Ascension from Dual Professions

Chapter 244: Chapter 233: [Unique Wonder: Seed of Primordial Nature]

Upon returning to Grent Manor, Jon was naturally given a unanimous welcome by everyone at the Giant God Workshop.

In his absence, his reputation had actually grown even more esteemed among the hand-picked group of young apprentices.

This was not only because the after-effects of him saving the townspeople during the mob riot were beginning to show, but also thanks to Rosalind’s management skills.

After interacting with a few familiar apprentices and showing his more approachable side as a leader, Jon finally met with his two elders.

The Old Dwarf leaned against the doorframe, took a sip from his flask, and chuckled.

”You kid, you’re always so flashy wherever you go.”

Beside him, Claudio looked him up and down before nodding slowly.

”It seems you successfully obtained the Magic Mark you wanted, and your Power has broken through to a new level.”

Facing these two, Jon certainly couldn’t maintain the airs of the Workshop’s master.

He bowed to them earnestly, then said softly.

”It’s all thanks to both of your teachings. I wouldn’t have been able to improve so quickly otherwise.”

”Heh, I don’t like the sound of that.”

The Old Dwarf smacked his lips.

”Your talent is simply monstrous, kid. If it were anyone else, no matter how much we taught them, they could never get stronger at the speed you do.”

”Excessive modesty is just hypocrisy!”

Jon knew his own situation best, but faced with Sutton’s words, he could only give a wry smile and nod.

Claudio, however, wasn’t concerned with such pleasantries and said flatly.

”In any case, it’s good that you’ve returned safely. Tell us what happened on your trip.”

At the mention of this, Jon’s expression turned serious.

”Indeed, there is an important matter I need to discuss with you two.”

He led the way into the manor’s main house, speaking softly as he walked.

”On this trip, I’m afraid I gained more questions than Power...”

Sutton and Claudio exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other’s eyes.

’What’s this kid gotten himself into now...’

...

In the private office on the second floor of the main house, firewood crackled in the hearth. It dispelled the chill of the snowy night, but not the heavy atmosphere among the three of them.

Jon stood before the flickering firelight of the hearth, selectively recounting the encounters and questions from his journey.

He mentioned the majestic voice he heard in the talent’s Illusion Realm, the line, ”Witness... Witness the end of this world...”, and the giant eye in the starry sky that made it impossible to even think of resisting.

He also spoke of the ”Phantom of the Past” he encountered in the deepest part of the ruins, the poem it left behind, and the prophecy: ”In darkness, hope still remains.”

Sutton and Claudio listened quietly, their expressions different.

The Old Dwarf had long since put down his flask. His rough, large hands rested on his knees, his brows furrowed into a knot.

Claudio, on the other hand, was completely lost in thought, his brows also knitted tightly.

He leaned back in his chair, his silver-gray eyes seeming to pierce through time and space as he searched his memory for any clue.

After a long time, the Elf Mage finally spoke, breaking the silence.

”A giant eye in the starry sky, formed from black holes... I have never heard of such an existence.”

”Neither the ancient Elven *Star-Dome Secret Records* nor the exploratory accounts of past Mages into the unknown have ever described a ’thing from beyond the heavens’ of such a form and terror.”

”And as for the ’end’ mentioned by that mysterious voice you heard...”

He shook his head slightly, his tone grave.

”If what it says is true, then the threat it poses is far beyond what we can imagine.”

”Yeah...”

The Old Dwarf tugged at his beard and said in a low, muffled voice.

”An existence of that scale is too vast. I fear it’s not something we mortals can fight against.”

”This isn’t something for us to worry about. If it truly exists, we can only leave it to the Deities.”

Claudio decisively ended the discussion about the ”giant eye in the starry sky,” turning to a more practical matter.

”That phantom you mentioned, the one that left the prophecy... I have a vague recollection of it.”

”Based on your description, that race should have some connection to what I saw and heard at the long-since-vanished ’Green Sanctuary’ on the western border of the Religious Country.”

”But the information I obtained back then was also fragmented. To truly confirm the history of this race, I’m afraid I would have to search for it in the Saint Hall of Knowledge, where the ancient texts are collected...”

Speaking of which, Claudio paused for a moment, then recalled some of the details in Jon’s account.

”You said it left something behind. May we see it?”

”Of course.”

Jon had no reason to refuse. He took the seed, which pulsed with dense life force, from his waist pouch.

Besides the [Echo of Bountifulness Mark] he had sought, the ”Phantom of the Past” had left behind this very seed.

——

[Primal Seed of Nature (Unique·Wonder): Use this item to designate an area to become a ”Natural Territory,” possessing three random traits, one unique trait, and one unique building.]

——

After Jon dispelled the seal of light covering the seed, the faces of both the Dwarf and the Elf in the room shifted slightly.

”It’s actually this?”

”There’s no mistake, it’s a Territory Seed... but it seems a little different?”

Of course it was different.

When Jon had first obtained this seed, he too was astonished.

Because this was, shockingly, a ”City Building Order”!

The so-called City Building Order was, of course, the players’ collective term for items that could create a territory. Its origins could likely be traced back to even older holographic MMORPGs.

In the games of that era, items allowing a player to legally obtain their own territory were extremely rare. There were plenty of anecdotes about solo players finding such an item and putting it on the auction house. It would attract fierce bidding from major guilds and clubs, and the player would achieve financial freedom overnight.

But in a next-generation immersive game like ”Yino,” which prided itself on ”realism,” players had an extremely high degree of freedom. Even without such items, they could occupy a region and establish their own stronghold—as long as they could defend it.

However, this didn’t mean that items like the [Primal Seed of Nature] were useless.

On the contrary, it was precisely because ordinary territories weren’t worth much that items capable of making a territory *extraordinary* were all the more precious!

Jon still remembered how the top guild ”Starlight,” which once dominated half the Religious Country, had used a [Seed of Order] to establish its own city-state in the wilderness. It attracted countless players who willingly contributed to the territory’s development.

The reason was simple. That Seed of Order granted the territory a trait: [Prosperity (Rare): Residents in the territory gain Experience Points 15% faster.]

Unpretentious, but incredibly practical.

And now, the unique ”Primal Seed of Nature” in his hands was clearly rarer and more powerful than that Seed of Order.

Three random traits, plus a never-before-heard-of ”unique trait” and ”unique building”!

If he used this Territory Seed to create a territory, what would it eventually become?