“Right, you mentioned earlier that lifespan can be exchanged for power. What did you mean by that?”
Zoe had not forgotten the terms of Rosovali's previous contract.
“When facing a life-threatening crisis, you can exchange your lifespan for mana.”
“Or exchange it for my abilities.”
“However, there is a limit to how much you can exchange within a single day.”
So that was how it worked.
Hearing Rosovali's explanation, Zoe felt he had gained a few more trump cards.
“By the way, do you know the true names of other High Demons?”
Zoe rather wanted to get his hands on Rosovali's contact list.
That way, in each of his future lives, he could fleece a different demon.
In this life, he was fleecing Rosovali, who specialized in the domain of life.
In his next life, he could fleece the knowledge of other High Demons who specialized in domains like fire, water, and wind.
If he could get a High Demon to give him a major boost in every lifetime, Zoe would be able to rapidly accumulate knowledge on the Six Forces.
“Absolutely not.”
“A single soul can only form a contract with one High Demon. I will never tell you the true names of any other High Demons.”
“Besides, High Demons are extremely rare in subspace. I don't know many myself.”
Subspace was an incredibly dangerous domain, far less stable than the material plane.
That was why beings from subspace yearned so deeply for the physical reality of the material plane.
In the perilous subspace, only demons who had survived for millennia and tempted countless souls had the chance to become High Demons and obtain their own true names—names that held unique, inherent power.
Once they obtained a true name, a demon's power would receive a terrifyingly massive boost.
“Speaking of which, can you let me sign contracts with them?”
“Their souls are incredibly valuable. If you are willing to let them sign contracts with me...”
“I might be able to grant you even more power, and even grant your soul a century of freedom.”
Rosovali was a demon, after all.
No matter how much they taught Zoe or how intellectual and amiable they appeared, their true nature remained entirely unchanged.
They had their eyes on the souls of Ethan and Ella.
One of those souls belonged to a Legendary blacksmith and possessed skills that made Rosovali's mouth water.
On top of that, it came with a Golden Eye.
To a demon specializing in the domain of life, this was an exceedingly rare treasure. After all, the Golden Race had already gone extinct, and a Golden Eye infused with unique power was a hard-to-find gem.
As for Ella, Rosovali was even more intrigued by her.
Rosovali had tried to tempt Ella's mother, Amelia, in hopes of obtaining Ella's soul and body.
However, Amelia, who was only fifteen at the time, refused to sacrifice her daughter's soul just to survive.
Instead, she sacrificed her own soul to Rosovali in exchange for Ella's survival.
This had heavily defied Rosovali's expectations back then.
“Rosovali, you are overreaching.”
“But why are you so interested in Ella? What makes her so special?” Zoe asked, looking at Rosovali, who was making no effort to conceal their greed.
“Little shadow, your soul will belong to me sooner or later. Therefore, whether I choose to satisfy your curiosity or not is entirely up to me.”
Rosovali felt that Zoe lacked respect.
They were a High Demon, yet Zoe showed no awareness that his soul already belonged to them.
“One year of lifespan in exchange for satisfying my curiosity.”
Zoe staked another year of his life.
A High Demon's true name held immense power, which was a double-edged sword. While it granted them terrifying, concept-level power, it also meant they could never violate a contract signed with their true name.
As long as Zoe fulfilled the contract and paid the price in lifespan, Rosovali had to answer his questions and provide assistance.
“As you wish, little shadow.”
Rosovali instantly became amiable once more.
“Ella's mother possessed a trace of the Winged Race's bloodline, and this bloodline has manifested as a genetic throwback in Ella.”
“This was likely triggered by the influence of her father's dragon-blooded heritage.”
“As a result, the concentration of the Winged bloodline in Ella's body was enhanced, granting her an immense capacity for mana.”
“The Winged Race?”
“What is the Winged Race?”
“Prior to the Sacred Circle Calendar, these were the five most noble human bloodlines in the magical world. It was precisely because of these five bloodlines that humanity rose in the material plane, inaugurating the human-dominated era of the Sacred Circle Calendar.”
“These five bloodlines are...”
“The Golden Race, representing the 'eyes.'”
“The Silver Race, representing the 'blood.'”
“The Winged Race, representing the 'body.'”
“The Bronze Race, representing the 'brain.'”
“The Old Circle Clan, representing the 'bones.'”
Eyes, blood, body, brain, bones...
Was it a coincidence?
Zoe recalled that when he chose his stats before each reincarnation, they corresponded to these very five aspects.
“Among them, the Golden Race can awaken the Golden Eye, obtaining perception, eyesight, and the ability to manipulate metal that surpasses all other races.”
“The Silver Race possesses an extraordinary self-healing ability. Furthermore, this regeneration grows without limit alongside their strength; the strongest among them could achieve true immortality.”
“The Winged Race can manifest illusory wings to dominate the sky, and they possess an extraordinarily vast amount of mana.”
“The Bronze Race has unparalleled learning and creative abilities, allowing them to rapidly learn and master any form of knowledge. They possess terrifying powers of calculation and thought.”
“The Old Circle Clan has immense physical defense. Once their bloodline awakens, they can form a Bone Circle capable of absorbing any attack and energy.”
“It was by relying on the power of these five clans that humanity was able to rise above dragons, elves, beastkin, and countless formidable monsters, ushering in the human era.”
“However, after they forged the Sacred Circle and initiated the human-dominated era of the Sacred Circle Calendar, these five bloodlines declined due to various reasons.”
“The Golden Race is nearly extinct. The Silver Race is sparse in population. The Winged Race was exiled. The Bronze Race has completely integrated into humanity, leaving no purebloods of their kind. As for the Old Circle Clan, they have guarded the Sacred Circle ever since the calendar began, practicing endogamy; although their bloodline remains pure, their numbers have dwindled to the absolute extreme.”
Hearing the history recounted by the High Demon before him, Zoe felt his worldview being thoroughly shattered.
He had never heard of the contributions made by these five clans.
According to the knowledge he had been taught since childhood, the Sacred Circle War was a heroic struggle led by various kings and nobles, won after making countless sacrifices.
And it was this victory that ultimately birthed the Sacred Circle Calendar that belonged to humanity.
Therefore, the bloodlines of kings and nobles were deemed incomparably noble, because they were the ones who had forged the human era and established the Sacred Circle Calendar.
Out of the five clans, Zoe had never even heard of the other four besides the Golden Race.
Of course, this was also because his horizons had been far too limited in his first two lives.
“The Sacred Circle Calendar... You just mentioned forging the Sacred Circle. What is the Sacred Circle?”
“The Sacred Circle is humanity's supreme sacred relic, the very artifact that maintains human supremacy.”
“As long as the Sacred Circle exists, humanity will never fall.”
“Humanity's Legendary rank corresponds to the Quasi-Demon Kings among monsters.”
“The Saint rank among humans represents the True Demon Kings among monsters.”
“But whether a Legendary human or a Saint-rank human, they all share a fatal flaw inherent to the human race.”
“They are short-lived. No True Demon King has ever been known to die of old age, but a human Saint has a lifespan of only five hundred years.”
“The Sacred Circle, however, can store near-infinite amounts of mana, and it possesses the ability to record S-grade skills, as well as preserve souls from destruction, allowing them to reincarnate.”
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