Chapter 391: More Than Just Resurrection
N-no... not just resurrection?
"What Vaughn wanted was far more than that..." Although Vaughn had been dead for over a thousand years, every time Anderson mentioned his name, there was a hint of fear in his voice: "I once saw a blueprint for a Sky Rank Alchemical Golem, personally drawn by Vaughn..."
"Wait..." Leon suddenly felt something was off. "If I heard you right, you just said Vaughn personally drew the blueprint for a Sky Rank Alchemical Golem?"
Leon bit down hard on the words 'Sky Rank,' his voice thick with intensity.
"Yes, a Sky Rank Alchemical Golem," Anderson replied, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Leon took a deep breath, forcing himself to ask as calmly as possible, "Are you saying a Worldshaper drew up the blueprint for a Sky Rank Alchemical Golem?"
"Heh, Worldshaper..." Anderson seemed to find this hilarious, laughing for several minutes before finally stopping. "Do you really believe Vaughn was just a Worldshaper? You think someone who inherited the mantle of the Azure Sage, who shook the Empire for a thousand years and made every Sky Rank powerhouse bow their head, was just a Worldshaper? You think Vaughn, who swept through Crystal Isle in three years and crushed six Grand Lords, was just a Worldshaper?"
Leon was left speechless. Anderson's words completely shattered his understanding. All the records he'd seen always described Vaughn as a Worldshaper—more powerful than most, but still just a Worldshaper.
In fact, that's what Leon had always believed as well.
Otherwise, when Lance came knocking, Leon wouldn't have agreed so readily to join the joint exploration team and venture deep into the Four Seasons Gorge.
After all, Leon believed that exploring the ruins of a Worldshaper was within his capabilities...
But now, Anderson—the Relic Spirit who had followed Vaughn for over a thousand years—was telling him that Vaughn was far more than just a Worldshaper...
Not just a Worldshaper...
Then wouldn't that mean...
Saint?
"That I really can't say. I'm just a Relic Spirit, after all..." Yet when Leon pressed him, Anderson once again dodged the question, deflecting with, "All I know is, I watched him finish the blueprint for that Sky Rank Alchemical Golem with my own eyes..."
"Alright..." Leon nodded, not pressing further. He knew that the secrets Anderson carried weren't much fewer than Vaughn's.
"Let's get back to the blueprint for the Sky Rank Alchemical Golem."
"Right. When I watched Vaughn draw up the blueprint for the Sky Rank Alchemical Golem, I noticed something strange—he left two interfaces on the construct, meant for the infusion of souls..."
"What do you mean?" Leon was stunned for a moment. Two interfaces for soul infusion—was Vaughn planning to inject the souls of two Primordial Deities?
But then, Leon immediately realized...
No, that's not it...
It wasn't two Primordial Deity souls!
The soul of a Primordial Deity was unimaginably powerful. Even a mere fragment of its strength could easily kill a Title Archmage. A Sky Rank Alchemical Golem might barely contain a single Primordial Deity soul, but two? That was simply impossible...
But if it wasn't Primordial Deity souls, then what was it?
Leon was suddenly startled.
He looked at Anderson again, his eyes now filled with shock: "You're saying the other interface for soul infusion was meant for... was meant for..."
"Yes, it was meant for Vaughn himself."
Leon had expected as much, but actually hearing the answer left him utterly stunned. He stood there, dumbfounded for a full minute before finally muttering, "He was insane..."
At that moment, Leon finally understood why Anderson had said Vaughn's goal was far more than simply resurrecting a Primordial Deity...
Two interfaces for soul infusion—one for the soul of a Primordial Deity, the other for Vaughn's own soul...
In other words, what Vaughn really wanted was to fuse his own soul with that of a Primordial Deity.
Vaughn wanted to steal the soul of a Primordial Deity!
Throughout the history of Northend, there have been countless mad alchemists, and their favorite saying was always: 'The world was created by alchemy...'
But never had an alchemist been as insane as Vaughn.
He actually dared to dream of stealing the soul of a Primordial Deity!
It was utterly terrifying...
"And then?"
