The palace was vast; filled with grandeur that could not be matched even by the top royal houses on Earth. Throughout the palace, priceless gemstones flashed, emitting sparkling rays of light. A fresh, cold breeze swept through the air, making one feel energetic.
The style and atmosphere were imposing but welcoming like the embrace of a mother.
Despite this, the young geniuses had their eyes widened until they were round. Their ears were ringing so badly that they felt faint.
There was not even the sound of breathing as they gazed at the spectral face.
The entity that deserved veneration of the echelons was now speaking to a youngster. That too, in a manner that denoted familiarity!
They could understand if she was speaking in such a manner with a Chosen from a powerful lineage, but she wasn’t. She was talking to a former slum dweller - Zed. A youngster that spent at least starting twelve years of his life in a slum.
Yet, such a man with no foundation or status to speak of was praised by her!
The words she first spoke when she arrived through the space portal were still ringing in their ears like a clap of thunder.
’You have done well... This so-called core region should have been a child’s play for you.’
Her words, her tone, and her faint smile left them both distraught and alarmed.
How was it possible that she would show such courtesy to someone like Zed? Except for the first trial, he hasn’t performed exceptionally well. He was not even in the top three when the reward beads were concerned!
Despite this, how could she still say \"so-called core region should have been a child’s play.\" How could she consider him worthy of her attention?
Not just worthy enough for her attention, but also efforts to create a special portal just to meet him!
This development had exceeded their thinking capabilities. Their bodies turned stiff knowing she considered him only worth her attention and no one else.
✢✣✤✥
As the geniuses found themselves in a situation far beyond their scope of understanding, Enchantia asked, [[Should I still call you Zed or...]]
Zed looked at her as she trailed off in between without completing the question.
\"It is just a name, so, call as you please,\" Zed answered casually with a smile.
Enchantia observed him through her black and white eyes before replying: [[We met when you were only known as Zed so I shall continue with that.]]
The star-like flashes on her half-black and half-white page gleamed brightly, like a diamond.
\"Met...yeah.\"
Even though it has been over four years, their meeting was still fresh in his memories just like everything else related to BSE79. Back then, only he and Castor Damon reached the vital regions of the spaceship while everyone else had died. He was poisoned by Castor Damon and has to rely on him for a periodic dose of antidote. It was a method used by Castor Damon to ensure Zed didn’t think of escaping.
But much to Castor Damon’s shock, the kid he considered as a worthless slum insect forced him to hand over entire antidote through an ingenious method.
Zed has interfered with hypersleep chambers. This awakened the aliens who were in a long slumber; effectively turning Castor Damon’s plan into a mess.
Zed has also created further distractions for Castor Damon so that he can flee. Sadly, even though he escaped from Castor Damon, he was chased by one of the aliens. The resulting chase forced him to seek refuge in a hall where an ethereal sphere was floating. He has unconsciously tapped on the sphere and was sucked right into it. (Chapter 292).
[[At that time, you were in very bad shape.]]
Enchantia recalled how he arrived into her dimension through that sphere.
Zed listened to her words before nodding.
[[I’m happy for how things played out for you.]] Enchantia added.
\"....\" Zed heard her additional remark without replying.
Next to him, Jenina and others were completely dumbfounded.
He was having a casual conversation with a venerated figure! That too, without any sign of awe, respect, or even politeness!
They couldn’t understand a lot of things, but just by the way Zed was speaking to Enchantia, made them feel as if their brains had been slammed.
Sophia looked at him, her beautiful eyes filled with shock. She has witnessed meetings between echelons of the World Government and was more than sure that if they were here, they would have conversed in an entirely different matter.
She felt she has understood him perfectly ever since they first meet in Desolate Blood Forest.
They have might not have spent a lot of time, but she has seen him putting expert paleographers and linguistics to shame with his understanding of alien languages.
Then there were his unrivaled skills in medical science and genetics by which he saved her acquaintance’s life.
His expertise in robotics and explosives was at a terrifying level.
The talent he showed in those three fields has already gone beyond the realms of comprehension. Still, they could be considered a blessing of nature and accepted as such.
Perhaps, as far as Sophia was concerned, the most memorable feature about him was his unwavering kindness. That was especially true with how he acted even after the life he has lived in the slums. He has no resentment, envy, or even any desire of changing his bitter past.
He was everything her mother said about a perfect human...
