｢Supreme Enlightenment Scroll – Consumable
Rank: Divine (100% effectiveness)
Effect: Activate this scroll to gain a potent period of intense enlightenment in whatever topic you are researching for 1 week.｣
｢Warding Scroll – Consumable
Rank: Origin (100% effectiveness)
Description: Activate this scroll to prevent all existences at or below the Origin Rank from seeing your activities for 1 month.｣
｢Refinement Goddess' Token – Miscellaneous
Rank: Divine
Description: The symbol and authority of the Refinement Goddess, Norma. With this, one is able to lay claim to all her rights and privileges within the Supreme Pantheon.｣
｢Refinement – Divine Tradeskill
Effect: Learn how to convert material from one form to another at will.｣
Draco was lost for words. The Origin Crystals and the Deed to the Small World did not need any clarification from him in terms of what they did and could do. The former was a potent energy source and the latter was obviously the ownership to this small world he was currently in.
As for the Pseudo Source Origin, he also knew what that was thanks to Norma. However, the item descriptions he had checked just now blew his mind, completely overshadowing the ones he was already familiar with.
Technically, there wasn't that much content in Norma's Legacy Chest. However, Draco was aware that he was holding the greatest wealth and capital he had ever earned in his two lives combined.
The Supreme Enlightenment Scrolls had an obvious use and the timing for which he was to utilize them had been strictly set by Norma. Even better were the Warding Scrolls, which Norma had prepared for Draco for those crucial moments when he was about to breakthrough, so no one would disturb him.
The Refinement Goddess' Token might seem the least useful, but it was not. If Draco were to find passage to the Divine World, something he knew Eva had already put on to her agenda, he would instantly change from a visitor/invader to a council member with Norma's token, regardless of whether the other Gods liked it or not.
But what really sent him to cloud nine was the Tradeskill Norma had passed down, Refinement.
All this time, Draco had been hearing Refinement God this and Refinement Goddess that, all praising her for being an unprecedented genius without anything clear to go by.
The Energy Converter he had received possessed the description of being Norma's first tool for her Tradeskill path, so with that in mind, he had developed the idea that hers had to be a fundamental Tradeskill that would carry across all others.
Something that likely helped increase the quality of raw materials used in crafting. For example, if someone with this Tradeskill was also a blacksmith, they would be able to refine their iron ore into the highest quality iron ingot with ease, far surpassing what Mjolnir could do even at its Legendary Rank.
Like this example, in Draco's mind at least, the Tradeskill should have been an auxiliary/support one that boosted the effectiveness of all others!
How wrong and stupid he had been!
Why would the Origin Gods care about something like that? If Refinement had merely been a Tradeskill that could enhance all others through support, they would have given Norma a pat on the back and some encouraging words at best, not sacrifice so much to raise her before stabbing her in the back ultimately.
No, the path of Refinement was something else… something grander! The system of Boundless may have dubbed it Refinement, but anyone from Earth would know that this was the much desired and supremely respected ability of 'Transmutation'!
The ability to turn any metal into gold! Water into wine! Coal into brick!
It was about changing the fundamental properties and characteristics of an item in such a way that science deemed impossible and even Alchemy found treasonous.
It was believed that only the Legendary item, the Philosopher's Stone, could perform this amazing ability, but Norma had found a way to make herself into a living Philosophers Stone!
F.u.c.k, no wonder the Origin Gods had been all over her! With this, if Norma had actually succeeded in reaching Origin Rank, she could have basically taken common Worldly Energy or any other form of Energy to convert it upwards to Origin Energy with ease.
She wouldn't even have to use her naturally generated Origin Energy like the others, and her companion Origin Gods would have been able to get up and have a long break until Norma's infusion depleted, making her take a short rest.
Draco understood that what he had inherited wasn't a mere path or Tradeskill, but a revolutionary concept!
Draco's eyes became red and he regretted consuming Norma immensely! Such a genius, why had she been forced to suffer like this? So what if she had been a bit insufferable? Which genius didn't have weird or annoying quirks in human history?
How could the Origin Gods stand to trick her and kill her? Had the lack of any vacation turned them all into brainless fools? Had they made any calculations of how likely it was that a successor would appear in the future? If someone like Draco hadn't shown up, this amazing Tradeskill would have likely never seen the light of day again!
Draco was a reincarnator with an overpowered bloodline, vast knowledge he had retained from the previous life, great tools at his beck and call, the ability to improve even further as his Subjective Magic could prove to anyone and even Tier 4 Control.
All of these things had played a role in him being the ideal candidate to take on her Inheritance. Had those retarded Origin Gods actually foreseen his appearance or had they just flipped a coin on whether to get rid of Norma?
The chances of him appearing had been practically nonexistent! Just look at his lineup! Did it seem likely that the AI would actually spawn someone like him as an NPC?
Draco now understood why Norma had been so speechless when he had told her his conclusion that they had killed her because she had been insufferable. She probably hadn't been as hurt as he thought, just dumbfounded at how stupid those at the top had been for taking such a risk.
