Chapter 1174  Ripples in Xi’s Soul

"I'm not yours. Not yet," Claire joked, as if she could read his mind.

Seeing Jake frown, she chuckled. "But you aren't wrong to think that. Of all the Players I've observed through countless Ordeals, you come the closest to meeting my conditions."

"What do you mean?"

"What? You didn't think you were the only candidate, did you?" The Soulmancer Queen mocked, her purple eyes openly mischievous. "All the soul fragments I've dispatched in every army observe everything without realizing I can reclaim their souls at any moment. There are plenty of clever Players like you who are aware of the anomalies around my clones and are keeping an eye on them as we speak. Some have even made the connection with my existence. Their only misfortune is that my main spirit hasn't chosen to hide in their army.

"Don't think you're anything special. Well, yes, you are, but not for the reasons you might think. If I put all my eggs in one basket, I wouldn't have evaded Valandar's machinations and his predecessors for so long. Even though I regained consciousness recently, I had taken precautions."

If Jake was impressed that the clones of the Spirit Artifact were unaware they were mere puppets, he didn't show it. Clearly, her knowledge of soulmancy and spiritism far surpassed his. She had also mentioned soul fragments and acknowledged not being at her peak. He had a rough idea of how her technique worked.

Essentially, it was like Fairy Spirits, but less advanced. Or rather it worked differently. His familiars had their own souls and independence, but his Spirit Power was their origin.

If he wanted, he could easily end their existence, absorb them, and even control them. Not that he intended to exert his authority over them that way, but it was within his power.

His ability had a clear limit: their new soul was their own. He couldn't change their personality, character, or loyalty to him once it was formed by force. If he wanted to instill certain traits in them, which he didn't, he would have to interfere during the pre-hatching phase.

Claire's method was different from his.

Unless she was devoid of empathy towards her creations, she didn't seem to treat these multiple clones with their own personalities and experiences as real people. To her, they were just elaborate programs, though it was nearly impossible to distinguish them from true sentient beings.

From his perspective, though, they were indeed alive. It all depended on where one drew the line. For some, sentient artificial intelligences weren't alive either.

As for the fact that he wasn't the only candidate under observation, that was obvious. The opposite would have surprised him. It was very likely that she also had pieces observing the Players of the enemy Mirror Universe.

"If you're so great, why are you reduced to a weak Spirit Artifact barely able to survive by hiding and covering your tracks?" Jake mocked her in return, twisting the knife. "I have a feeling you've slightly overestimated yourself."

"..." Claire shrugged. "I didn't overestimate myself. Right now I'm diminished, that's a fact. A shadow of what I was in my prime. Though I did underestimate my enemies, that's also a fact."

"And who are these enemies exactly, and what do they want?" Jake asked, pouring himself a drink and glancing at Thonzo, Jashuzen, and Scelacabe, who hadn't moved since their appearance. "By the way, are they going to stay like that for long?"

The young woman smirked, waving her hand. The three 'recruits' disintegrated into spiritual energy before being reabsorbed into Claire's body. At the same moment, thousands, hundreds of thousands of soldiers, civilians, and beasts scattered across Twyluxia dissipated in the same way, returning to their origin.

"I guess not..." Jake pursed his lips in disapproval. He could see with his senses that the fragile presence of the Soulmancer Queen was skyrocketing.

Still weaker than him. By far.

At least he had his answer. The Spirit Artifact placed no importance on these clones. Noticing his dissatisfaction, Claire explained,

"You think I'm heartless? From a certain angle, I am. What they experienced and felt isn't an illusion. To their parents, families, and friends, I am a murderer. But from the start, their soul was mine. When I reabsorb them, I also integrate their memories, dreams, and regrets. They don't truly die; they return to where they're supposed to be, but it's not a pleasant experience for me. Maybe one day, I'll let them live their lives without restraint again."

Hearing these last words, Jake felt his connection with Xi's consciousness tremble. The Oracle AI was in turmoil, tossed by a wind of complex emotions. Terror and a feeling of... longing?

'Xi, are you sure you're okay?'

Addressed directly, Xi's inner turmoil quieted immediately. In an unusually calm voice, she reassured him,

[Everything is fine. Just a memory that came back.]

'Do you want to talk about it?'

[Not for now.]

Jake froze. She wasn't okay at all.

'Take all the time you need. If you ever feel ready to talk about it, I'll be here to listen.' He finally said, suppressing his feeling of frustration.

"Fascinating." Claire clapped, snapping him out of his daze. "That's why I chose you. Your absurd power and potential for a Fifth-Ordeal Player aside."

"What do you mean?" Jake frowned, unsure if he liked the turn the conversation was taking.

Compressing several hundred soul fragments into a sphere of spiritual energy in her hand, the young woman pointed to the orb and said,

"Your Oracle AI might have escaped the Oracle System's retro-control, but she's still part of a greater whole. She exists until her existence is no longer deemed necessary. I won't say more."

Jake felt a surge of anger and helplessness pour into him from Xi, but very quickly her consciousness became still again. It was the second time she panicked like that.

"If your goal is to sow doubt in our relationship, stop right now." He threatened in a cold voice, opposite to his previous nonchalance. "I need you, but if you keep beating around the bush, I won't hesitate to reforge the fucking chalice you aspire to become into a goddamn chamber pot."

Far from feeling bothered, the Spirit Artifact's restrained smile widened.

"And here's the other reason I chose you. You really don't give a flying fuck about me or what I represent. If it weren't for the few Ordeal credits I can bring you, you probably wouldn't have sought to obtain me, let alone reforge me."

That was true. Chalice or not, Jake was confident he could dominate Twyluxia without time restrictions, even if he were the sole survivor of two Mirror Universes.

"... But don't be mistaken. You need me." Claire corrected him dramatically as she sat down on one of the empty chairs. "If you agree to help me, I promise to serve you loyally and more. As long as you don't restrict my freedom, you have everything to gain. If the Lumyst Chalice is reforged, you'll have an authentic Diamond Aether Artifact in your hands. Sounds impressive, doesn't it?"

"... " Jake didn't like her way of switching topics. He wasn't sure he wanted such a Spirit Artifact.

Sensing she hadn't managed to win him over, the fraudulent Soulmancer King decided to sell herself a bit more seriously.

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