The Oracle Paths

Jake feared that finding Cekt's lair on Thelma would be a real headache, but it turned out to be a breeze. When the Wendok was willing to be found, the Shadow Guide had no trouble pointing them in the right direction.

Unlike Will, this was Jake's first trip to Thelma itself. He had been to this huge Floating Island several times before, but he had only visited the Outer City equivalent.

Once to visit the New Earth embassy in order to establish his faction and Floating Island, and then the other times for brief stopovers, such as when he came to pick up Ulfar and his consorts in one of the neutral districts.

Interestingly, the King of Beskyr's overflowing luck did not enable him to pop up directly in the Oracle Capital. This inner energy shield was no joke.

The Outer City accounted for most of the available land, but as with the refugee-ridden slums of the Oracle Shelters, this unregulated space was cluttered with the embassies and encampments of tens of thousands of races. They were not, however, desperate refugees, and these embassies generally reflected the technological pinnacle of each civilization.

But the underlying mindset was the same. Everyone wanted to settle in the Oracle Capital. In addition to the reassuring protection of its energy shield, the Oracle Guardians legion and the Oracle Overseer, it was also an unparalleled symbol of prestige.

Real estate prices in the Oracle Capital were unfortunately sky high and rising at such a staggering rate that even nation factions with the resources of an entire civilization could not always keep up. The supply was also very limited due to the fact that Thelma had a fixed surface.

The last but not least concern was that it was not easy to get in. In addition to the Aether fee amounting to millions of points, one had to wait for an authorization before getting in.

Factually, unless one was ill-intentioned, the request was in most cases accepted, but many who wanted to visit the Oracle Overseer's headquarters with the improper intention of seeking an audience with him had been denied entry. Those who came with the best of intentions but without the financial means to do so were usually turned away as well.

Rumor has it that the man at the head of the New Earth faction (as opposed to the island or New Earth government) had a private residence in the suburbs that he did not share with the rest of the government.

The government was actively trying to buy a piece of land in the capital, but faced stiff competition. The few estates that remained vacant were simply not for sale and could only be attained as rewards for great feats of arms.

The neutral district, built around the capital where Jake had retrieved Ulfar, was an ambitious and cosmopolitan attempt by multiple factions and species to create a less elitist capital open to all.

Commerce, hotels, casinos, and restaurants flourished here, with the culinary and technological specialties of every race able to settle here patiently awaiting its buyer. Most of the time, this unofficial capital was much more crowded and vibrant than the official Oracle Capital.

Despite its willingness to overshadow the capital, nothing could compare to its prestige. That's why, when a giant of more than 3 meters and a 12 year old child crossed the inner energy shield without pausing, many passers-by and influential Evolvers were stunned.

The man had decent strength, but it was nothing compared to the many Fifth and Sixth-Ordeal Evolvers swarming around. Low-ranked Evolvers visiting the capital was a rare occurrence. Many factions had eyes and ears everywhere, including New Earth, and Jake's presence on Thelma was soon reported to Colonel Hale and General Eric, who were drinking coffee together.

"What the hell is he doing here? He doesn't need to go to Thelma to participate in his Fourth Ordeal." The general grumped as he smoothed his mustache.

"For the record, he is also the disciple of Cekt Mogusar, a Rank 3 Aetherist." A wrinkleless woman bearing a striking resemblance to Ruby except for her ordinary brown hair and eyes, corrected him nonchalantly while sipping her coffee.

"What a lucky brat... If he doesn't start his Fourth Ordeal immediately upon his return, what will you do, Phoebe?" He abruptly changed the subject. "You'll keep waiting for him, even if it means penalizing your niece Ruby and the rest of her team? You've been putting it off for four months already. Aether density is climbing so fast they'll soon lose all their advantages."

