Processing...

  Ownership transfer pleted. Item protes disabled. Do you wish to trahe goods you bought to your Soul Well?

  Iing. Leo quirked an eyebrow as he dismissed the System's query and stepped even closer to the ter. Does it mean... Yeah. Yes, it does. Nice.

  Neuron Shard (on):A small piece of e Crystal that be found in most caves on Essence-riets. Depending on the shard's quality and size, it may store a certain amount of information. Precise trol over Essend memories is required to transfer any knowledge into a Neuron Shard.Currently stored: Basiformation about Void Gates.

  Mindful of the creature behind the ter, he slowly picked up the shard and backed off. The thi simir to Crystalized Essehough it was a bit warmer to the touch every time the light within pulsed.

  "Just crush it, right?" He asked, looking up.

  Naz'Tor nodded. "Indeed. Do that, and the stored knowledge will enter your mind. It's a process very simir to obtaining a new skill from the System."

  "Alright then," Leo muttered, applying some pressure to the shard. Nyx, if anything bad happens, pick me up ahe hell away from here.

  'Uood.'

  Great. The's find out if I didn't just waste almost a thousaher.

  With that thought in mind, he closed his fist, and the shard burst into hundreds of tiny pieces. Unlike what he expected, they didn't fall to the floor. Instead, they all turned into specks of light and sunk into his hand.

  And that was when he felt it.

  Knowledge, alie uandable, rushed into his head, precisely what the mert promised. It showed him how all Void Gates had different activation times and how the timers could be accelerated by unique circumstances, Cataclysms being among them. It also expihat the activation could be deyed, but there was ion of 'how.'

  However, the piece of information that intrigued Leo the most came at the end. It crified that even upon activation of a Void Gate, the new Universe wouldn't immediately be overrun by all-powerful beings from the Void. Initially, only low-ranked creatures could ehem, and over time, the gates would strengtheing more beings pass through.

  It was yet another prote the system grao new Universes — one among many, acc to the shard.

  Finally some good news. Leo shook his head lightly, letting the sudden surge of knowledge fade into the depths of his mind. Though, low-rank doesn't mean weak, not for us. I'm only at E, and I doubt there are many others like me...

  He g the mert. "Do you mind eborating on something from the shard?"

  "Ask and I shall sider if it requires another deal."

  Of course. Leo held back a snort. "What did it mean by 'low-ranked'? I'm pretty sure you and I have a different interpretation of this."

  "Indeed," Naz'Tor bowed. "Five me, I should have specified this within the shard. It's been quite some time since I had a er below D rank."

  Good to know. It raises a question, though. What are you doing in the middle of nowhere? This doesn't seem right.

  Unaware of his thoughts, the mert tinued. "For most ihe Void, 'low-rank' means F and E grade threats. Those are all you have to worry about for the time being. Waves of D ranks will take at least a few weeks to show. Although a weaker D minus might slip in before that."

  The burden that had been growing rger ever since Leo left Wolford suddenly disappeared from his shoulders. Nine days might not seem like mu the grand scheme of things, but a few weeks?

  That he could work with. He was already powerful enough to matightmares. Now, he just had to stay ahead of the curve.

  It shouldn't be that hard... The only problem is that if we don't find any other source of experienightmares might be our only choice.

  Not that he had anything against hunting down Collectors. Pray rey after all. The only issue came from his curreination. He had no clue how well London came out after the Outbreak and Cataclysm, and until he found out, he would rather not get caught in a Nightmare pursuit.

  Even if Ruthless Efficy saved him st time, it might not do so again.

  I will figure this out ter. Leo sighed, addressing the mert again. "Thanks, that's good to know... So about that other offer. What's that about?"

  "Ah, yes!" Naz'Tor excimed, his tentacles whirling iement. "Just... A... Moment... And here you go, my dear er!"

  Trade tract offer detected. Dispy now?

  tract? He quirked an eyebrow at the same time as Nyx's curiosity leaked into their link. Now it's starting to feel like some telemarket call. But sure, show me.

