddy swamps, clear lake water became murky and emitted a foul stench, and fish and shrimp in the water all floated to the surface, looking as if they had been dead for many days.

Even the air reeked of a salty, nauseating, and disgusting odor.

You shouldn't have done that.

Fawara raised his hand and summoned a breeze, blowing away the filth before him, a helpless and sighing expression on his face.

"Each time you use it, you speed up its awakening process and make it easier for them to find you."

"I saved you, Fawara!"

"You'll die if I don't take action!"

The boy argued loudly, then collapsed onto the rotting grass, panting heavily, looking as if he had exhausted himself.

Fawara didn't speak, but only sighed heavily.

Just then, a voice drifted from afar.

"What kind of power is this?"

"Who?!"

Fawara instantly stood up, his aged face filled with majesty, and stood in front of the boy, coldly staring in the direction from which the voice came. Three elemental orbs appeared around him, ready to strike at any moment.

Soon, the owner of the voice revealed himself.

The void across the small lake shattered like a mirror, and a handsome young man in a dark robe slowly walked towards the two of them, stepping through a pool of filth.

"It's you!"

Fawara immediately recognized the other person's identity, and his brows furrowed deeply.

The young man, with his white hair like frost and eyes as clear and deep as the starry sky, seemed to have no intention of fighting Fawara. He stopped near the lake shore, glanced at the boy who was peeking curiously from behind Fawara, and said calmly, "Perhaps we can sit down and have a proper talk. After all..."

Ronan pulled open the collar of his robe, revealing a conspicuous green spot on his chest, and said, "I too have been cursed by Finnir."

Fawara's pupils contracted slightly as he saw the green spot clearly. "This isn't a curse."

"For me, yes."

Ronan answered calmly.

Fawara's eyes flashed rapidly for a moment, and then the three-colored elemental orbs surrounding him faded, his Spiritual Force Field receded, and he took a step back, saying, "Please."

Ronan straightened his robes and slowly walked across the lake to Fawara and the other man.

Fawara raised his hand and waved it lightly. With a little mental power, he caused the energy to flow, and the decaying mud beneath their feet immediately moved like flowing water. Then, a beautifully designed table and chairs made of water and rocks quickly rose up.

Fawara sat down at the table first, then spoke, "I forgot to introduce myself, Fawara, Fawara Enju."

"Ronan Damien."

Ronan gave his name.

"You are not a wizard from the Finnir Territory."

Fawara immediately pointed out Ronan's identity and background.

"Yes."

Ronan nodded.

"I sense the aura of several powerful bloodlines within you; you must be of noble birth."

Is this also one of the reasons you want to get rid of Finnir's blessing?

Fawara stared into Ronan's eyes and spoke.

It wasn't just that Ronan unconsciously revealed a slight aura of his bloodline, but also his strength.

Fawara sensed Ronan's mental power and Soul Aura, which seemed to be only level five, but the occasional fluctuations of mental power Ronan emitted were so vast and profound that they were almost comparable to those of Favara, Level Six Wizard was about to step into the Twilight Realm.

Moreover, he constantly sensed a hidden danger emanating from Ronan, all of which were enough to indicate that the young wizard sitting before him was no ordinary person.

When asked by Fawara, Ronan simply smiled and did not give an answer.

This only strengthened Fawara's suspicions, though he could never have imagined that Ronan actually came from the Upper Ring Continent.