Death... and me

The day quickly passed. During the night, Valia came to see Frandin. However, because Roan and the girls were still there, she couldn't bring herself to do anything extra. The following day, Frandin bid his farewells to the Portin Clan members and left with Roan's group.

However, there were quite a few people who seemed to be waiting for him outside. After all, it didn't take long for the others to realize that Frandin would come here sooner or later. It's just that Xiria and her uncle had noticed it faster.

Everyone flocked around him, asking to have some time to talk. They all wanted to know more about this 'Celestial Land member.' Roan and the girls ended up being pushed aside due to this.

Fortunately, there was a group from the Asume Clan in the area.

"Young Friend Gian, we came to bring you to the Asume Clan as we've discussed previously."

Everyone was taken aback while Frandin sighed in relief. Of course, he kept his aloof expression as he agreed.

"Good! Bring me there. I have some things to talk about with the Asume Clan as well."

The rest of the people around couldn't help but feel curious. What is it that he needed to talk with Asume? Could it be that the same thing happened with the Portin Clan? In that case, could they also be included if it was a good thing?

However, Frandin quickly left with Roan and the girls, ignoring the incessant pleading of the Zasfins to talk with him. It was way too much attention to his taste.

In the Portin Clan, Xiria was already waiting at the front gate together with a few more girls of the clan. Alongside them, there were also a few female human assistants that accompanied those female Zasfins. They all bowed to Frandin, showing their respect.

"Welcome, Gian."

Frandin's group felt like they were exaggerating a little but decided to not comment on it. Frandin was then the first one to talk.

"Well, then. I came because of your invitation. What is it that you wanted from me?"

Xiria smiled before she looked at her own female human assistant.

"Lilia, give him the item."

"Yes, Lady Xiria."

She then passed it to Frandin before Xiria asked.

"Can you please check if you can recognize this item?"

Frandin and the others had puzzled expressions on their faces.

Frandin then opened the bag and saw a translucent crystal inside. As soon as Frandin saw that, he gasped in shock. That's because he could feel the rich Soul Energy Power inside. However, this was the first time he ever saw something like this. Obviously, he couldn't recognize the item.

Frandin was just about to tell Xiria that he had no idea when suddenly, he received a Spiritual Sense Message from Roan.

'This is a test. The Asume Clan wants to see if you really are who they think you are. Do you remember? The Portin Clan thinks that you came from the Celestial Lands and are pretty sure about it. However, this Asume Clan is being more cautious. If I'm not wrong, they expect you to know what it is.'

Frandin felt a chill on his back. However, he already got used to this kind of situation, so it didn't appear on his face. After some time, he looked at Xiria with a serious expression and used a Spiritual Sense message to talk to her.

'I didn't think I would see something like this in this city. Even with my status, I was only able to get three of them during my life. Tell me, where did you find it?'

That was a huge lie. However, Frandin spoke in a tone that made it hard to believe he was doing that.

Xiria narrowed her eyes for a moment but quickly smiled once again.

'We just found it. It's exactly because of your status that we decided to ask you about it. Can you tell me this item's name and use?'

Frandin nodded, seeming to not care too much.

'I don't know what you call it here, but we call them Soul Stones back in my home. They can help a lot in strengthening your Soul Power as long as you know how to use them. Let me warn you, though. If you try to absorb it directly, you're in for quite some trouble.'

Frandin said all of that without care... or so it seemed on the surface. Deep inside, he was using Roan, the girls, Rean, Agis, and even Sister Orb to help him guess what it was about. In the end, the one who gave him an answer was Sister Orb. Just a moment ago, Sister Orb's voice echoed in his mind thanks to the fact that Roan was close to him.

[I have an idea. I've been watching you using your Soul Power so far, so there's no mistake. After Rean and Roan gained the Soul Mark and manifested their Soul Energy, I could finally use my connection to them to analyze it. Thanks to that, I can now sense Soul Power as well. This Stone is very similar to a Spirit Stone, just that it has Soul Power instead. Rean and Roan could definitely benefit from its use.]

Sister Orb warned Frandin, though.