  System-verified trade tract offer between Leonardo Brown and Naz'Tor. Dispying stiputions:

  - All types of businesses will be safeguarded by the System.- Unless agreed otherwise, prices must adhere to a fair range as per the market database accessible to the System.- Naz'Tor will be grahe first opportunity to propose terms for any official trade initiated by Leonardo Brown.- A 20% dist will be applied to all purchases made by Leonardo Brown.- Unless agreed otherwise, details of each official trade will be kept fidential.- This tract has to be renewed every three months of Earth.237's time. Both sides have to agree.- Both parties agree to work towards mutual be. Selling information about the other party is prohibited.

  Viotion of any of the stiputions above will rehis traull a in the imposition of a System-approved fine on the offending party.

  Do you wish to accept?

  "That's... very formal," Leo muttered, his eyes opened wide. "And here I thought shit like this died with the Outbreak."

  Naz'Tor chuckled. "Nothing could be further from the truth. The Void is full of legalities, politics, and other bullcrap. Usually, you stay away from it, but every on a while it's necessary to get your hands dirty."

  Furrowing his brow, Leo took a short peek at the mass of tentacles before him. Hands? He shook his head. "Right... Just have one question. Why? Why give me an offer like this? It seems a bit too good for a random guy you’ve just met."

  "And that's where you're wrong, child. This is an iment iure," the mert deflected. "I have just as much to gain from this as you do, if not more."

  With how he speaks, it's hard to say if he's just buttering me up or is hoo a fault. What a weird guy.

  "How so?"

  "'How so,' he asks..." Naz'Tor mumbled. "Child, you're a full-fledged Akirian on freshly initiated Universe. That's not rare, but almost impossible for a human to achieve in this timeframe! If you've mahis already, I only imagine what will e . I expect great things from you, and with them a lot of Ether for me!"

  You know what, Nyx? Scratch what I said about him before. I think he just might be mad... I'm starting to see the pattern here.

  'Same, Leo. Same,' the feline chuckled. 'At least he seems like a genuine person... Well, a genuine opportunist.'

  Yeah... It's just I 't believe this is a ce. What are the odds that a former human with an Old One's shard meets a Void mert right after leaving his first city?

  'Very low,' Nyx admitted.

  Exactly. Leo grimaced but hid it well. "Say I accept. How do I even tact you? Do I have to e back here?"

  "Of course not!" Naz'Tor excimed indignantly. "If you accept, I have a gift for you that will solve this issue."

  Oh well... Might as well. I always break the tract after three months. Leo decided and provided the System with his answer. Go on.

  Trade tract accepted. Naz'Tor is now your tracted mert. Aside from a few exceptions, you may trade with each ardless of distance.

  Huh, that sure helps a bit.

  "Excellent!" Naz'Tor beamed, his dark skin lightening a bit. "Now, before I present you with my gift, is there anything you need? Even if I don't have it, I will procure it as fast as possible."

  Leo frowhere were a lot of things he needed, mostly information. However, he didn't require it all right away. Most of the stuff could wait as he didn't want to spend all his Ether in a matter of minutes. He still for mutations, Limit Break, and other possible surprises.

  Still... There are two things I could use now, well, maybe three. Could be a good test run to see if all his info is legit.

  "Soulscape and Vital Strike," he said out loud. "I feel like I'm close to figuring out the former, but I'm still missing something. If you have some kind of a guide, it would be helpful. As for the tter, I have almost no idea how the skill even works, much less how to improve it."

  Naz'Tor exploded in chuckles. "My, I really lucked out with you. This will be the beginning of a wonderful partnership."

  Leo’s lips curved into a slight smile. "So I take it you help me?"

  "Of course, of course. Here!" The mert pced awo Neuron Shards on the ter and pushed them towards him. "The red one has all the basieeded to reach your Soulscape. The precise method differs from person to person, but those points still stand. As for the blue shard, it will grant you full knowledge about Vital Strike. How you improve it is entirely up to you. I will throw it for free if you want both."

  This time, a full griled on his face.

  Now that's what I'm talking about.

  Chaos65