’Here I thought that I was catching up to you.’
Arthur’s expression turned solemn as he recalled the clips... he knew that his brother wielded three Origin Seeds, but he hadn’t really seen him "pop off" using all of them until now. To defeat prodigies from powerful noble houses was something still beyond his imagination.
’Hence the reason I shared my second identity.’
Levi continued conversing with him through a wisp stored in his brother’s spiritual Leywell to avoid any risk of exposure.
’Elder has told you that he will need about a year to transform your Shadowlife Seed into an Origin Seed... before that happens, I need you to work on your weaknesses.’
Arthur nodded slowly, his expression hardening. ’I felt it during the event. My strength... it wasn’t enough when things got truly chaotic. I still can’t believe I got owned so hard by that mercenary.’
Although Levi knew that Arthur had done his best against an elite designed as a Tier 5, he didn’t tell him about Fang’s true identity.
In Levi’s eyes, while Fang and Rain were powerful, they were still within a reasonable range compared to the monsters he had dealt with in the Joker Game. If those monsters were used as a measurement, then his brother was lacking significantly. Levi refused to leave his brother behind when he knew of his formidable potential.
’That’s exactly why this next year is critical,’ Levi said, turning to face his brother.
He reached into his dimensional wallet and pulled out a rusty Platinum Crown that seemed to emit an ancient, dormant power.
It was the Titan’s Crown... the broken SSS Artifact!
Without hesitation, he held it out to Arthur.
’I’m passing the Crown to you...’ Levi stated solemnly. ’But more than that, I’m making it your mission to restore it to its full glory. It might be unusable at the moment, but this crown isn’t a normal artifact... it represents the peak of craftsmanship, and if you manage to reawaken it fully, it will synchronize perfectly with your Aspects.’
Arthur’s eyes widened as he hesitated to touch the artifact. ’Levi, this is...’
Arthur hadn’t even seen an S-grade artifact before; now, he was being gifted an SSS Artifact that was utterly priceless. Sure, it was useless at the moment, but with the Titan’s help and Arthur’s investments, he was bound to reclaim its lost glory.
Levi already had too much on his plate to worry about awakening the Crown. It was better to make it his brother’s responsibility so Arthur could understand the weight of the resources needed to reach the top.
Levi couldn’t keep spoon-feeding him forever, even if he didn’t mind doing it; he knew his little brother needed to figure out his own way to earn resources consistently so he would never be stranded if something horrible were to happen to him.
’I need you at your A-game at all times from here on out.’ Levi’s expression softened just a fraction, but his eyes remained sharp. ’The next time we step into the spotlight for the Great Campaign, I don’t want to be alone in front... I need you at my side.’
Hearing this, Arthur reached out for the Crown with a resolute expression. His fingers caressed the cold metal and the empty gemheart sockets awaiting their stones.
Even though it wasn’t active yet... since Levi had not yet placed the Titan’s wisp inside... Arthur still felt faint goosebumps prickling his skin, as if the Crown were reaching out to acknowledge him.
Considering that the Titan’s bloodline coursed through him and his wisp resided within Arthur’s Shadowlife seed, it made sense for the artifact to accept him more readily than it ever had Levi.
’I won’t let you down, Big Bro,’ Arthur promised, his voice solemn and determined. ’By the time we leave the Expanse, I’ll be the shield you never have to worry about.’
’That’s the spirit.’ Levi smiled faintly, offering a fist pump which Arthur accepted gladly.
Levi then detailed the steps required to awaken the Crown, explaining how the Titan’s wisp and specific resources would allow a consciousness to inhabit the artifact and unlock its initial properties.
From that point forward, the Titan himself would serve as Arthur’s guide, directing him toward the rare materials necessary to fully reconstruct the ancient treasure.
’How about I use my wish on this?’ Arthur suddenly suggested. ’Since the Genie is going to be exclusive to my Aspects, I can gain a decent amount of resources to start the first step.’
’No, it’s not that deep yet.’ Levi shook his head. ’I can handle the wisp’s situation since it’s mostly money-based... but the rest of the materials to reconstruct it are all on you.’
’Then, should I use my wish for those kinds of materials?’ Arthur wondered.
’Those are some lofty dreams,’ the Titan interjected. ’The materials you will need are S-grade minimum... your wishes aren’t touching those grades anytime soon.’
