Merchant Of Yliaster

Maxwell found it quite hard to describe what he was feeling as he tried to comprehend what kind of a mind he was connected to. Felix's mind existed directly inside his soul, as his body was just a facade for the world. The dog didn't have any hardware, as Maxwell put it before.

The sheer existence of his soul completely wrecked Maxwell's previous theory. The creature's soul felt heavy in a way that none other, as it was burdened with responsibilities no other soul was subjected to. Is this why he doesn't think unless he needs to? It was an interesting concept.

Etheric Bond Successfully Forged With A New Entity.

The Bond Reacts.

Immediately after reading the notification, Maxwell could see a stream of soul energy streaming from him towards the dog, like the time he bonded with Blueberry. In her case, it changed her race, and Maxwell was curious what it would cause.

Fused Soul Attribute Detected.

Maxwell was not really surprised, as this was only expected when the true form of the creature was a soul parasite. It was literally in the name. Maxwell felt his energy continue to rush into Felix's "body", and a green glow started to permeate the small filaments. In the next second, though, something Maxwell didn't expect happened.

Suddenly, the world around them simply stopped, and a familiar pressure descended. Maxwell felt a mental intrusion coming from the bond, and before he could react, it was already in his soul. His mind strained, and a voice boomed in his mind.

"If you hear this message, you managed to forge a compatible bond with my child. I congratulate you. If I didn't feel your soul myself, I wouldn't leave this, but I don't think even the system can see into your soul.

I managed to hide a trace of intent in the parasite you apparently found. As of now, my child should be facing a choice. Whatever choice he makes, you will gain a very powerful ally in the future.

I can't tell you the reason for my decision, nor the significance of your destiny, as they would shatter the boundaries of your soul by their sheer utterance. But I can tell you, Merchant, that there will be many dangers ahead.

I put this information here, trusting the isolation of your soul, as the system doesn't like outside intervention in newly initiated universes. Know that progress can be made faster by the world leaders. I can't tell more, as even this pushes my restrictions.

Don't be hasty, as the dangers will not come until you reach a power noticeable to them, but be sure to lay your foundation properly. Be so strong that you don't need my child. Don't let him come to harm. If you are successful, maybe you will survive, and so shall my heir.

Good luck, and goodbye."

Etheric Bond Finalized.

Readjustments Complete.

Etherium Soul Welcomes The New Companion.

Time flowed again, as the pressure disappeared without a trace. Maxwell laid his back on a tree as his mind tried to readjust itself. It was not just the pressure the message caused, but it was something else. He felt that the time-stopping effect was not the doing of the Traveler. It was actually The System being overly curious about his mind.

It felt strange that his soul was even closed off to the system, but considering the Zephyr's isolation from the system, it made sense. Just now, his mind was bombarded by the system and Traveler at the same time, one being outside and one being inside. He was pretty sure the system would manage to pierce into his soul if it really tried, though.

His skills were, after all, connected to it. For some reason, though, it didn't use force apart from just letting itself be known. I'm busy with local politics. Can I deal with the multiversal ones later? He thought sarcastically, still trying to adjust himself.

On the ground, he could see a pulsing mass of green filaments. The filaments were previously dark green, but now they were glowing with the light of etherium, giving an even more disturbing feeling. He could only glance at them for a few seconds, though, as they slowly formed the shape of Felix, before seamlessly transforming back into the dog's usual form.

The dog looked completely unchanged except for a simple change. His eyes were now green, just like Blueberry and Maxwell. And his soul shone through them, giving the dog the same eerie feeling Maxwell gave.

"Food?" Maxwell was startled to receive a message from the dog. He felt his mind translate the meaning of the message, but he could somehow tell the dog was definitely now using any language he knew. The message was strange, as it still felt innocent, similar to before, but conveyed a lot more than it was supposed to.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

As Maxwell received the message, he also received almost everything Felix had eaten in his life. He was pretty sure that he just sent the whole concept instead of just the word.

"You learned language before Blueberry?" He asked the dog, surprised. Though he supposed he was being unfair to the bird. The bird just didn't like the human way of communication. It was not like she didn't understand it. She also didn't need to use language to convey her messages. Felix, though, was like a closed box before this.

"Blueberry?" Felix said, confused, and Maxwell sent him a mental picture of Blueberry. He smiled as the dog's tail started wagging with excitement. "Blueberry!!" A very loud message slammed into Maxwell's mind, making him grimace.

