Earth's Greatest Magus

In the past four years, Emery's mastery of spirit reading had reached another height. By now, none below the rank of Grand Magus could withstand his probing abilities.

With the activation of [Spirit Walk], Emery delved into the mind of the captured pirate Magus, a notorious Full Moon Magus captain and a renowned lieutenant under the infamous Pirate King Gaira. Despite the Magus's reputation, his mental defenses were inadequate against Emery's prowess. Within a matter of hours, Emery had broken through and extracted all the Magus vital information.

Moving to a nearby table, Emery activated a crystal display, projecting a star system Map of the Beta quadrant. With precision, he meticulously documented key locations, including the pirate hideout housing their ill-gotten treasures.

Yet, amidst the myriad details, one piece of information stood out—a plot by a certain pirate group to raid a trade ship belonging to the Golden City. Given the Earth faction's desire to improve its standing with the Golden City Council, intercepting this raid became an immediate priority.

The urgency of the task left no room for delay, necessitating Morgana's immediate departure. Though he could sense her reluctance to part ways so soon after their 3 months reunion, Morgana remained silent, offering no words of protest or resistance.

Once Morgana had departed, Emery pulled the pirate soul into his palm. With a mere thought, he effortlessly teleported himself and Livi to another chamber nestled within the second layer of the mountain.

Emery didn't rely on any of his spatial spells for this journey; it was an inherent ability granted to the Domain owner. After all, this was his personal aperture, a realm over which he wielded complete dominion. Within its confines, he possessed the power to traverse to any location or move any individual within the domain's boundaries.

Any Items scattered across the Domain could be summoned with the flick of a finger or plucked out of the aperture's depths at will.

He could even reshape landscapes, alter terrain, or manipulate the elements. With his proficiency in all 10 elements, Emery could conjure forth freezing snow or molten lava, sculpting the environment within his aperture to his whim. Within the confines of his aperture, Emery reigned as a god, omnipotent and unchallenged.

Emery arrived at the second chamber, its interior was similar to the first, hewn from the dark stone of the mountain itself. Yet, unlike its predecessor, this chamber exuded an even deeper darkness, its atmosphere heavy with foreboding.

Its expansive confines were divided into multiple smaller rooms, each serving as a prison cell where Emery confined his captives.

Currently, the rooms lay empty, devoid of any occupants. Yet, at the far end of the chamber, a different sight greeted the eye. Here, encased within glass containers, floated a dozen ethereal forms—the essence of other Magus souls. Each container held the spirit of a notable captive, individuals whose potential value to Emery had earned them a place within his confines. Among them resided pirates, criminals, rouge magus, and even souls of dark elves, each detained for their transgressions or perceived threats.

With a subtle gesture, Emery directed the newly captured pirate soul into one of the vacant glass chambers. As the soul wailed in helpless protest, a nearby soul stirred to life, its spectral form reaching out to Emery.

<Another poor prisoner…>

This particular soul stood out among the others—the soul of Lyanna Darkmoon, a dark elf noble and outcast, forgotten by her faction.

Lyanna's soul had previously exchanged hands with Silva in a trade for a beast's soul embedded within his sword. However, during Silva's final days, she returned the soul to Emery's possession. Since then, Emery had safeguarded it within his spatial space, choosing not to relinquish it along with the other dark elves' souls that were traded to the Magus Alliance for Alliance points.

Unlike the other souls, Emery retained Lyanna's soul for its unique value. As a dark elf noble and former commander, Lyanna possessed a wealth of knowledge about the magus universe, offering valuable insights from a dark elf's perspective. Over time, she had proven cooperative, occasionally offering Emery her counsel on various matters.

As Emery sealed the newly acquired pirate soul, Lyanna's voice echoed in his mind once more, seeking an update on her situation.

"<I have been aiding you for years now... When will you fulfill your promise to grant me a new body?>"

Emery's response was prompt and sincere. "Don't worry, I intend to keep my promise."

After securing the pirate's soul, Emery uttered to Livi "When was the last time you fed the bees?"

Observing Baphomet's awkward smile, Emery once again exercised his domain's power, whisking them both to the opposite side of the mountain. Here, they found themselves in a cavern of considerable size, its ceiling pierced by a single hole allowing a beam of light to filter through. Yet, paradoxically, this light cast the remainder of the cave into a realm of deep shadows, where darkness reigned supreme.

Turning his gaze upward, Emery beheld a series of hives dotting the ceiling, their pitch-black forms melding into the rocky surface like malignant growths. Despite their innocuous appearance, these hives were anything but ordinary—they were the domain of the elusive [Shadowflame Bees].

Each hive harbored a queen, a mythical creature of formidable power, ruling over a collective of three to five hundred bees, from magical to legendary level beasts, their presence casting a palpable aura of darkness throughout the cavern.

Following Emery's order, Livi the Baphomet approached closer to the hives, she conjured dark flames that danced on top of her palm, casting an eerie glow across the cavern. In response, thousands of Shadowflame Bees emerged from the depths of their hives, drawn to the dark flames like moths to a flame. As they fed on the dark energy of Livi's flames, each bee became illuminated, their bodies glowing like tiny fireflies.

Emery observed the spectacle with a sense of satisfaction.

The bee hives had been one of his fortunate discoveries during one of his excursions to a distant waypoint. It was originally intended to be consumed to aid in the repair of his fractured primal core. However, upon attempting to assimilate their essence, Emery found that the bees' physiology was incompatible with his own.

Instead of eradicating them, Emery made the deliberate choice to foster and cultivate the Shadowflame Bees. Beyond their potential as covert weapons, these creatures possessed another valuable asset: they produced a rare type of honey [Ivy Flame honey], classified as a prized Tier 4 material. This unique honey held multifaceted utility, serving as a coveted ingredient for Emery's apothecary pursuits and also offering an additional avenue for passive income.