Chapter 23: Another Goodbye

Andrew finished absorbing the soul particles from Aeon's destroyed form within minutes.

He couldn't resist checking his book totem, and to his surprise, his mentality had skyrocketed to 35.6 from 20.5! This boost was enough for him to cast seven rank-one spells without any break. Andrew was thrilled, realizing he could tackle more challenges with his enhanced abilities.

As he took his eyes off the gleaming page, he felt a sudden surge of energy coursing through his veins. Just then, he noticed his mother's spiritual form shimmering close by. However, something seemed different this time - her form lacked some of its original radiance as if she had exhausted plenty of her energy while destroying Aeon's soul remnant.

"What happened?" he asked, fearing the worst.

"Aeon had the backing of his pagoda," she said with a gentle smile, trying to console him. "Taking down his soul remnant proved much more difficult than I had initially anticipated. I had to use up quite a bit of energy. What you see here is the result." As she spoke, she gestured to her spiritual form, which was growing dimmer by the second.

Andrew was about to inquire further, but she gestured for him to hold his thoughts. "We're running out of time, so I need to clarify a few things," she said. "My dear Andrew! When you inherited your bloodline memories, did you happen to obtain any spell models compatible with our lineage?"

"Yes, I did," Andrew replied with a nod.

"Great," she replied. "Let's move on from that for now. Can you tell me which spells you excelled at in your previous life?"

"Light spells," he answered. "I mastered them to gain a better edge against the demons."

"Oh, that's a good thing," she said. "You won't have to start from scratch while learning the spells in your inheritance memories."

Andrew arched an eyebrow in surprise. "So, are you suggesting that I embed the spell models I obtained from the bloodline inheritance memories into my totem as my innate rank-one spells?"

"Yes, that's what I'm trying to say," his mother spoke solemnly. "I know your plans for your totem are your own, dear. But I would advise you to consider embedding spells from your bloodline inheritance memories. They are highly compatible with your awakened bloodline and will assist you greatly on the path of sorcery."

Andrew pondered the suggestion for a moment, then nodded in agreement. He had acquired spell models of the light and darkness attribute sorcery system from his bloodline inheritance memories. They were powerful spells that could enhance his abilities to levels he had never reached in his previous life. Therefore, it made perfect sense to utilize them as his innate spells.

"Did you know that spell models hold the key to unlocking a sorcerer's true potential?" asked his mother with a spirited tone. "Given that you have already lived another life, I'm sure you know about them."

"But let me share a secret that is not really a secret - innate spell models are what differentiate great sorcerers from the rest. So, choosing the right model to embed in your totem is crucial to grow strong. You should select highly compatible models so you can progress swiftly and significantly on the path of sorcery without any major obstacles."

"As a Primordial Valkyrie, we specialize in light and darkness spells. What's great about them is that they are highly compatible, as darkness is just another side of light. By following the spell-casting system from the inheritance memories, you can also become a powerful sorcerer and join the ranks of mighty Primordial Valkyries in the immortal lands. Exciting, isn't it?"

Andrew nodded, although he was preoccupied with his own thoughts. Memories of spell models from his previous life coursed through his mind as he recalled the true potential of rank-one innate spells.

Unlike their rank-zero counterparts, rank-one spells were intricate and complex, consisting of dozens of runes that came together to form a single spell structure. Even for rank-three legend sorcerers, visualizing and constructing a spell structure of this complexity would take several seconds, rendering them helpless in a battle.

In a battle, you couldn't expect an opponent to wait for you to finish your long incantations and hand gestures before they struck. But, with innate rank-one spells embedded in a sorcerer's totem, things were different.

All you had to do was activate the respective model, and the totem would help channel the required mana and mentality, allowing you to cast the spell instantaneously. This was the beauty of innate spells, and Andrew couldn't wait to master them.

As Andrew's mind wandered aimlessly, his mother's voice interrupted his thoughts. She flashed him a warm smile and teased him about being absent-minded.

However, her expression suddenly turned serious, and she said there was one more crucial piece of information about Aeon's inheritance that she had yet to disclose.

Andrew felt a jolt of adrenaline running through his body as he snapped out of his daze and tuned in to his mother's words. He knew this could be the most important thing he had heard in a long time, and he didn't want to miss a single detail.

"Listen carefully," she began with a solemn tone. "The pagoda holds Aeon's inheritance, which includes techniques for summoning beasts and harnessing the power of soul shamans. However, you can't access it all without making the pagoda your own. You need to bind it to your soul and turn it into your personal soul artifact. Are you familiar with soul artifacts?"

"Yes, I am," replied Andrew, his eyes glowing with yearning. "They are artifacts that can be bound to one's soul, a feature that allows them to be stored in a sorcerer's soul space. Is the pagoda a soul artifact?"

"Sort of," his mother replied with a smile.

Andrew's eyes popped open in surprise and awe. He had heard whispers of soul artifacts during his previous life, like small swords that could be hidden away in one's soul space. But this was different. Much different! How could a pagoda, a towering structure that loomed over the clouds, be shrunk down and stored in someone's soul space? The very idea sent shivers down his spine.

"Can you believe it?" His mother asked, a knowing smile on her lips. "There are soul artifacts that dwarf celestial bodies in size! So don't get too impressed with Aeon's Pagoda, darling. It's still incomplete despite all of Aeon's sorcery and runic wisdom. You see, he lacked the knowledge of the spirits that power such artifacts - and that knowledge isn't readily available in the mortal realms."

"Ah, I see," Andrew said, looking a little concerned. "So, does that mean I won't be able to bind the pagoda to my soul?"

"Well, not at the moment," she replied. "But don't worry, you can do it without a doubt after finalizing the fabrication process of the soul artifact. All you need to do is awaken the pagoda spirit, and it will transform into a soul artifact that you can easily shrink and store in your soul space. Plus, once you awaken the pagoda spirit, you'll find it much easier to control the whole pagoda."

Andrew's heart raced with excitement at the thought of awakening the pagoda spirit. Yet, as he stood before his mother's fading spiritual form, a knot of unease twisted in his stomach.

He knew that time was running out to uncover the secrets of the pagoda. Summoning his courage, he took a deep breath and asked his mother's spirit, "Can you please tell me how to awaken the pagoda spirit?"

As she slowly began to fade away, she looked at him with a caring smile and whispered, "The answer you're searching for is already within you, hidden away in your bloodline inheritance memories. You only need to unlock your potential to become a rank-one and then delve into those memories to discover the key to awakening the pagoda spirit."

She paused for a moment, gazing at her nearly transparent figure. "Our time here is up," she said. "I must bid you farewell for now, but we will meet again, I promise."

"Wait!" Andrew yelled, his heart rising into his throat. "How do I find you?"

"You can look for the Bastion of Oryn in the Emerald Plains after you ascend to the immortal lands..." Her voice grew weaker and weaker until she vanished into thin air, leaving Andrew alone with his thoughts and a burning desire to grow stronger.

With a deep sigh, he emerged from his soul space and returned to reality. Although everything appeared unchanged, he knew that something was different about the pagoda.

Aeon's soul remnant was no longer present, and the pagoda was ownerless. However, only those who were rank-one sorcerers could lay claim to it.

Andrew had set his sights on the prize and was determined to break through and become a rank-one to meet the qualifications. The journey ahead felt daunting, but he had come too far to give up now and would stop at nothing to seize the pagoda for himself.

"I need to start right away," he muttered and started sifting through both his bloodline inheritance and past life memories. He was prepared to begin the process of breaking through to attain the level of a rank-one sorcerer.

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