Aiden felt genuinely helpless. At his current strength, there wasn't much he could actually do about this ghost woman who'd apparently decided to tag along. Still, having a literal "hanging ghost" trailing him around left him deeply unsettled."Big sister, maybe keep some distance. It's been thousands of years, and that curse still hasn't fully burned out of your system. What if some of it's still clinging to your remnant soul? Wouldn't I end up catching the fallout too?"Aiden felt zero ambiguity about the situation. A woman three years your senior is worth her weight in gold. Thirty years older, an empire. Three hundred years, an elixir of immortality. Three thousand years older, practically a celestial being.He had, after all, lived over ten thousand years himself in his past life. If anyone deserved a little reverence here, it was this ghost woman, not him. Might as well just keep her company and let the rest of the world sort itself out.Something about Aiden's words seemed to g

Standing beside him, Lucy felt a flush of embarrassment at his lingering gaze. She pouted and gave Aiden a sharp pinch, telling him to mind his manners out in public.Aiden just laughed, and soon the two arrived at the address listed on Redmane's digital invitation. The building itself was a well-known landmark in the Wasteland, famous across the city.Only the wealthy and well-connected typically set foot here, but Aiden's own assets now sat close to ten million, thanks to the compensation Redmane had transferred that morning.The moment they stepped inside, a security guard stopped them. Aiden produced the digital invitation, and after a careful check, the guard escorted them in with respectful efficiency.The building buzzed with activity, not overcrowded, but far from empty either. Following the tall guard, the two walked down a brightly lit corridor, covering roughly a hundred yards before reaching an elevator."After you, honored guests." The guard ushered them in with a polite

The auction hit its final climax, the whole room buzzing with tension, everyone itching to raise the price further, though most only pushed once before folding entirely.The cauldron's price climbed to five million after just a handful of bids, scaring off most of the room, leaving only the Wasteland's most powerful houses still in the running.Aiden's brow furrowed, and he immediately messaged Redmane to borrow more funds. Credit where due, Redmane proved remarkably generous, wiring over five million without a single question asked.Watching Aiden's nerves settle slightly, Lucy asked, curious. "What's going on with you? You were so worked up earlier. Does this cauldron hide some kind of secret?"Aiden drew a steady breath and sat back down, eyes still fixed on the cauldron still being fought over on stage. "This cauldron is genuinely rare. Something that's only ever existed in theory, as far as I knew.""No one really knows its true origin. Legend says it was forged by some ancient b

Not long after, Aiden and Lucy, along with the man in black and the woman named Luna, made their way back to the apartment together. It wasn't carelessness driving the decision, simply genuine confidence in his own strength.More importantly, the man had shown no real killing intent throughout their fight, every move fair and controlled. And something about this woman, Luna, stirred an unexpected familiarity in Aiden, pulling at memories from his past life.Not far from where the group had parted ways, two figures sat watching from inside a white supercar parked along the curb, having witnessed the entire battle between Aiden and the man in black unfold."So what's your call? You've seen Aiden's strength firsthand now, already brushing the edge of the Profound realm. If revenge is truly what you want, accepting Celestara's modification program is your only real path forward."The speaker was Preston Merrick, sharp in his white suit. Beside him in the passenger seat sat Caleb Ward, hun

Harold's words had genuinely moved Aiden. Glancing at the sack of herbs slung over his shoulder, his mood lifted considerably, knowing real pill refinement was finally within reach.Half an hour later, Aiden had the Earth Cauldron settled in his living room, though Lucy was nowhere to be found. He didn't think much of it, assuming she'd stepped out for fresh air.He first laid out the Moonflower needed for the Marrow Cleansing Elixir, alongside the other sixteen supplementary ingredients, then turned his full attention to studying the cauldron itself.Before delivery, the moving crew had already cleaned it thoroughly, stripping away the rust and grime, so visually it looked nearly unchanged.It did feel noticeably lighter now, though, its color brighter than before.Aiden circled the cauldron a few times, then pressed his right palm against it and channeled spiritual power inward, testing whether it might activate. Nothing happened, even after a lengthy effort, and he'd burned through