Colonel Phoebe Hale stared him straight in the eye and said in an unyielding tone,

"It is precisely for Ruby's sake that I am willing to wait. Her personality is deteriorating too quickly despite the intensive psychological training we're putting her through. This Jake is, according to the Oracle System, her Soulmate, and I intend to see him fulfill his role. Everyone on Team 127 cares about Ruby. If it's for her sake, they'll wait. Although her performance in her third Ordeal is controversial-"

"That's an understatement!" The general cut her off with a shout. "She killed everyone! Her allies, civilians, enemies, monsters, everything! It's a miracle that half of her team managed to come back alive by cooperating with her. The other half refuses to talk to her and has been asking to switch teams."

Phoebe glared at him and he fell silent with a stumped face as if he had just choked on a fly.

"I know what happened better than anyone. I don't excuse her, but it's not her fault. I know that deep down she's loyal to us and that's the most important thing. Despite her methods, thanks to Ruby and her team we have a ticket to Quanoth. As soon as you heard the news, you transferred them to the main faction so that as many soldiers as possible could go with them. So, please, don't play the sanctimonious hypocrite with me."

While the general and his colonel continued to bicker about Jake's importance and Phoebe's favoritism toward Ruby, the Jake in question had finally reached his destination.

In a narrow alley, between two buildings that looked like a stack of metal boxes with no doors or windows, a locked "80cm" high door blocked their path.

"Uh, are you sure this is the place?" Tim asked nervously, not daring to accuse Jake of going the wrong way.

Jake's face twitched but his irritated reply was devoid of the slightest hesitation,

"This is the place. Only that pipsqueak Wendok would play such a joke on us." He spat out resentfully. "Let's go home. It's not urgent anyway..."

He could have teleported forcibly inside or destroyed the entrance, but something told him that wouldn't work as planned. Going back empty-handed would save them from wasting any more of their time, and it would spoil the little alien's sadistic enjoyment.

"Not fun!" An angry voice croaked from the other side of the door.

In an instant, the wall and the miniature door vanished and a paved garden path was revealed to them. Cekt Mogusar stood before them with fists on hips and a regretful expression.

"I have chosen my disciple very poorly! Your fellow students Syrbarun and Siri fell for it and crawled on the floor like dumbasses to get through a tiny door that didn't exist mwahahaha!

"Very funny." Jake commented deadpan, before saying, "You know why I'm here."

"Hmmph... You've come a long way in the last few months, but you still can't instant cast any Aether Spells. I really don't know why I took you under my wing... But fine, follow me."

Just like when they first met, Cekt conjured up a strange Cube out of nowhere and as he rested his hand on it he simply disappeared inside. Familiar with this trick, Jake put his hand over it and Tim did the same.

Cekt's portable laboratory had not changed since his last visit and he quickly found his way around. The little alien hadn't waited for them and after revisiting the lab entirely they found him in the same room where Jake had received his own bloodline.

" So! Who do I start with?" The Aetherist huffed with an attitude that was at long last professional.

Tim swiftly raised his hand with enthusiasm.

"Very Well." Cekt nodded. "In order to avoid any misunderstanding, I must first tell you that I have done my best. Since Tim's Beskyrian bloodline is of low purity, the addition of your Myrtharian Bloodline will give him excellent benefits. If all goes well, he will get most of your abilities, including Self-Aether Encoding and Accelerated Growth.

"That's not the case with you, Jake. You haven't met the requirements for me to teach you directly yet, but you should know that your body and soul can't accumulate too much Aether Code or it will conflict. This is different from a genetic disease such as Down's Syndrome, which is caused by an excess of chromosomes, but alas, much more complicated to solve.

"To make sure you understand the situation, I'm going to give you your first lesson in Aetherism. Tim, you are not my disciple, but you can listen if you want. Trust me, it will be handy in the future.

Jake expected that it wouldn't be so easy to merge various bloodlines, but his thirst for knowledge was awakened when he heard his master's speech.

Seeing that he had the attention of both humans, the little alien grinned contentedly, before asking them a question, which stumped them:

"First of all, do you know how the Oracle System determines the Grade of a bloodline?"