GREED: ALL FOR WHAT?

"You are a greedy person, you know that?" Hadrick's tone became grave.

"It's your fault for asking me what I wanted. I want a lot of things. What can you give me then?" Soverick asked, unbothered by Hadrick's outburst. He was greedy and he knew it. He didn't think it was a bad trait to have. It certainly is better than cowardice. But he didn't say that. Best not to agitate the giver of gifts.

"My promise still stands. I'll add the talisman but you have to choose between a mid-grade origin weapon or unrestricted access to the normal family library." Hadrick didn't think much about Origin weapons or the information within the library. He is older than ten thousand origin cycles, so some things have lost their value to it, but that didn't mean it would give everything to Soverick. No matter how much it valued its life, it was too much as a reward for a tip.

Soverick fell into a pickle. The talisman will come in handy when faced with threats he can't handle. He will be able to escape readily. The use of power above his current level will require him to pay a price that might damage his body's potential so a way to avoid that is always welcomed. But he wanted to have the weapon and the library access. An origin weapon is a game changer for those at the level of transcendents and above. In the era of the transcendents, there was no weapon that could hurt transcendents. They were considered immune to everything but origin energy. That was until the discovery of origin weapons. The value of Origin weapons cannot be understated. They are very difficult to make and it can make a lord equipped with one become able to kill a king without one. Ghoto has a low-grade one while Mihila has a mid-grade one. Even he had only two high-grade ones when he was a sovereign. But if he selected this option he wouldn't be able to make use of it immediately. He still has some ways before he achieves transcendence.

The other option for library access is also good, knowledge is power after all. If he selected this option, he would be able to gain an immediate understanding that will come in handy in various situations. It is just that only the normal library will be opened to him not the secret archives. The knowledge that can be found in the normal library might be useful or not, but it certainly isn't important enough to hide it. If the Ghastorix family decided not to hide it, then maybe he shouldn't bother with it. He ruminated for a while before making his choice.

"How about you get someone to teach me how to make origin weapons?" Soverick said.

"That is easy to do. I can teach you how to make Origin weapons. It seems you have a conscience after all." Hadrick said with appreciation.

Soverick shook his head. It wasn't that he reduced the value of what he wanted. He just wanted guaranteed useful knowledge and an Origin weapon. So why not learn how to make his Origin weapons. He knew that Hadrick was ancient and must know a lot of things. The odds are that Hadrick also knows a lot of secret knowledge and will be willing to divulge them as long as he asks him. Hadrick likes to talk after all. So he decided to eat his cake and have it by taking advantage of Hadrick.

"You can make origin weapons?" Soverick feigned surprise.

"Of course. I dare to say that I am the best Rune master in the entire plane. I can even make top-grade origin weapons. I can teach even a door knob to make origin weapons, as long as the doorknob is transcendent and knows how to forge the best mana weapons." Hadrick spoke proudly.

Soverick became appalled. The creation of top-grade origin weapons was not a small thing. It would cause a storm among origin gods if they found out. A lot of them will be willing to kidnap the creator at all costs. A bunch of Origin gods is currently hunting legion one for his body has material for top-grade Origin weapon. Even world gods will be tempted to secure a creator of one. The racial council might prevent planar invasions and outright battles within the plane, but other insidious methods can be used.

He chose to keep quiet and decided against warning Hadrick about bragging about such a thing. Mother High Heaven only knows how he will react to such a thing. His last warning brought him a reward, he would digest that first before trying to get another one. He might lose this one in an attempt to get more rewards. Hadrick is already considering the idea of a shell. He might just lock himself away if he finds out that he is in more danger. He decided to shift the conversation.

"That must be a very talented door knob. Able to become a transcendent even without a bloodline." Soverick voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Of course, it must be. I don't discriminate against the person who wants to learn. That's just how I am, I don't care about the background. As long as they have talent, I'll teach them. Only talent moves me."

"Sure."

"You must also prove your talent first before I teach you. I will get someone to teach you the rudimentary of runic weapon creation."

"Fine." Soverick agreed. He wouldn't be able to learn how to create Origin weapons without having the strength of a transcendent anyway. That level is the minimum requirement. Learning how to create mana weapons will give him something constructive to do while he is still growing.

"When will I receive the first half of our agreement?" Soverick asked.

"The promise of safety starts now and someone will bring the talisman over. You will learn other weapon creation techniques first before I can teach you how to make Origin weapon. It shouldn't take you a long time to reach transcendence with how many elemental affinities you have, it is a simple matter. What comes after that is a serious matter. Are you going to drop some of your talents?"

"Maybe. It will depend on what I face when I reach that level. There's no need to worry about that for now." Soverick shook his head. He would like to have a choice in the matter, but his path is already set in stone. What others didn't know was that his divine ability is the main root of his problem, not his bloodline.

"What was the family's response to your demand for safety?" Soverick asked. He was curious about the impact of his warning and he wanted to know how important the family views Hadrick. Their response will determine their stance towards any threat to Hadrick. He would also be able to decide if he should limit his extortion of the ancient tree.

"Thanks to your warning, my partner realized this was a dangerous period for me. He can't risk a fight right now so he sent two Origin gods for my protection. More sovereigns are on the way though." Hadrick replied.

Soverick was skeptical. He expected more since Hadrick is the partner of their ancestor. "They sent just two origin gods? What use are more sovereigns?"

"I know your doubt. One of the Origin gods is a new one. He became one about 3 origin cycles ago. He hasn't grown stronger because he has to stay behind in the lower realm to protect the family. The other one can only be said to be near unbeatable by any origin god. Even the realm lord couldn't beat him." Hadrick was practically beaming with pride. Soverick could feel it from across their mind communication.

"Is that true? The realm lord can't beat him? Then he must be very strong." Soverick was impressed. Someone that can fight off the incredibly talented realm lord must be a very extraordinary person.

Hadrick seemed to cough or whatever trees do when they are uncomfortable. "I said couldn't. The fight occurred 30 origin cycles ago. Things have changed since then. The realm lord is about to become a world god while this person is still stuck. The realm lord also didn't use the power of the realm either."

"Right." Soverick understood that the fight was just a spar. If the realm lord had used the power of the realm, then only world gods can resist. "But that is still impressive. To have fought the realm lord and bested him. Very few can claim that. It is even more impressive that someone like that was sent to protect you."

Hadrick explained, "He happened to be in the lower realm and he owes me a lot of money. Maybe it is impressive, or maybe it is shameful to be surpassed by someone ten times younger than you and even worse, when you could beat that person in the past."