Overall, Viola's soul hadn't changed much, but something new had been added.
A misty, formless flame enveloped her soul, as if igniting from within its depths, ultimately gathering above it into a fiery corona-like shape. Faint, ghostly threads extended from it, piercing the void toward unknown distances.
Reyn's heart skipped, but he quickly realized: it wasn't Viola's soul that changed, but his own Soul Eye had strengthened, letting him see more.
Curiously, he secretly examined the flame, sensing its grandeur and vastness, sending shivers through his body.
The ghostly threads above her soul seemed to link her to some great being!
Reyn hastily stopped observing.
"Is this faith flame, condensed and dedicated to a divinity?"
Thoughts raced. Viola wasn't a god, just mortal, but through faith, she linked to one, and this condensed faith flame protected her soul.
Yet Viola's faith flame wasn't entirely pure. It split into two parts, with two sets of ghostly threads above her head, leading different ways into the void.
Reyn guessed Viola worshiped two divinities simultaneously.
As a mage in the Auriens Empire, Viola surely revered the Goddess of Magic. That goddess was indulgent, allowing followers to worship other non-hostile gods too. Thus, many in the Empire believed in multiple gods.
Reyn wondered what other divinity Viola followed. By the faith flame, she devoted less than a third to the Goddess of Magic. That part shimmered rainbow hues, shifting shades, full of mystery and majesty. Reyn easily recognized it as the Goddess of Magic's power—it resembled her temples' aura.
The other two-thirds of the faith flame were mostly pure white, incredibly pristine, evoking lightness, joy, and beauty in Reyn—everything wonderful in the world.
Reyn didn't know the divinity, but was sure it wasn't evil.
He didn't probe further. Faith was deeply personal, especially for obscure gods, often requiring secrecy.
But seeing divine power was Reyn's greatest boon. It meant he could spot Lohi's evil god followers—one glance to detect hidden enemies, no more fear of surprise attacks.
He took the tea cup Viola offered, sipped, and tasted light sweetness. Likely an expensive variety, but alas, he didn't know teas and couldn't appraise it. After a few seconds, he said:
"Good tea."
Viola smiled softly, not exposing him, and asked:
"Reyn, have you decided which magic school to choose?"
"Yes, I'll become a battle mage," Reyn set down the cup and replied casually.
Viola froze. Reyn's choice was a total surprise. Yesterday, he had firmly refused the World Tree Seed, clearly showing no interest in buying. Why the sudden change today?
Viola frowned slightly. Yesterday, if Reyn had said he wanted to be a battle mage, she'd have been thrilled—the World Tree Seed, dead weight for years, would finally have a buyer. But after witnessing his soul transformation ritual, it seemed not the best choice.
She knew the battle mage path's unpredictability. Power fluctuated wildly, and even Reyn's Perfect Soul Transformation didn't guarantee fusion success. Safest were Law Seals or Soul Control schools. With Reyn's talent, he'd become a powerful mage far above peers. Viola herself was interested in befriending such a promising one.
Of course, the battle mage path wouldn't ruin Reyn's talent; it just held unknowns.
She wouldn't dissuade him or pry reasons. She just called a maid and ordered the World Tree Seed brought.
Soon, an elegant wooden box was placed before Reyn. Its surface bore runes—clearly an alchemical artifact for valuables.
Viola extended slender fingers, touched the runes, and softly chanted the opening spell.
The lid flipped open, revealing a golden seed.
"This is the World Tree Seed, already converted to Soul Fusion Seed," Viola introduced. "Reyn, look closely."
"Alright."
Reyn examined the seed intently. Almond-shaped, fully golden like cast pure gold, its surface had shallow, translucent veins emitting faint glow. Looking at it evoked a strange feeling: as if it held vast information, ready to dissolve.
Reyn had never seen Soul Fusion Seeds before but trusted Viola had no reason to deceive him.
He looked away, thought, and said:
"Viola, I really need this Soul Fusion Seed, but I don't have enough money now. You said partial payment first. How much upfront?"
"How much do you have?" Viola countered.
