For a while, Caelum was silent. With his ability's effects and restrictions, he had to think wisely about how to use it.
He was not concerned about whom he would bond with. The only choice was Celine, but what came next was important.
Bonding with Celine would boost her overall condition, both physically and mentally.
But in the end, she was still a six-year-old kid with no soul rings. She was, at most, a bit stronger than an adult.
In order for both of them to truly benefit from Ruler's Prerogative, Celine would need a soul ring.
And this brings them back to the initial problem.
Where do they find the best soul ring for her?
Celine's first martial soul, the Myriad Ancient Dragon as she calls it, has a tremendous amount of life force, a testament to its life attribute. But what was more intriguing were the implications of its name.
"My dragon abilities will change a lot. That's the feeling I get when meditating on it."
These were Celine's own words when asked about her dragon martial soul. This was the reason for Caelum's silence.
Knowing that Celine could become more powerful by having different kinds of abilities rather than being centred only on life attribute meant that they needed to plot her path ahead in advance.
Or at least, make a list of potential soul beasts and abilities that she would hunt.
"For now, let's start with that soul beast you mentioned, Skydream."
'Master, are you sure? Your sister would be without a soul ring for quite a while if you intend for her first to be that Blue Silver Emperor.'
"I understand your concern, but I believe the first soul ring is one of the most important soul rings. It's the foundation of a soul master. And if I can have a million-year-old first soul ring, then why can't my sister?"
This was the real reason as to why Caelum was intent on looking for the Blue Silver Emperor.
It was not everyday that one stumbled upon a hundred thousand-year-old soul beast weak enough for him to command with Edict. He would not let go of this opportunity.
But still, he knew that this was not his decision to make.
Celine would be the one having to wait to get her soul ring, not to mention a red first soul ring was dangerous.
So he turned to look at her, fixing a calm gaze in order not to pressure her.
"But it's your choice, Celine. We can hunt for a sub-dragon soul beast of a few hundred years now or search for the Blue Silver Emperor."
"I want the Blue Silver Emperor. I'll wait."
Celine's reply came without hesitation. There was not even a moment when she thought of settling for less.
This was not out of envy for Caelum's soul ring, but out of their shared experience and resolve.
Celine too wanted the power to survive and protect the only family she had left. And if it meant sacrificing immediate growth and power, then she would gladly do it.
Seeing her resolve, Caelum nodded with a smile.
"Don't worry, you won't be completely powerless until you get your first soul ring. We'll talk about it later. For now, Skydream, tell us how to find it."
'It's simple, Master. Just ask the little ones all around you.'
Caelum looked around and found no one other than himself, Celine and Skydream.
He turned his gaze back to the plump worm with an unamused expression. He did not like how it was speaking in riddles. He felt like it was playing with him.
They had spent too much time outside of human civilisation already, and he was getting impatient to return.
And so, with an increased will, fueled by his Void Throne and mental power, he commanded the Skydream Iceworm once more.
[Speak plainly and clearly.]
'Master, don't be angry! It's the grass! Ask the grass and they'll tell you where the Blue Silver Emperor is!'
Skydream shivered from fright.
The amount of pressure that Caelum's mental power dealt upon it was not much considering most of that mental power came from Skydream itself. But fueled by the Void Throne, Caelum's mental power has become a terrifying thing.
In Skydream's perspective, it felt like a black hole waiting to devour it whole.
If it did not behave like a proper servant, then its soul would likely be extinguished or perhaps replaced with a clean puppet with no ego.
Skydream swore it would never anger Caelum again.
Meanwhile, Celine and Caelum stared at the grass beneath their feet. Some of them had already been trampled by them.
No one notices these random weeds growing everywhere. If Skydream had not told them, they would not have even thought these weeds were soul beasts as well.
But it was understandable. Blue Silver Grass was perhaps the most numerous among soul beasts. They were also laughably weak and inoffensive, so much so that neither humans nor soul beasts bother with them at all, except for those who eat grass.
"How are we supposed to ask them?"
Celine wondered aloud, believing that these Blue Silver Grass probably will not be able to answer no matter what they do. Caelum was thinking the same, but he chose to try anyway.
While soul beasts do not speak and communicate in the same way humans do, he did not believe that these Blue Silver Grass would not have a way to communicate with him, especially when he forced them to comply with Edict.
[Tell me where the Blue Silver Emperor is.]
Even with the lack of a fully developed mind and spirit, the Blue Silver Grass heeded his Edict.
With the Void Throne and the Empyrean Domain, it did not matter that they had no fully developed minds of their own yet. Their bodies would move, dominated by a superior will.
Patches of grass across several meters around Caelum began wriggling despite the absence of wind or breeze.
And slowly, they each bent toward a certain direction.
The Blue Silver Grass, despite not having seen the Blue Silver Emperor in a very long time, knew where it was.
Even in its faux death state, the connection between the Blue Silver Emperor and its children remained strong.
The Blue Silver Grass needed only to follow this connection to know where their emperor was. Its direction, although only general and vague, was enough to guide Caelum and Celine's path forward.
"Let's head to the city."
Caelum had already lost his sense of direction after staying in the forest for a day.
But with Spiritual Detection and a new way to navigate the world through the Blue Silver Grass, he would not lose his way for long.
Today, they would rest in the city.
Tomorrow, they will discuss their journey ahead.
~~~~
A/N: Did you notice the difference between this new chapter and the ones before? It wasn't intentional at first, but when I realised, I was already five chapters in so I just went with it. It was a pretty fun little game for myself.