She must have acknowledged that those she had been looking up to help her would mostly likely cause her path to go waste if they were left in charge, and so had willingly helped Draco as long as he wouldn't help them.
Draco himself had initially felt a bit bad about betraying the gifts Kopernico and Dimitri had bestowed upon him, even if there had been strings attached. However, that lingering feeling burned away now as he shook his head.
He solemnly swore to raise his beloved Rila properly, and prevent that little sweetie from turning into an idiot like her compatriots. Should he fail, he would commit suicide with a napkin for his crimes!
After settling down, Draco activated his newly acquired Refinement Tradeskill. However, despite his expectations, there was no special secret realm or floating orb to assist him.
In fact, nothing changed! He felt no different from before!
Draco frowned and contemplated. Could it be that because the path was not complete, there were still flaws in the Tradeskill? If that were so, how was he supposed to go about it?
Draco then brought out a Common Rank ore he kept in his inventory. It was something he normally would smash with Mjolnir and forcefully upgrade it so he could cut costs.
Draco concentrated on the ore and activated his Refinement Tradeskill again. Much to his chagrin still nothing happened. No menus, no screens, nothing.
Then Draco's eyes widened. Could it be that Refinement was currently in the same state as his Abyssal Prime class? Recognized by the system but not supported by it? Meaning one would have to use and develop it manually?
That would make sense given the facts he had learned so far. It was likely that Norma had compiled it into a Tradeskill just to make it easier for her inheritor to utilize it compared to them having to learn the raw details from scratch.
Draco took a deep breath and calmed his beating heart. He then focused on the ore in his hand and inspected it carefully to the very smallest detail with his Control.
Once he got a grasp of its fundamental make-up, he commanded it to become an iron ore mentally without activating or invoking anything.
Immediately, he felt the Worldly Energy in the area swarm into his hands and coat the item. Since Draco still had it under the scrutiny of his Control, he watched the change happen in real-time.
This moment was crucial for Draco. For this very first transmutation, he had directly decided to witness the fundamental conversion at a level just above the atomic one.
Seeing it just once allowed him to enter a world of enlightenment as he replayed the scenes of the last milliseconds over and over in his head. The fundamental change of an item structure, element, and essence.
What did it mean?
An onlooker would say that item A has magically become item B. While the current him still largely agreed with that assessment, he found that there were nuances, very important nuances hidden within the whole transmutation process.
Draco sat like that, lost in his own thoughts for another 3 days before he came out of his trance. He had gained a newfound respect for Norma and her trade as well as even more disdain for the Origin Gods who had almost been responsible for the disappearance of this Tradeskill.
Norma… how did she come up with this? What did she experience to make her develop something to grand an impressive? How did she even begin? What inspired her?
Draco found himself wanting to know more about the Origin Goddess who created this, but that was impossible for now. However, he had his own means to bring her back in the future.
For now, though, he dusted himself off and went to the center of the workroom where he found an orb floating that had not been there before. He instantly recognized it as the world core of this small world.
Draco pulled out the deed to the small world and activated it. Instantly, a strange energy infused his body and a small resonance occurred between him and the small world in a more wholesome way compared to how he felt when he had first mimicked Norma's essence.
Draco immediately used his newfound authority to close the opening in the Godmar Divine Empire. He would deal with them shortly before the time limit ran out, as they were the quest givers, but he had to take the Treasury away and make some preparations beforehand.
As soon as he did so, Draco used his bloodline to perform an apportation. While it wasn't as smooth as the ones handled by the system, Draco made sure to be as precise as he could, and he was helped by his Void of Perfection.
Within it, apportation was actually quite easy for him. Even though he could go further with his bloodline, he didn't know what kind of mishap could occur due to a lack of control, so he decided to experiment another time.
He appeared at the entrance of the Palace and saw a troubled Vishad and Hoover who were surrounded by other mayors with dangerous expressions. The two fellows were currently moving their tongues in eloquence in order to preserve their lives, but the other mayors were losing patience.
Once Draco appeared, all eyes fell on his form. Vishad and Hoover displayed relief and curiosity while the other mayors showed worry and defiance. Just as Draco was about to greet them, one of the most influential mayors came forth.
"Young Friend Draco, it is good to see you are fine and well. I hope the inheritance of the Supreme Ancestor can be passed onto a person of her lineage, as I feel that would tie better with the wishes of our Supreme Ancestor. What do you think, Fine Fellow?" The mayor spoke respectfully and eloquently.
The other mayors stood forth and said similar things just as respectfully. Force? Threats? How could they behave like 3-year-olds when he was likely their ancestor's chosen inheritor?
For a politician to resort to such things first showed that one was unskilled, uncouth, and truly just useless. Instead, they had a few other ways to get Draco into giving up the inheritance without leaving any bad blood between them.
However, against a fellow who was a psychic, such plans and considerations were nothing at all. Unless one had ways to lock their minds, their every thought would remain at his purview.
In this case, their greeting amused Draco greatly.
"No. I will keep it because I've taken a liking to it and because the Refinement Goddess had made me her inheritor. Anyone who disagrees with her is hereby banished from her lineage permanently with no hope of reconciliation!"