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Jake began his science and tried to work on how one would supercharge the wings the way the Viper had done, but also found it a problem to control the mist and form a tunnel between himself and where he wanted to escape to. Did he need to make a cylinder of poison or something that isolated everything around it? No, that would take way too much power…

What about shooting a canon of poison in the direction and then diving after that? It could work, but space tended to reform too quickly, and if his opponent was actively trying to stop him, he would need an insane amount of poison mist to do that. The mist also kind of sucked, to begin with.

He then returned to the very important detail of the Viper turning green. Why had he done that? Some shield to protect himself from the poison?

A few theories popped up immediately, but none fit. Jake was deep in thought and tried a few things as his wings pulsed with power, sending mist out. Ultimately, he decided that he first needed to make some kind of poison able to corrode through reality. Saying it so casually was damn weird, but he was serious.

Passive mana tended to not be that strong as long as you targeted the right things. This was why Alchemical Flame was so damn good at breaking down objects, as it directly targeted the passive mana and the concepts keeping things whole.

So, Jake needed a poison that targeted passive mana that didn’t fight back. Maybe he could apply concepts from Alchemical Flame directly there…. yeah, that actually seemed doable. There were many plants and poisons potent at naturally corroding things. Acids found that went through stone that a C-grade could not even scratch like it was nothing, poison mist that would turn a block of metal an S-grade would dream of crafting a weapon from into swiss cheese. These existed everywhere, and Jake had consumed plenty.

But even if he made this, what about non-passive mana? Like where he was trapped right now? That kind of mana would fight him actively. Could he even make something that eroded the wall of Sandy’s stomach? He knew he probably could with Touch, but as mist?

Jake groaned in annoyance as he felt himself be mentally pinged by Sandy. He obliged and found himself outside once more, instantly noticing that the area had changed to rocky terrain and before him was a large C-grade bird of some kind.

“Go human! Use bow attack!” Sandy said with excitement as Jake pulled out his bow and added another C-grade to his list of slain foes before getting back in his pokeba- stomach.

He did have to admit that Sandy was damn good at analyzing his strength and picking opponents.

Back in the chamber, Jake felt more relaxed after a bit of killing, seeing the entire thing with new eyes. It was like having a good night’s sleep and then waking up to look at your project again. Jake considered different poisons he would need in the mist, and it quickly became clear he would need damn many concepts at once. No, he could not have all be active at once; he needed to make an adaptable mist that targeted everything at once but only actively targeted what it encountered.

And then he came back to that damn green color. Why the hell was the Viper glowing? Was it because… no… it made sense?

Jake had been looking at it all wrong. The Malefic Viper had not made a path of escape using the mist. He had not made a poison mist that eroded everything - he became the poison mist. Rather than dripping acid on the evil to get through, the Viper became a semi-solid ball of acid that was dropped onto it. So even if the metal above reformed, he would still get through.

The Viper had wrapped himself in it. Like a cocoon, the poison mist wrapped around him in a supercharged state. That was why the Viper was glowing green; his entire body had turned into toxic mist, and he used his power to keep it strong.

As Jake realized this, he felt like something clicked in his mind. He instantly checked Path of the Heretic-Chosen and saw that his intuition had been correct.

Do you wish to experience the Legacy of the Malefic Viper? Uses remaining: 3

Did Jake think he could upgrade the skill without experiencing another vision? Sure. Probably. But Jake also kind of feared that he would lose the skill with his C-grade upgrade or maybe lose the uses. So he wanted to use all of them, even if it was a bit of a waste.

Ah, who was he kidding? He just wanted to see Villy get embarrassed, have his ass handed to him, and be forced to escape.

Even with everything happening on Earth, the inside of the workshop appeared entirely undisturbed. Arnold was still working on his latest creation as he got an expected visit from a recent arrival to their planet.

Ell’Hakan had to admit that he found the entire construction quite novel. A massive metal dome with impressive enchantments all over. The material itself also looked incredibly tough, and he doubted that anything mundane could break through. It was truly a defensive stronghold, and even he would have issues breaking into it within any reasonable timeframe.

Luckily, he did not have to break in.

As he approached, the dome simply opened up to him as he met the assistant to the machinist, as the human named Arnold had been dubbed.

“Welcome, sir; how may I assist you?” the assistant asked. She was obviously aware of what was going on and knew that trying to keep Ell’Hakan out would only delay the inevitable. Besides, it was simply smarter to allow him access.

“Impressive construction, and even more impressive techniques present on the inside. I thank you for allowing me in without any needless delays. Do tell, is the machinist available?” Ell’Hakan asked.

“I will inform him of your presence,” the assistant said with a bow and a smile as she briefly left the welcome room. Ell’Hakan felt the doubt and hesitation in her but also some relief. A good emotion to amplify as it could lead to other positive thoughts and feelings. Having the assistant possess a good view of him wasn’t necessary, but a nice to have. No, the one he truly cared about was Arnold.

Ell’Hakan had done his research and found this man far more outstanding than anyone seemed to give him credit for. He was blessed by Void God Oras, something that even his Patron found utterly baffling as no D-grade human should be able to handle that. The ones a Void God usually blessed were either incredibly powerful members of the enlightened races and at far higher grades, or they were creatures explicitly suited to them, such as rare elementals or other monsters.

The reason why he approached this machinist was obviously for his mind. Because one other thing he discovered was that the man had no true loyalty to the Malefic’s Chosen. He simply worked for him and did some commissions. There appeared to be no true relationship there; it was purely transactional. The fact that he had stayed even after the City Lord left was further proof that Arnold simply did not view himself as part of the Malefic Chosen’s faction. So if he was offered good enough terms and his emotions swayed properly, there was no reason for him not to switch.

