937 A Reasonable Oracle
Upon beholding Jake's countenance darken, his friends' hearts turned cold, sensing the ill tidings that loomed.
"Is something amiss?" Will inquired, his voice laced with anxiety. His future prosperity hinged on the response.
Jake paused, as if frozen in time, before reciting the content of the notification and heaving a frustrated sigh, "I fear my initial plan may be a flight of fancy."
Hade stroked his chin and murmured softly, "As expected."
Jake spun towards the ancient Fluid Grandmaster, raising a suspicious eyebrow, "You already had your doubts?"
His youthful-looking friend, over a century and a half in age, nodded serenely and said, "I held a glimmer of hope that the Oracle might be generous, allowing us to exploit a loophole, but this outcome aligns with the modus operandi of the Oracle System."
Asfrid patted Will's shoulder in a consoling gesture and added absentmindedly, "A Grade 10 Energy Body is too precious and difficult to create. I have no doubt the Oracle can accomplish it, but the energy required to create the equivalent of all those Grade 10 Energy Cores cannot be replaced. To forge it, you devoured the giant sun of Quanoth, right? How many similar giant stars must be consumed to provide the Aether necessary to equip each member with the equivalent of a Grade 10 Aether Core? I'm afraid it's simply not feasible."
"What do we do now?" Will queried their opinion, his hope dwindling.
"Simple," Hade spread his arms as if it were obvious. "Two avenues to pursue. The Septillion Aether points required to transform each person's body may seem astronomically steep, but I believe it's actually a fair bargain. Creating a Grade 10 Aether Core demands far more Aether than that. There's an easy explanation for this discount: The Faction Skill doesn't truly transform our bodies. Our appearances returning to normal as soon as the Myrtharian Body passive vanished is proof. Based on my understanding of Aether, the Oracle employs an Aether Spell mimicking the effects of this Bloodline Skill. Ambient Aether and our body's energy likely suffice for such spells. However, to ensure such a high passive Aether production, there's no cheating. Each Aether point produced must be drawn from somewhere."
Jake instantly grasped his meaning. The previous Myrtharian Body stemming from his Faction Skill and his own Myrtharian Body granted similar appearances and capabilities on the surface, but the methods differed. If he were to compare his Bloodline's Aether Code to DNA, it allowed for the production of various enzymes, hormones, and proteins in diverse quantities based on gene expression, influencing every aspect of his organism. His Myrtharian Body could be perceived as the visible result.
However, as science had proven time and again, modifying an individual's DNA wasn't necessary to alter their appearance. A person with poor genetics for muscle development could still inject steroids and other modern anabolics to simulate and even surpass what their DNA was incapable of.
Through its Faction Skill, the Oracle merely reproduced Jake's Myrtharian Body's "symptoms" on the other faction members, but their Aether Code likely remained unchanged.
Otherwise, their bloodlines would have displayed the word 'Myrtharian'.
And so, the exorbitant cost of simulating a Cosmic D Starfeyrves Body for each faction member was laid bare. Jake discerned that the Grade 10 Energy Body had little to do with his bloodline or Aether Code, but rather stemmed from his consumption of a Grade 10 Aether Core. No Aether Spell could replicate such a thing unless the spell itself possessed energy surpassing the latter.
"You've yet to reveal the two avenues you mentioned," Lucia cut to the chase.
"Getting to that," Hade tsked. "The first method I'm considering is, rather than an instantaneous transformation, to see if the Oracle System can delay the transformation by making it more gradual, allowing each faction member to finance it at their own pace. It would be akin to nurturing their own Aether Core bit by bit."
Jake asked Xi to verify, and she promptly confirmed it was possible. It seemed the Oracle was not entirely unreasonable. Still, it was not without drawbacks.
"The second method," Hade continued, "involves fragmenting the transformation. The Grade 10 Energy Body is not the most crucial aspect, but rather, reclaiming the lost benefits of the Myrtharian Body. The highly morphable body, the adaptability to any environment and situation, perfect digestion, the ability for cells to strengthen by devouring energy, and optimizing their own DNA and Aether Code these are the most important. Unlike the Myrtharian Body, our body stats are no longer amplified by a certain percentage, but in return, we progress much faster. So initially, we could ask the Oracle to provide a Cosmic D Starfeyrves Body for all faction members while disregarding the accompanying Grade 10 Energy."
