Chapter 709: Marble

Michael handed the spatial satchel to Tatjana. He didn't know what to do with the goods to stimulate his monsters' evolutions. Tatjana was the woman for that job. She had the Eye of Evolution and knew precisely how to process the items to evolve the monsters.

Several vials with black viscous content appeared in her hands alongside two stones. One of the stones was a Darkness Stone, whereas the other one was a Crystallized Blood Stone. The latter looked like a Darkness Stone at first glance, but it glimmered brightly as the afternoon sun reflected on the smooth surface.

Tatjana retrieved another vial, but Michael couldn't see the content at first glance. The vial was sealed perfectly, and Michael could only see through its red surface by using Spirit Eyes with several Enhancement layers.

'The Greater Demon's Blood,' Michael recalled what he'd ordered from the Bartholomew Corporation a while ago.

He nodded subtly while following Tatjana's actions. She shattered the Darkness Stone without hesitation, and a massive wave of Darkness Energy swept through the surroundings like a shockwave. However, Tatjana made her next move before the wave of Darkness Energy could hurt anyone. She threw the Crystalized Blood Stone into the Darkness Stone's shards, triggering the Crystalized Blood Stone. It glowed for a moment before devouring the surrounding darkness energy.

The suction force increased drastically until Michael felt it wash over him. His eyes narrowed as the wave of darkness energy dispersed. It was sucked into the Crystalized Blood Stone. Tatjana eyed the Crystalized Blood Stone for a while until she simultaneously removed the Greater Demon's Blood cap and the remaining vials. She bent down to the ground and carefully emptied the bottles above the Crystalized Blood Stone.

The Crystalized Blood Stone cracked and burst apart as the Greater Demon Blood splashed on its surface. The blood of the Greater Demon seeped into the core of the Crystalized Blood Stone alongside the black viscous liquid. A massive suctioning force drained the origin energy in the surroundings. Tatjana retrieved dozens of Lesser Energy Stones at a time when the energy in the surroundings was sucked dry. The Lesser Energy Stones crumbled within seconds, casting a bright smile on Tatjana's face.

'It works.' Michael figured that something small had formed in the core of the Crystalized Blood Stone.

With the aid of the surrounding energy, a small marble formed within the Crystalized Blood Stone. Tatjana continued retrieving Lesser Energy Stones. They crumbled to dust near-instantly, costing Michael hundreds of millions at once. It was a good thing that Michael stopped counting the fortune he paid to strengthen his subjects. He knew that he would receive back much more than he'd invested.

That was how it usually worked for him. He was willing to invest a fortune into those who trusted him. In exchange, his return on these investments was much more. Of course, not every investment would be profitable, but Michael had been quite fortunate with his investments. Today's investment would be profitable as well. Michael was sure about that!

The suctioning force eventually ceased, pulling Michael out of his train of thought. He glanced at the marble that Tatjana picked up and smiled. It was a fancy marble with a unique pattern that depicted a mighty demon, but Michael couldn't sense any energy from it. The marble sealed the energy within it perfectly.

Tatjana glanced at him for a moment, and Michael responded accordingly. He willed Sun Demos to jump down from the towering tree near Tatjana and approach her slowly. The Blood Oath Demon Monkey King was too eager and crashed down in front of Tatjana. The Forest Elf was startled and nearly dropped the marble, but Sun Demos reacted fast. His hand lunged forward to reach for the marble. He caught it smoothly and stared eagerly at the marble. However, instead of consuming it immediately, he glanced back at Michael.

[Can I?]

Sun Demos sounded almost desperate as he pleaded with Michael for permission. Michael couldn't even finish motioning his approval before Sun Demos threw the marble into his mouth. He swallowed it right away as if fearing that Michael would take it away.

"His first evolution won't change too much about his appearance. It strengthens his blood and removes his racial limit. You can consider it a necessary precaution to fortify his foundation for the next evolution," Tatjana explained to Michael and Sun Demos. Sun Demos, however, wasn't listening anymore.

"He will hibernate for a few days. One thousand Lesser Energy Stones should be enough for him to break past his racial limit. That will be the beginning of a 'new' path. Sun Demos will have to trott a path that has only been walked on by one more being. The hurdles obstructing his path will be numerous, probably even more than his. But with danger and difficulties come rewards and opportunities. I can sense that Sun Demos will be fine. Just trust him!"

Tatjana was more confident than ever. Awakening the Eye of Evolution was indeed the best that could have happened to her - and Michael. It wasn't unlikely that a Soultrait similar to the Eye of Evolution existed somewhere. Still, Michael figured that it would be incredibly difficult to find another user of such a Soultrait. There might only be a few throughout the Universe. How low was the probability of him finding that Awakened?

It was low...too low. Michael didn't want Sun Demos and the other monsters in his territory to suffer. He was not ready to leave them behind.

Sun Demos turned to Michael and laughed menacingly. Michael rolled his eyes and motioned his companion to leave. There was no need for Sun Demos to stay here. The Blood Oath Demon Monkey King was in need of silence and a massive amount of energy stones.

Sun Demos continued gackling like he lost his sanity and disappeared. He leaped on a low-hanging branch and vanished in the Untamed Jungle. His subordinates stayed behind. Their eyes lingered on Tatjana before they moved toward Michael. The pleading eyes drilled deep into Michael's soul.

"There is no need to worry," Tatjana said before Michael could say anything. "Your Evolution Paths are different, but that doesn't mean I—or rather our Lord—didn't prepare anything for you guys. The spatial satchel has more than enough resources to stimulate your evolutions—for all of you!"

The Blood Oath Demon Monkeys lost their cool when they heard what Tatjana said. They jumped around and issued various incomprehensible noises. Michael was not sure what they said, but he felt pretty good. He imagined that they acclaimed him to the moon and beyond.

Tatjana retrieved a cauldron alongside tens of materials required to evolve the Blood Oath Demon Monkeys. There were hundreds, almost a thousand, Blood Oath Demon Monkeys at this point. Creating a single pill for everyone would take days. Neither Tatjana nor Michael wanted to work that long. Therefore, a different method had to come into place.

Michael didn't pay much attention to Tatjana. Instead, he called the Master Alchemist to aid Tatjana as she started the concoction process. His attention drifted to the Blood Oath Demon Monkeys before the Golden Stinger Bee landed on his right shoulder. Stinger hummed gently and rubbed his face against Michael's cheek before turning quiet.

"I know that you're excited as well. Your turn will come as well. I prepared the best resources for you!"