’Damn...’
Arthur’s eyelids twitched, realizing that such a task might take a lifetime of effort, but he didn’t let it affect him negatively. He knew he needed all the help in the universe to keep up with his brother’s monstrous potential.
After all, Levi was a Three Origin Seed wielder; if he kept up this pace, no one would be able to keep up in the endgame.
Arthur tucked the Crown into his dimensional wallet and asked, ’Speaking of wishes, have you decided on yours? I think the girls have already made up their mind.’
’Not yet.’
’Hmm... I think we have only a week to decide.’ Arthur scratched his cheek. ’I am thinking of using mine on a material for my next evolution.’
The Titan had told him that he didn’t need to worry about a Perfect Evolutionary Formula after he transformed his Shadowlife Seed; still, he needed the appropriate materials to create it.
Breaking through to the Solarbound rank with an Origin Seed meant needing some insane, rare, high-grade materials.
’Sure, that might work.’ Levi nodded in support.
If his brother’s evolutionary path wasn’t already decided under the Titan’s guidance, Levi would have told him to seek out a Highborn Bloodline.
Meanwhile, Levi had already given Jojo and Nurah some suggestions on Highborn Bloodlines to choose from if the Genie allowed it.
Jasmine, Arthur, and Shia already had their paths enriched with potential; those two were the only ones still somewhat ’lacking’ in that department.
Of course, Levi requested that Ash’Kral help out with the suggestions to avoid sending them to a dead end.
While everyone seemed to have a clue about how to effectively utilize their wish, a gray cloud still hung over Levi’s head.
He had spent the entire night thinking about it, yet anything he came up with was either too much or a waste of such an amazing opportunity. Worse, he had only a week to voice his wish before the Platform retracted the privilege. After all, these Genies were always on duty, and there was more than one game played each day.
’I want to use it for resources, but I also want him to answer questions about the Three-Body Problem and the situation with my eyes.’ Levi rubbed his brows. ’But it’s too much of a risk to ask such questions.’
Levi knew that Unique wishes might be of higher quality than standard ones and offered limitless options, but if he asked for something beyond the Genie’s capabilities, the Genie wouldn’t reject the request; he would answer it in a manner that made no sense.
It was as if he were answering without the full context, and Levi dreaded wasting a wish on a riddle.
’I only have a week, and going for materials isn’t really an optimal decision,’ Levi thought deeply. ’I can always find those on my own sooner or later.’
Considering that Levi had solved the Three-Body Problem’s initial conflict between the seeds, he was golden until the Solarbound Rank. This meant he had enough time to gain other wishes later.
’I need to use it on something that can help me in ways that benefit me indirectly.’
Levi tapped his finger and started thinking of all the problems roaming through his mind for which he hadn’t found a solution. After skipping several, his brow rose as an issue surfaced.
’I have a meeting with Bishop Va’ren in a couple of days, and I still haven’t found a way to avoid the contract signing without sacrificing either soul.’
Levi curled his lips thoughtfully, ignoring his little brother, who started rambling about some of his viral clips in the Nocturnal Ring.
’What if I used the wish to create a soul with a similar ID as mine to sacrifice during the contract signing with the Bishop? That way, I won’t need to get in trouble with either seed while ensuring total autonomy during our "partnership.’
Before Levi considered sacrificing the Void Seed’s soul after using it to sign the contract... after suffering the penalty, the soul would die, but he wouldn’t be ’dead’. He could still restore it, albeit after an intense recovery period.
The only issue with this plan was the Seeds... he had already checked, and they made it clear that if any of their souls were to perish under his protection, he would be in deep shit.
Levi had no interest in fanning the flames after finally creating some sort of peaceful atmosphere between him and the Divas.
At the same time, he understood that Bishop Va’ren was too big a fish to pass up. To have a Tier 8 powerhouse as an enemy of his nemesis? It was simply foolish not to entertain the idea of working together.
However, the key point was working together while Levi remained free to betray him at any second he wanted. In addition, such a contract would give him the possibility to leak their plans and decisions to his allies.
It might seem like a low-key utilization of a unique wish, but that was what Levi needed at the moment. His goal was always vengeance against Bishop Na’thir and the retrieval of his eyes.
If working with Bishop Va’ren required a unique wish to kick-start it, Levi would gladly take it!