Chapter 706: Intel

Communicating with the World Serpent and Danny simultaneously was taxing. However, it was also intriguing. The World Serpent managed to silence Danny. Even Michael struggled with that.

But that didn't mean the World Serpent was reasonable. It was prideful and easily triggered. The reports Michael found in the Bartholomew Network enraged the World Serpent even though it said the Tritan Alliance was unlikely to have any proven facts about Divine Summons, Scrolls, or their 'kind'.

Michael hoped that the World Serpent would expose some useful information, but it didn't reveal much about itself. In fact, it didn't say anything about its origin or why his Mother thought that the World Serpent was a Curse. The only news was that Michael wasn't a pureblooded human.

That confused Michael for a bit, but it felt correct. Not being a pureblooded human would explain a lot.

[It's possible that Cleave Fenrir's mother fell in love with a Hyuman. She must have given birth to Cleave Fenrir outside the Origin Expanse, severing all connections to the Hyumans that way. If Cleave Fenrir was half Hyuman, his strength would make a lot more sense.] Danny theorized.

It was not likely, but the possibility was not nill.

"But if that's true, why does it feel like our family's Curse is ancient? Is the information in the tome wrong? Who was the man in the Origin Expanse? The Tome mentioned Cleave Fenrir's father often, saying that he thrashed his son and sold him the day Cleave manifested his War Rune."

[How am I supposed to know? It might have been his stepfather. The point is that Cleave's mother has never been mentioned in the Tome. She is either dead, or our bloodline is very good at getting abandoned by our mothers.]

"Not funny, Danny," Michael grumbled.

"It feels like we're missing something," He mumbled, "What happened to Cleave Fenrir to transform him into a fiendish figure who enraged one of the Demon Kings, the Elven Empress, the Dragon Emperor, and so on? What exactly did they do to our family's Curse? Did they trigger the Curse or ask the Will of the Origin Expanse to alter the curse? What even is the Curse inside me?"

[I don't know what your Curse is, but you know what my Curse was. That was definitely not Fenrir. Except if Fenrir is a white tiger engulfed in darkness.]

"The power released from Mother's Cursed Seals was similar to the darkness engulfing the tiger. It didn't feel like my Curse," Michael inclined his head. He didn't know a lot about Curses, Cursed User, and Cursed Seals yet, but he figured that the power of the Cursed Seals was related to both the Curse User's Main Soultrait and the type of Curse inside you.

[Maybe she has a Tiger Curse inside her as well. I wouldn't know. I also doubt that it's helpful to break your head about this. Mother is not here and I doubt that we will meet her anytime soon. It's more likely that the Nest appears out of nowhere. You can question them once they appear.] Danny pointed out as the Serpent Seals on his back glimmered lightly.

[Your brother is correct. The Nest will come for you. They come for all Cursed Children. But be careful. Nobody can tell for sure if the Nest will come to eliminate you or to pick you up.] The World Serpent hissed.

"Great. Thanks for that," Michael grumbled, "When will you stop souring my mood? How about you be a nice tenant and tell me something that will help me in the future?"

The World Serpent was silent for a few seconds before it came to a decision.

[It shouldn't be a problem to tell you some things.]

Michael felt like throwing a bunch of stones at the World Serpent. It remained silent all this time, only to give in now?

'Whatever.'

"Perfect. Tell me as much as you can, please," Michael swallowed his frustration and listened intently to the World Serpent.

[I will tell you a little bit about the Achievement Shop in the Origin Expanse and information about races that sought asylum inside the Origin Expanse. That might help you understand more about the future that awaits you with the Silverfangs and your means to grow stronger as you use the Achievement Shop in the correct way.]

Michael had always been curious about the Achievement Shop. His ears perked up while the frustration accumulated in his heart dispersed.

[The Origin Expanse seems like an infinitely stretched realm, but it is more like a distorted reflection of the universe. Many older races are adamant about the theory called Origin Twins. The theory is rather simple and revolves around the birth of the universe and the Origin Expanse. It says that the universe and the Origin Expanse had once been part of the same existence. Something, a certain event, split the universe in two parts. One part of the universe was severed from the primordial source of origin energy while the other was flooded with origin energy. The Will formed from the congregated mass of the purest origin energy, only to establish the Origin Expanse as it is known.]

[The Will and the Origin Expanse were not perfectly sealed. Origin energy leaked through the origin of the Universe, the only permanent link that remained as the universe split up. As the purest origin energy invaded the universe after billions of years had passed since the universe and the Origin Expanse split up, hundreds of galaxies faced destruction. The galaxies had been void of origin energy for billions of years. They were too fragile to endure the pressure that invaded every part of space and crumbled. Countless lives were reaped on that day...and all were pulled inside the Origin Expanse. They were confined in the Origin Expanse after origin energy contaminated their very being.

[The balance created by the Will was about to collapse. To maintain the balance between the universe and its distorted reflection, the Origin Expanse, the Will created War Runes, Summoning Gates, and the system that exists to this day. Of course, you're missing lots of crucial information, but I will not tell you more about the Origin Expanse's history. Even I don't know the whole truth. Only the Will and the Primal see the truth.]

The World Serpent had yet to tell him about the Achievement Shop and useful intel about the races that sought asylum inside the Origin Expanse, but he would be the last to complain about additional information. He had no idea who the Primal was or if that was some sort of organization, but he could tell that the Will and the Primal were old—to put it simply.

[The Achievement Shop and the option to seek asylum inside the Origin Expanse are also part of the balance created by the Will according to the Twin Origin theory. The Achievement Shop is an anomaly. You can purchase whatever you want from the Achievement Shop. You could have resurrected your brother using the Achievement Shop if you'd wanted to. That is if you had enough Achievement Points.]

That was news to Michael, who had heard he couldn't resurrect his brother after dying as Masked Saber in the Origin Expanse.

[You can purchase everything from the Achievement Shop, but the price increases exponentially the more you inquire for. Purchasing a Lord Seal is significantly cheaper than buying a Kingdom automatically linked to your War Rune. The same logic applies to all purchases in the Achievement Shop.]

Michael frowns deeply as he understands the meaning behind the World Serpent's words.

"If that's true, doesn't that mean you can also purchase Soultrait Symbols with the Achievement Shop?"

[That's correct.]

"The cheapest Soultrait Symbols will probably be drawn randomly. If I were to ask for something specific, the price for the Soultrait Symbol would increase exponentially."

[That is additionally correct.]

"So, theoretically, someone could additionally purchase my Soultrait, Extraction?"

[That...is not how it works. Extraction is...different. I can't reveal you more.]

"Why can't you reveal me more? I doubt that anyone put a Geas on you. I don't think anything can force you to do anything."

Michael couldn't reveal how strong the World Serpent was, but he was confident that it was overwhelmingly powerful.

[Some knowledge is not made for Lesser Lifeforms. Even Higher Lifeforms are not supposed to understand the truth.]

"The truth? About what?" Michael asked, but the World Serpent said nothing.

"...Thanks for that..."