But now looking at him, he was like a completely different person. Even though he was still Zed, there was something different about his demeanor.
It was like there was a mist of mystery around him, making it difficult to understand him.
How was it possible for her to know so much about him and yet truly know nothing?
\"Just what is he?\" Sophia wondered in her heart.
At the same moment, the area around Zed flickered with myriad streams of energy, making his clothes and hair float.
Swoosh~!
Alistair, who was still in a kneeling position, has a look of complete shock on his face. As he saw the space around Zed change, his pupils constricted as if he has seen a ghost in daylight.
With Zed and Enchantia as the epicenter, hundreds of orbs rotated around them. The orbs were the size of an adult’s fist, made of myriad colors. Like a firefly, they continuously glowed with a soft radiance.
Alistair’s entire body froze and the saliva inside his mouth turned into ice as he muttered, \"Legacy Orbs!\"
Sophia was stupified. She was physically next to Zed and yet, there was a distance as if some laws of space has changed to make a place for the floating orbs.
[[Zed, if I’m not wrong, when two people meet, the older of two parties is supposed to give a gift to the younger one.]] Enchantia said as the orbs appeared.
When others in the palace heard her words and realized her obvious intent, their hearts thumped violently.
\"Gifting Legacy Orbs?!\"
Leonardo sucked in a breath of cold air. Very few people knew the worth of Legacy Orbs and he was one of them.
People often referred to high-grade and rare treasure items as priceless but that was undermining the meaning of priceless.
As far as he was concerned, in the entire universe, there were only two things priceless.
Immortality.
Legacy Orb.
The former was something that no one has ever achieved. At least, not Transcendental Immortality - the realm where one is free from all rules of the universe. A realm where one is entitled to eternal life, being exempt from death, and unending existence.
The latter - Legacy Orb - was something that could be still be gained.
Based on the ancient records he has read, the founders of the World Government - The Great Nine Sovereigns - were someone who had found Legacy Orbs.
They were considered as Gods!
There was not a single doubt in Leonardo’s mind on what role Legacy Orb played in the rise of Nine Sovereigns.
That’s how precious these orbs were!
Yet, such priceless items were being gifted to a twenty-something youngster...
Just the thought of it made him feel repressed, almost suffocated.
Sophia glanced at the orbs in front of her. Every time her vision passed on an orb, she felt as if she was experiencing visuals on an epic scale.
Fantasy lands, depthless oceans, infinite stars, space shuttles, technology she never thought was possible, knowledge without any boundaries, battles that shook worlds, abilities that shouldn’t even exist, and creatures that could exterminate an entire galaxy with the flick of a finger.
Sophia felt as if she was living the life of powerful figures. She tasted power like an aphrodisiac, lived like a god, and spent time without worry of an end...
Everything occurred in just a fleeting moment.
When she regained clarity, her blood flow was in a state of excitement she has never known. Her entire body was filled with goosebumps in sensory ebullition; more powerful than any orgasm or drug was capable of.
\"What was that?!\"
She tried to recall what she has just experienced, but much to her shock, she couldn’t remember anything.
It was like she has awakened from a dream, forgetting everything. But the state of her body left no doubts on what she experienced was stronger than a dream or illusion was capable of.
A strong desire to possess the orbs shrouded her thoughts. As she felt herself loosing in the intense desire, she felt her arm pulled.
An intense pain filled her body that suppressed her thoughts. Her eyes regained focus and she looked in front.
\"Zed...\"
She knew it was him that pulled her. He didn’t say anything and handed her four circular pills, emitting strong psychic energy. Those pills were the second-most precious pills he currently owned. They were made for enhancing psychic endurance.
\"Consume them before desire engulfs you again,\" Zed said.
Sophia was startled by his words. She checked the pills and based on her understanding, she felt they were most likely grade V or above.
And yet he was asking her to consume four!
Such a heavy dosage of pills would obviously lead to severe side effects.
Still, she did as he said and stuffed the pills in her mouth.
✬✭✮✯✰
Zed eyed a few contestants near him who were drooling and trembling with desire. He then swept a glance at the orbs rotating around him, radiating beautiful glow.
\"Some things never change despite the passing of time,\" Zed turned towards Enchantia. \"You are one of them.\"
Enchantia remained silent at his remark. She continued to observe him with a faint smile on her incorporeal face.
\"You haven’t given up on trying to scam me, have you?\" Zed asked with a sigh.