Jake asked Xi to verify again, and this time he was genuinely surprised to learn it was also possible. With this approach, the cost of transformation per faction member was only 10 Quadrillion Aether points Per year.
Anyone other than him would have wept at the discovery of this amount.
"It's because you're no longer beginners," the Oracle Guardian Saros patiently explained as he registered the indignant complaints of the filthy rich Evolver he was supposed to monitor.
"What do you mean?" Will's heart skipped a beat.
He recalled hearing something similar before, but without the Portable Oracle Store Skill like Jake, he hadn't had time to check the new prices. However, even before his Fourth Ordeal, he had personally noticed that most prices had increased considerably compared to when he appeared on B842 the first time.
"Like when you used a Yellow Cube to teleport across vast distances," the alien critiqued matter-of-factly, crossing his four arms. "The Oracle charged you a paltry fee of a few Aether points when it required at least a Grade 8 Aether Core to move someone such a distance. It's more expensive now, but still reasonable since the various Yellow Cubes are equipped with their own Aether Cores and connected via an invisible Aether network.
"As for your Cosmic D Starfeyrves Body, 10 Quadrillion per year may seem like a lot, but to obtain 65% of an unknown Grade, yet higher than 10, bloodline body is surely worth it. At least, if it were up to me, I'd pay the 10 Quadrillion without hesitation to also obtain your Cosmic D Starfeyrves Body. These 10 Quadrillion Aether points correspond to the energy needed to support the Aether Spell behind this Faction Skill. With the Grade 10 Energy, the Cosmic D Starfeyrves Body can support itself. Hence the fact that this septillion only has to be paid once instead of paying 10 quadrillions per year."
It was an indirect admission. Even an Oracle Guardian, equivalent to an Eight or Ninth Ordeal Evolver, did not possess such a superior bloodline.
pαndα,noνɐ1,сoМ Jake also realized something else while listening to Saros. If this permanent Faction Skill was the product of an Aether Spell, he ought to be able to perceive it, especially one consuming such vast energy.
Intrigued, he first paid 10 quadrillion Aether points for himself and his present comrades and swiftly shifted into Lucid Aetherdreamer mode. Reality's veil tore asunder, and an indescribable vista filled his vision.
At level 12, his Faction Skills were no longer as weak as before. The effect of 65% of his Cosmic D Starfeyrves Body swiftly overlaid the first, inciting profound changes within his very being.
Jake's instinct was to focus his attention on seeking minuscule Aether Runes and strands of Dream Aethers, but he found nothing matching this Faction Skill. Perhaps even for the Oracle, generating the hyper-compressed Aether Code of a bloodline with a Grade beyond 10 was not so easily achieved.
In that case, how were the same effects replicated? Jake pondered the question earnestly, and his eyes lit up as he considered another possibility.
A macro spell?
He extended his mental sense as far as it could reach, and there he found it. A colossal Aether Symbol of astounding complexity. Each Aether Rune was larger than himself, and though their Aether density was inferior to his own highly compressed Aether Code, they compensated with size and sheer quantity.
It could have been an opportunity for Jake to study the Aether Code simulating his Cosmic D Starfeyrves Body, but unfortunately, the details were blurred. It was not simply to vex him but rather the Oracle's means of ensuring the confidentiality of its clients' secrets. Otherwise, any skilled Aetherist capable of peering into the Aetherdream would be able to deduce the Faction Skills of the Myrtharian Nerds with a single glance.
Now that they had a solution, Jake unflinchingly paid the required 10 quadrillion Aether points for each member, then set the Faction Skill to allow them to finance the associated Grade 10 Energy Body at their own pace if they were interested.
Saros, the Oracle Guardian, even offered another suggestion. To expedite the process, they could choose to barter something equivalent rather than simply use Aether points.
He was not, of course, suggesting that they sell precious Aether Artifacts at rock-bottom prices to the Oracle System, but rather exchange Aether Cores. According to the alien, offering a Grade 6 Aether Core in exchange would definitely allow them to obtain a Grade 6, or at least Grade 5, Energy Body immediately.
It could save them considerable time.
With this suggestion, Jake and the others finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. For Jake and Hade, creating low-grade Aether Cores was child's play.
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