100\% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full? Chapter 497 - Diviner

Over the span of a full week, Lucien focused almost entirely on baptizing individuals.

The process started, as one might expect, with Clara.

"My Lord," she had declared, "many wish to be baptized."

Lucien had anticipated this.

Initially, requests poured in mainly from followers of light and healing paths. Divine energy paired too perfectly with those affinities to overlook. Light magic infused with divine energy turned purer, thicker, and far harsher against corruption. Healers noticed their restorative powers growing steadier. Purifiers saw their techniques become dramatically more potent.

Next came the second surge.

Folks just craved proximity to the power their lord wielded.

Lucien got that completely.

Thus, he consented.

Vivian stepped in to arrange it all before things spiraled into disorder. Rosters were compiled. Timetables set.

Anyone seeking baptism had to confer with her first—not from Lucien's suspicion, but because divine vessels weren't playthings. Mana vessels could be remolded easily. Divine vessels demanded firmer resolve, superior control, and sufficient inner harmony to avoid squandering the gift.

After that, the operation flowed remarkably smoothly.

It felt simpler than ever before.

Lucien positioned himself at the heart of the ritual circles. He channeled energy via the fused Origin Core fragment, directing it into the expectant crowd below. What previously required exhausting personal concentration now handled batches in managed sessions.

He extracted essence from the fragment, purified it via his insights, and converted mana vessels into divine ones.

The fused fragment transformed the entire affair.

It grew bigger and far more attuned. Drawing from it wasted far less now.

Come the third day, he had mastered the routine.

By the sixth, even big crowds processed steadily in reliable waves.

As the week wrapped up, the territory's shift stood out plainly.

The freshly baptized carried themselves with new poise.

Divine energy wrought that change in folks.

Purer and heavier than plain mana, it held vast potential without the grime or volatility. It enabled mightier spells, sleeker formations, sharper purifications, and—crucially for Lucien—superior defense against miasma.

That final benefit outweighed the rest.

He grinned watching the jubilant crowds, yet a steely resolve lurked behind it.

This served as groundwork.

Should the Black Mass return, divine energy would sustain his people far longer. It would help them hold firm while others crumbled.

Lucien refused to get blindsided twice by the same horror.

Once the last batch departed the baptism site, Lucien lingered solo briefly, surveying the lands.

Excellent.

Another element locked in.

Time to tackle the following issue.

The Origin Core fragments.

The Covenant of Pathless Sovereignty brimmed with energy once more.

That fixed the schedule.

Lucien informed Vivian of his short absence, entrusting the territory to her without worry. She had amply demonstrated her reliability in upholding Lootwell’s vital harmony.

"I’ll return as soon as I can," he assured her.

Vivian nodded once.

"Be careful, Lu."

Lucien smiled. "Always."

With that, he departed.

The journey proved seamless.

The void disc carried him over the vast gap with its typical eerie grace, and upon arrival, Lucien faced a well-known corridor and door.

Before his hand could lift—

the door swung open.

Seran waited there, as if attuned to the precise instant of his coming.

"Good," he stated promptly. "You’re here."

Lucien entered and shot him a steady glance.

"You’re not pulling a prank this time, are you?"

Seran clutched his chest in mock hurt. "I think if I did that to you now, you’d have a heart attack and die again."

Lucien snorted.

"Fuck you."

Seran burst into laughter first.

Lucien joined moments after.

That defined their dynamic. The guy possessed this annoying knack for turning grave discussions into easy camaraderie.

They settled opposite each other shortly.

Seran cut straight to it.

He set a slender ebony case between them and unveiled it.

Within rested the pledged Origin Core fragments.

Lucien’s gaze intensified instantly.

Each fragment bore that peculiar hushed density. As if a sliver of immense truth, too vast for normal substance, had been compelled into ordered form.

Lucien grinned.

Seran caught it and reclined with clear delight.

"I wanted to watch your face when you saw them."

"You need a better hobby."

"I have many. This is one of the healthier ones."

Lucien extended toward the case but paused before claiming the fragments. He glanced up instead.

"You really handed them over."

Seran shrugged casually. "I said I would."

His face then changed to a look of greater amusement.

"I also want to see what occurs when the world must confront something like a modern smartphone."

Lucien chuckled quietly.

"A cultural collapse."

"A communications revolution," Seran countered.

"An addiction epidemic."

"That too."

They passed the following time discussing the potential outcomes.

Initially, the talk stayed practical.

Public devices compared to restricted ones. The rapid spread of information culture once convenience turned habitual.

Afterward, it grew riskier.

Rumors would spread faster. Local authorities would lose grip on distant matters. Sluggish governments would plunge into panic. Merchants would alter trade paths once direct connections became routine. Criminals might attempt exploitation. Yet catching them would prove far simpler if the system subtly retained sufficient records.

At one moment, Seran leaned in, propping his chin on a hand.

"You know," he remarked, "if we distribute this right, half the world will hail it as a miracle."

Lucien nodded in agreement.

"The other half will deem it suspicious."

Seran grinned. "And every one of them will use it regardless."

That aspect thrilled them both the most.

The discussion shifted soon after.

Lucien brought up the Ascension Spire.

Seran’s response truly caught him off guard.

The man appeared thrilled.

"You’ve constructed a towering engine for death education."

Lucien blinked. "That’s the most aggressive summary possible."

"It’s a brilliant concept."

Lucien shook his head.

He detailed the constraints next.

When he brought up the need for additional fuel, Seran’s eyes widened a bit.

Then he burst into laughter.

"Now that," he declared, "is a challenge I’d love to assist with."

Lucien arched a brow.

Seran drummed his fingers on the chair arm pensively. "The world overflows with awful individuals. We ought to get better at valuing them efficiently."