"Afterwards... I suppose he didn't succeed." Anderson sounded uncertain, then added, as if to reassure himself, "Otherwise, this Primordial Deity Soul Fragment wouldn't have ended up in your hands..."
"Makes sense..."
"But in the end, Vaughn went to Crystal Isle..."
...Leon’s smile froze on his face.
In this era, probably no one understood better than Leon what kind of place Crystal Isle was. It was the true resting place of a Primordial Deity—a place where one had truly fallen and slept for ages.
Thousands of years later, the major factions of Northend would clash around Vaughn's Vault, sparking a war that swept across the continent. In the end, Bain wielded the Death Tome and crushed countless rivals, securing victory for the Ivory Tower.
After that, the secrets of Vaughn's Vault were completely sealed away. Many years later, people learned through hidden channels that the Ivory Tower had obtained a Primordial Deity Corpse from Vaughn's Vault...
Yes—a Primordial Deity Corpse.
But what about the soul?
At this thought, Leon found himself afraid to think any further...
"What should we do now?"
"It's best to leave here immediately..." Anderson advised without hesitation. "Before you reach Vaughn's level, don't even think about touching the soul of a Primordial Deity. That would only bring endless disaster and curses upon you..."
"But..." Leon hesitated. Anderson's advice basically meant giving up on the entire demi-plane, which was a huge loss for Leon.
This was a naturally formed demi-plane, with infinite potential for growth. Once it reached its complete form, it could even become a true world!
For Leon, its value was simply incalculable.
"Hard to give up, isn't it?"
"What do you think?" Leon rolled his eyes. In all of Northend's history, the number of people who had successfully claimed a natural demi-plane could be counted on two hands. Would you be able to give it up?
"Actually, it's not completely impossible..."
"Huh?"
"Right now, this Primordial Deity Soul Fragment probably hasn't awakened yet. Only a portion of its power is leaking out, causing changes in this demi-plane. For the demi-plane itself, this change is actually beneficial. The power contained in a Primordial Deity Soul Fragment is vast—just the leaked energy can greatly accelerate the growth of this demi-plane. Maybe in less than ten years, you'll have a fully mature demi-plane..."
At this, Anderson paused. "Of course, that's assuming the Primordial Deity Soul Fragment remains dormant..."
"If it wakes up, it's over..."
"Don't be so pessimistic. Look at these forests, these meadows, these rivers... All of them were brought to life by the power of the Primordial Deity. Every leaf, every blade of grass, every drop of river water contains immense power. Haven't you noticed? When you're here, your magic flows ten times faster than usual. I'm telling you, even if you searched all of Northend, you wouldn't find a place more suited for meditation. The efficiency here is at least ten times higher than anywhere else..."
"I know, but..."
"You're worried about what to do if the Primordial Deity Soul Fragment wakes up, right? Actually, you don't need to worry about that. Didn't I just say there are solutions?"
"What solution?"
"Vaughn's Vault!"
"Huh?" Leon was stunned. "You're saying there's a solution inside Vaughn's Vault?"
"Yes. If I'm not mistaken, Vaughn went to Crystal Isle in his later years because of that insane idea. And all signs point to him finding a way to control the soul of a Primordial Deity. Otherwise, why would he risk everything, fighting six Grand Lords and even building his own tomb on Crystal Isle?"
"Makes sense..."
"So you really don't need to worry right now. In fact, you can use this power to quickly improve your own strength. Who knows, maybe when you explore Crystal Isle, you'll discover the method Vaughn left behind?"
"Alright, I know what to do." After hearing Anderson's explanation, Leon nodded, saying nothing more. He silently recited the incantation to activate the path to the demi-plane, and the scenery before him shifted—Leon once again appeared in that tranquil valley.
"William, write a letter to Farrow and have him lead the Merchant Guard to Auckland as soon as possible."
"Alright." William nodded and quickly wrote the letter in magical script. With a surge of mana, the letter transformed into countless motes of light and dispersed into the air. This was the Gilded Rose's unique communication method—extremely fast. In at most ten minutes, Farrow would receive it in Thousand Banner City.