[However, there's a huge issue with this Stone. The Soul Power inside is too chaotic. I don't know how the Soul Power of Zasfins works. Still, I'm pretty sure that if a Zasfin tries to absorb this, they'll suffer quite a terrible backlash. Malaka, Qia, Calina, and Agis would be no exception. Rean and Roan might be able to do it because they have the Soul Gem System's Support, but it would still be a gamble. I need more time to analyze Soul Power before I can use something like this Stone.]

It was thanks to that Spiritual Sense Message that Frandin was able to say something.

Xiria's eyes brightened when Frandin said that. She wasn't surprised that Frandin could tell that this was a Soul Stone. After all, any Zasfin would understand that it had some relations to Soul Power. They would all feel compelled to absorb its power. If Frandin had said just it, she would definitely doubt he had any background whatsoever.

However, when he said that one needed a correct method to use this Stone, especially that it would cause great damage if used carelessly, she confirmed that he was the real deal. The name of the Stone itself didn't matter since it would be normal for it to have different names in different places. The world was big, after all.

Frandin was right. It was quite a rarity for this Soul Stone to appear in a place like this. Xiria heard from her father that even the Imperial Family would rarely ever get ahold of one. Only their top geniuses would ever have the chance of using it. If not for a stroke of luck from their ancestor, their clan would have never put their hands on it or maybe even heard of this thing.

It was also because one of their clan members tried to use it that they knew about the backlash. It was a very well-known story that the Asume Clan's genius, Byalan Asume, damaged his Soul Power. No one knew how it happened, though. It's just that the genius went from a prominent position in the clan and the city all the way to the bottom feeders.

Of course, Frandin's group didn't know such a thing had happened in the past.

Frandin then concluded his words with his voice this time.

"However, don't ask me how these Stones came to be. I have no idea, nor did I ever ask. The elders back home seemed pretty serious about not disclosing much information about it."

Xiria was more than satisfied with that. To be more specific, she was a lot more interested in the method of usage that Frandin commented. For obvious reasons, they couldn't disclose that they had it here in the Asume Clan. However, if Frandin was someone from the Celestial Lands, he shouldn't low himself to the point where he wanted to rob them of the Stone. As for the other clans, that was more uncertain.

Xiria nodded as she made a decision.

"Please, young master Gian, come inside. We would like to hear more about it if you don't mind."

Frandin nodded and headed inside with Xiria as the guide. Just like the last time in the Portin Clan, Xiria brought Frandin to meet their elders. She also used a Spiritual Sense message to tell them that he passed the test.

The elders' eyes brightened when they heard about it and immediately greeted Frandin back.

"Welcome, young friend. You helped us a lot by telling us what that Stone was about—just one thing. I hope you will keep this information a secret from the other clans and organizations around."

Frandin laughed in response.

"Hahaha! Don't worry, I have no interest in your city's power struggle. I'm not staying for long anyway, so I don't care about what will happen in the future. At the very least, I can guarantee that I won't get involved in your disputes. Nonetheless, I have to congratulate you all. Even I was a little tempted by that item. Well, I don't need to fight for it, though. If I really need it, I have my ways to get another one."

The elders and the clan head sighed in relief after that. Finally, the clan head looked at Xiria before saying.

"Well then, little friend. Stay with us for a day so that we can entertain you. If you need anything, let us know."

Frandin nodded with a smile before Xiria brought him away. Just as they were about to leave the hall, Xiria's father sent her a Spiritual Sense message.

'Find out how to use the Stone. It will be for the clan and your own future.'

Xiria didn't need that message. She was already determined to find out how to use it.

Xiria then guided Frandin's group to a guest room together with her female human slaves. However, Frandin and the others didn't expect what would happen.

As soon as Xiria closed the door, she and the human girls all took their clothes off! They presented themselves clean in front of Frandin and the others. Frandin might have kept up his play so far, but even he couldn't help but gasp at that scene.

However, before he could even ask, Xiria grabbed both of his hands and put one of them on her breasts and the other on her 'special place.'

"Young Master Gian, you can use the other girls and me as you wish, so please tell us how to use the Stone."

She then went closer to his ears before whispering.

"By the way, we're all virgins."

Frandin almost passed out there and then.