That reply felt so perfectly in Lucien’s style that he nearly took offense hearing it from another.

He nodded deliberately.

In reality, Lucien kept other reserves handy.

The imprisoned ancient beasts counted as one. If they kept rejecting every sensible option offered, he’d eventually cease viewing them as entities to convince and regard them as fuel ready for burning.

The void beings trapped in black cubes presented a different issue altogether. They wouldn’t stay contained indefinitely either.

The true problem no longer concerned Lucien’s access to potential fuel.

It involved collecting sufficient amounts before the Ascension Spire’s upper levels prepared.

Even so, with those supplies, Lucien recognized the reality.

It wouldn’t suffice.

Not for levels able to mimic Celestial and eventually Eternal monster patterns with authentic heft.

Seran grasped the magnitude as well.

"I’ll aid you in locating more," he stated plainly.

Lucien trusted his word.

Right then, Seran rose.

"I have someone for you to meet."

Lucien glanced up.

Seran swung the door open.

A woman waited outside.

She donned white, yet not in the ritualistic or frail manner others favored. On her, the hue appeared crisp instead of dainty. Her beauty held a poised quality, sharpening with prolonged gaze. But Lucien’s first notice went elsewhere.

It fixed on her eyes’ expression.

Guilt.

This puzzled him at once.

Before any question escaped, Seran threw up both hands in an over-the-top kung fu stance and announced, "Don’t entertain any notions. She’s my wife."

Lucien coughed for real.

The woman pinched Seran hard in the ribs.

He flinched.

"That intro could’ve been less idiotic," she commented.

"I disagree," Seran shot back, still massaging the area.

Then he stood tall and gestured appropriately.

"Meet my wife, Aurelia. She serves as the Liberators’ diviner. And yes, before you wonder, she’s a genuine Liberator."

Aurelia offered a small, warm smile that felt oddly familiar to Lucien in an inexplicable way.

She raised a hand in salute.

"I finally meet you again, brother."

Lucien blinked.

"Again?"

Then, upholding courtesy, he appended, "And nice to meet you, sister."

Aurelia laughed gently.

This heightened his bewilderment.

He sensed it as well.

That peculiar draw he experienced with numerous true Liberators. The impression of a longstanding connection, hindered only by his memory’s failure to reach back far enough.

He had brushed aside that sensation previously.

Now it surged back strongly.

They took seats together afterward, and the bewilderment intensified.

Aurelia later clarified the guilt Lucien had spotted in her.

She had forgotten him too.

Instead, Oblivion's meddling had temporarily erased his image from her thoughts, exactly like it did for the rest. Seran first pulled her notice to the irregularity, yet the ultimate rupture came via her personal techniques.

She deployed her cheat and her law.

The Law of Divination went beyond merely revealing futures to her. It enabled her to question patterns and uncover the contours of items meant to exist but forcibly erased.

Upon detecting the excision in her memory, she wielded that inconsistency as her fulcrum.

And she shattered Oblivion’s hold over herself.

Lucien deemed that truly remarkable.

"I’m starting to grasp why Seran wed you."

Aurelia cocked her head. "Just starting?"

Seran burst into triumphant laughter.

Lucien rolled his eyes.

The talk proceeded smoothly from there.

Chatting with them resembled conversing with longtime companions, and even if Lucien couldn't solidly pin down the recollection, its familiarity rang true.

Aurelia cast that peculiar look his way more than once, like a one-sided reunion of long-separated souls.

Lucien chose not to probe.

Certain truths emerge more readily when left unpursued.

At length, their discussion shifted to her vision.

Aurelia let out a sigh.

"I did witness your demise," she confessed.

Lucien reclined. "You speak of it like it's shameful."

"It is," she replied. "For I beheld it, yet we failed to avert it."

"Did you also foresee my survival?"

She shook her head with a faint smile. "No, that's what crushed us initially."

Right then...

Seran, uncharacteristically patient for far too long, chose to reveal his true intent.

"Recall what I mentioned earlier?" he queried Lucien. "About true Liberators hitting a key milestone, meeting precise criteria, then receiving a designated site from their system?"

Lucien nodded deliberately.

The elemental women had gained such direction already. Their system was guiding them to a future destination.

He hadn't gotten his own invitation yet.

"What of it?"

Seran’s grin turned playfully sly.

"This one will intrigue you."

Lucien stayed silent.

Seran pressed on.

"You've encountered the individual before. In the East Continent."

A brief silence.

"She yearns to head to the spot her system indicated."

Lucien’s focus intensified completely.

Then Seran uttered the name.

"It’s Seraphine."

Lucien’s eyes widened slightly.

Seran spotted it right away and grinned like the devious companion he was destined to be.

Lucien shot him a glare. "Go on."

Seran eased back in his seat, appearing excessively smug.

"You should know, that wild girl recalled you."

Lucien froze.

Seran’s voice shed a bit of its mockery, but not entirely.

"She described a hollow in her heart without reason. A shapeless sense of absence. She barricaded herself in her lab, convinced she'd overlooked something vital."

Aurelia nodded softly. "That's accurate."

Seran proceeded.

"In time, she applied her cheat and her Law of Remedy to heal the affliction as a personal ailment."

Lucien exhaled steadily.

That sudden, sincere warmth flooded him too fast to conceal.

Seraphine had remembered.

Not due to anyone imposing the reality on her.

Because she refused to tolerate the distortion and mended herself against it.

Seran savored each instant of Lucien’s quiet.

"She inquired about you repeatedly," he tacked on. "Most persistently."

Lucien averted his gaze for a single beat.

Seran noticed and amplified it.

"Well," he said casually, "what do you say?"

Lucien met his eyes again.

Seran’s smile grew infuriatingly gentle.

"Care to join her," he inquired, "at the place her system revealed?"