“Sir, he is ready to receive you,” the assistant came in and said with another bow less than a minute after leaving.

Ell’Hakan thanked her as he entered the workshop. He had prepared for a trap just in case but found nothing even as he scanned his surroundings. The moment he was in the workshop, he found himself overwhelmed by the sheer number of projects going on. It was astonishing one man could do so much at once, and the complexity of every project was incredible.

The planet Ell’Hakan came from was not a very technologically advanced one. He had learned that quickly after the integration. So this all served to overwhelm him more but also strengthened his desire to recruit the man. The Celestial Kingdom lacked people like him as no natives were technologically minded, and Ell’Hakan had a feeling this man alone could lead to a technological revolution.

“It is truly my pleasure to finally meet you,” Ell’Hakan said as he saw the machinist. He did not look like much, but as mentioned, then it was not his body but his mind that was worthy of respect.

“What do you want?” the man asked curtly. If not for his Bloodline, he would have thought the man was hostile, but no. There were no such emotions. In fact, the emotional spectrum he felt from the man was incredibly narrow and muted.

But it was there. Ell’Hakan had a faint fear that the man somehow didn’t possess emotions at all, as that would partly explain his ability to have a Void God as his Patron. It turned out that even if he was peculiar, then he was still a human with emotions to bite onto and manipulate. To Ell’Hakan, the slightest thing was enough.

“I am incredibly impressed by your work, and I come with an offer,” Ell’Hakan said, knowing not to mince words with the man to avoid testing his patience. “I am aware your ties to Haven are shallow at best, and you are primarily here due to the resources offered, yes?”

He did not even need the machinist to answer to know it was true. His emotions gave it away.

“If that is the case, I can offer you something better. The backing of not just a single city but an entire world. A planet full of natural resources for you to explore and exploit to your liking, with near-endless funds. And all I ask in return is a bit of conditional loyalty,” he offered with a smile.

That is when he felt just the emotion he wanted. Desire. Greed. This man was stoic, but alas, still human and would fall to human desires like any other. But there was also a lot of distrust. Arnold seemed to be in thought as Ell’Hakan tried to soothe his worries.

“To show my sincerity, we can start with a temporary working contract. Simply let me hire you for a while. Come and see my planet once I return, and if you refuse to work for me anymore, I swear I will help you gain passage to anywhere else,” Ell’Hakan said convincingly. He also took out a small star-shaped token and handed it to the machinist.

“At the very least consider the offer.”

Arnold looked at the token and took it. A faint sliver of trust had wormed in. It was weak and only trusted that Ell’Hakan would give him time to think and was not there to cause him harm, but that alone was a springboard. He amplified Arnold’s emotions and used his Bloodline liberally to the level of getting a slight headache. The machinist was a tough one compared to the Malefic’s Chosen. If Arnold was a faint candle of emotions, then the Malefic’s Chosen was a roaring inferno.

“I will,” Arnold finally answered with a genuine nod.

“To further show my sincerity,” Ell’Hakan said as he summoned a number of metals from his planet that none of his current crafters could work with. Instantly he felt the man’s interest, and Ell’Hakan could not help himself but smile as he subtly left.

He had a good feeling Arnold would make the right choice.

Arnold sat alone after the alien left. He felt a strong sense of trust in the man but paid it little attention. Checking the recording of the conversation, he did not necessarily find anything amiss either. Arnold considered the offer and checked some provided information in the token. It even included a potential draft of an offer as well as a method to contact Ell’Hakan.

The offer was good. Brilliant, even. Far more than Lord Thayne and Haven had or likely would ever offer him. Their resources were limited, and it had primarily been the merchant Sultan helping him out by selling Arnold’s products and buying raw materials. To say he was supported by Haven and Lord Thayne would be simply incorrect. At least not in an institutional capacity. Lord Thayne had personally helped him, but that had been transactional in nature.

If Arnold went by his guts, the answer was a no-brainer. He had far more trust in Ell’Hakan supporting him than Lord Thayne losing interest and just leaving for good. Arnold would definitely accept the offer if he had to choose.

But he didn’t choose. Because truly, what he felt didn’t matter and should never be a factor in his decision-making. Arnold started out with the most obvious and made a detailed analysis of his own thought patterns, identifying that his emotional responses had been adversely affected, further cementing that he should not use his flawed mind to decide.

Additionally, he analyzed the offer, truly finding it worth it even from a far more objective standpoint. The benefits would be more than Haven would offer, but that was only in the short term. Using his current working model for predicting behavior and going by all the information he had, there were few positive outcomes.

Ell’Hakan had made the Malefic’s Chosen an enemy, and it did not take an Eye of Oras to see all the potential risks involved in that. Lord Thayne was simply too unpredictable in every aspect for Arnold to make any conclusions or properly assess him. He did not make the decisions Arnold would expect in nearly any situation. He was an utterly illogical human. And if there was one thing Arnold wanted to avoid in his calculations, it was high-variable outliers ruining the entire model.

Looking over the data one final time, Arnold simply nodded and returned to his work. The decision he came to was simple.

Just don’t choose a side.

Lord Thayne would not ask for him to choose one, and Ell’Hakan had a standing offer, so why decide now? The only reason he would be forced to make a decision was if either party lost. In which case, he would choose the person not losing.

With Lord Thayne, however, the only valid parameter to rule him the loser would be his death, while for Ell’Hakan, it would also include him fleeing the planet. The reason for this difference?

All data indicated he could survive an angry Ell’Hakan coming after him.

All data indicated he couldn’t survive an angry Jake Thayne hunting him to the ends of eternity.