"Okay, no shouting inside my mind," he said out loud. The dog understood him even better than before, but it was apparent that he still couldn't form complicated sentences. Maybe that would change as he grew up.

Now that he thought about it, the etherium probably helped the dog form a link between his physical form and soul, considering that was roughly the thing that happened to Blueberry and himself. In their case, their existence was moved towards the soul, but Felix was already just a soul, so he probably moved a bit towards being physical. Maxwell observed the dog, curious about his current race.

Felix - Puppy - Level 21

Well, at least his race is still hidden. Maxwell was pretty sure a 21-level puppy was even more unnatural than whatever the hell Felix was, but he didn't complain. He focused on his soul and used observation again.

Felix - Etheric Soul Mass - Level 21

His race really changed. He is not a parasite but a mass? Fortunately, being bonded meant that he could see more information about Felix's race.

Etheric Soul Mass:

A race created by the involvement of the incomprehensible.

Formerly being a parasite, Etheric Soul Mass can create a body for itself without the need of parasitizing. The race has an immense affinity for devouring, and this quality is enhanced by the influence of Etherium.

Etheric Soul Mass is a unique existence, as it can exist without a physical anchor tying it to the world. Creating a physical body, though, greatly enhances all parameters.

I see. Maxwell was speechless seeing the new race. This meant that Felix could literally turn into anything he could imagine. The simple fact that he used to be a dog kept him in that form, but it was apparent that he was not restricted to any form, not even a physical one.

Maxwell was sure that the dog wouldn't understand other forms he could turn into well enough to actually use them any time soon, but the potential of the race was still incredible.

"What did you choose?" He was curious about what the choice the dog meant to make.

"You?" the dog answered, and the clarity Maxwell could feel the emotions from the message made Maxwell shiver. He could feel that Felix chose him over something, but he could also feel that the dog didn't even consider the other options. It was to a degree that the dog was oblivious about what the other choice was, so his answer was a bit confused.

I'm really lucky that the base form was a dog… Maxwell thought. He was pretty sure that the Traveller lied to him in the message. He had a strong feeling that he would be dead if Felix didn't choose him. He petted the dog's head, his mind quickly ignoring the eldritch nature of the creature. It was easy to do that when the said creature was cute and loyal to a fault.

He got a couple of notifications out of the exchange, so he summoned them.

Elementary Soul Energy Manipulation Leveled Up 44→46

Window Of The Soul Leveled Up 71→73

Mind Of The Merchant Leveled Up 3→25

Apart from the Mind Of The Merchant, level-ups were modest, but considering how hard it was to level up that skill, the results were still great.

Title Acquired: Master Of The Heir

Master Of The Heir: Heir of the Traveller has accepted you as their master.

The title was simple, but Maxwell could easily guess that its implications would not be. He picked up Felix from the ground. He was pretty sure that the dog would be able to travel with him in the future, even if he wanted to hide his identity, but he would wait until he was sure that Felix could do that before trying it for real.

Soon, he was flying towards the slave camp. Tom was in for a treat, as he would be receiving another abomination as company.

Gendor uninterestedly stared at the man sitting on the chair before him as he twirled a dagger in his hand. The environment around them was deserted, as they were in a farmhouse on the outer reaches of the city. No one was dumb enough to farm here as the place was too close to the forest.

The man sitting on the chair had beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, and he was missing two fingers from his right hand, which was tied to a separate piece of wood beside him. The wounds were fresh, but they weren't bleeding. They looked like something like acid had melted off their endpoint.

"Look, I don't know why you are being so stubborn. I just want to join the militia, not destroy it. Can't you just be a good, helpful person and tell me where the local meeting point is?" Gender asked the man, slamming the dagger on the man's hand, cutting off another finger.

The man screamed hoarsely as the dagger covered with darkness immediately burned off the wound, preventing any bleeding, and also inducing mind-rending pain.

"I-I can't. I will die if I tell you! They… they are using oaths," the injured man spoke between rough breaths. His eyes were bloodshot, and he stared at Gendor with hatred.

"I get that, trust me, but you don't understand. You see, I will kill you anyway, so why not spare yourself some pain?" Gendor spoke as if he were explaining something to a child before slamming the dagger again.

He watched the screaming man with apathy, as he bit a sandwich he had bought before. He really wished that this kind of thing would take less time.