"Max two hundred fifty gold shields," Reyn replied. From Iceberg Manor, he took a whole box of bills, exchanged for three hundred sixty gold shields. Sixty-three went to the soul transformation ritual, yesterday's gold-eating ants another fourteen. Two hundred eighty-seven left. He wanted some for expenses, so only this much now. He already had vague ideas to earn the rest.
He worried Viola might refuse. The Soul Fusion Seed cost fifteen hundred gold shields—he was way short.
"You're richer than I thought," Viola leaned back, utterly relaxed, as if not a business deal. Without much thought, she nodded: "Two hundred fifty gold shields is enough."
Reyn was stunned. He hadn't expected her to agree so easily. Before he could ask, she added:
"You'll pay the rest, Reyn, within three years. We'll sign a contract, and this Soul Fusion Seed is yours."
"Aren't you afraid I won't pay?" Reyn still couldn't believe.
Viola's contract invoked the Goddess of Wealth and Trade, legally binding. But the Empire was vast; if Reyn fled, she'd unlikely find him, rendering it worthless paper.
A confident smile appeared on Viola's face.
"Don't underestimate the Violet House's capabilities, student from Iglmarsh."
Hearing the last words, Reyn understood instantly.
Indeed, Viola had guessed from his yesterday slip he was an academy student and investigated. Her people worked incredibly fast—origin traced in a day.
"Figuring out Iglmarsh in one day… The power behind the Violet House is impressive!"
"No wonder she's not afraid of my debt."
Reyn shook his head helplessly and agreed.
He knew the deal hugely favored him. Viola essentially loaned him the remaining thousand-plus gold shields interest-free, clearly valuing his prospects.
He wondered silently: her elven family or her faith?
Meanwhile, Viola quickly drafted the contract.
Reyn verified it, signed his name, pulled a heavy pouch from his jacket, and handed over two hundred fifty gold shields. Viola slid the Soul Fusion Seed box to him.
Reyn didn't waste time and asked Viola for a room.
Alone, he sat motionless for ten minutes until emotions settled. Then he took a small knife, made a shallow cut between his brows, drawing blood. Taking the golden Soul Fusion Seed, he moistened it with blood and pressed it to his forehead.
The almond seed melted rapidly on contact, turning to energy stream entering the wound. In the next second, vast information flooded his mind.
Reyn squeezed his eyes shut, fully focusing on absorbing the data.
It was a meditation technique. Viola had mentioned it—World Tree Meditation, made for battle mages to boost soul power, aid demonic soul fusion, and spellcasting.
Deep in his soul, Reyn's mutated phone had long since taken root. As soon as the Soul Fusion Seed entered, the phone immediately reacted, drawing the seed to itself. It sank into the center of the flower made of eight petals and vanished.
Reyn was stunned, not understanding what was happening.
A few seconds later, a light flashed, and from the heart of the flower emerged a tiny, bright green sprout. As if in slow motion, it began to grow before his eyes, stretching upward, and soon turned into a small tree with a single trunk, its roots deeply embedded in the red flower.
Gazing at this tree, Reyn felt boundless vital energy and realized that this was the prototype of the World Tree, embodying his soul force. In the future, as he continued to meditate and build up his soul force, this World Tree woven from it would grow as well!
But for branches and leaves to appear on the World Tree, he needed to merge with a demonic soul.
Reyn took out the Soul Stone he had prepared in advance, pressed it to his forehead, and without hesitation activated the demonic soul merge function on his phone.
A pulling force arose, and in the next second, the demonic soul of the Golden Poison Ant was extracted and absorbed by his mind.
Reyn clearly saw how this not particularly strong demonic soul merged with his own. Since it was the first merge, it didn't cause a violent reaction or conflict; the ant's soul smoothly integrated, becoming indistinguishable from his own.
"Incredibly high degree of merge, almost perfect!"
Reyn couldn't contain his joy. The Golden Poison Ant's demonic soul had barely weakened at all, flowing into him completely naturally.
The Soul World Tree, nourished by the demonic soul, shot up rapidly. At the same time, the first branch appeared on its trunk.
This branch spread wide, and three pale golden leaves bloomed on it. On each leaf, a rune of the element clearly emerged—these were "Strength," "Steel Body," and "Metallic Touch," inherited from the Golden Poison Ant.
The moment the merge completed, Reyn felt his body beginning to change rapidly!