An hour later,
Ashen journeyed towards the Carp Village with 10 Guards accompanying him.
The ride was smooth, and the terrain was not too difficult to traverse.
The chariot finally arrived at the Carp Village, and Ashen stepped off the chariot.
*Yawn*"I am finally here" He yawned before signalling one of the guards to come near him.
The guard quickly arrived, ready to listen to whatever order Ashen had.
"Go and gather all the villagers in one place, I have something to announce" Ashen ordered.
The guard nodded before leaving for the village with half of the guards.
In half an hour, all the villagers were gathered at the center of the village, seated cross legged.
Ashen ascended to a high ground before beginning to address the crowd with a calm and collected demeanor :
"Villagers of the Carp Village, Listen!
I, Fang Ashen, 9th Prince of the empire, is here to present a life-changing opportunity to you all!"
He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in before continuing:
"I have encountered a treasure that can destroy your current spirit and give you a chance to awaken once again!"
"What?" The villager's eyes widened in disbelief in response to his announcement.
The Village Head stood up, struggling to comprehend what he had just heard:
"Y-you can help us... awaken once more?" he stammered, his voice shaking.
"Exactly." Ashen said with an assuring smile.
"Then, wouldn't we also have a chance to cultivate?"
"It is really a life-changing opportunity"
The villagers were all smiles as they discussed, happy about a second chance at cultivation.
All the villagers here had awakened 1-star spirits and had suffered due to possessing such low-level spirits.
Without cultivation, your lifespan would be shorter, and you would be forced to suffer at the hands of stronger cultivators.
A second chance to awaken was a wish they all had, but couldn't fulfill it.
However, now, a chance presented itself in front of their eyes on its own.
How could they resist jumping on it?
But the price they have to pay in return for this invaluable opportunity must also be very high.
Understanding this, the village head decided to ask, his heart racing with anxiety, and his palms sweaty as he reluctantly asked, "Your Highness, W-What must we do in return for this life changing opportunity?"
Ashen's lips curved into a gentle smile as he declared: "You just have to join my faction in case you awaken a high level spirit. Isn't that simple?"
Ashen had planned this deeply, if he had given this opportunity for free, wouldn't it sound suspicious?
Thus, he made up this excuse which felt too authentic as he was the weakest among his siblings.
The village head's anxious face relaxed, a wide smile replacing it as he readily agreed:
"Yes, We will do our best not to disappoint you, your highness."
"Wait grandpa! How can you agree this easily?"
A girl stood up from the back of the villagers, protesting against the village head's hasty decision.
[Ding! Host, Love interest of a Protagonist has been found, marking her as a heroine]
This girl had a flawless physique that exuded elegance and grace. Her long, flowing hair was a mixture of brown and pink with brown comprising most of it. Her eyes were a deep, velvety brown, and her skin had a warm, golden glow. She had a serene expression, giving off an air of confidence and poise.
She was wearing a long, flowing dress with intricate details such as ruffles on the sleeves and neckline. Her dress accentuated her curves which were all in the right places. Her milky thighs and legs made Ashen drool over her.
"No wonder she made that protagonist chase after her.
With that figure and face, who would be able to control himself?"
Ashen thought before noticing the reactions of the villagers towards her refute to his offer.
They glared at her threateningly.
They had this once in a lifetime opportunity come to their doorstep, and now she was trying to ruin it.
"Li Xiran, what are you trying to do? Sit down!" The village-head scolded, widening his eyes in anger as he glared at her.
"Oh, so her name is Li Xiran... good name," Ashen couldn't help but take a note of her name.
Li Xiran didn't sit, instead, glared at Ashen, squinting her eyes in suspicion and contempt.
She was not ready to believe someone would be so generous as to give this opportunity in exchange for a promise of loyalty to him.
Couldn't they just break their promise, joining his sibling's faction after making use of this opportunity?
"No, let her speak, I would also like to know what this beautiful lady has to say." Ashen regarded Li Xiran with a mixture of amusement and curiosity, a faint smile playing on his lips.
The village head, hearing Ashen's declaration bowed to him: "As you wish, Your Highness!"
Then, the village head nodded, turning his head towards Li Xiran, Urging her to speak her reason.
Getting the permission, Li Xiran started to speak: "I just feel this deal is too good to be true. This seems suspicious. Shouldn't we atleast confirm if what he says is true or not?"
The village head's eyes widened in anger as he scolded: "Are you saying that His Highness is deceiving us? Is there even a reason for him to do so? If he wants, he can simply kill all of us without any consequences. Do you think our lives hold any meaning to a prince like him?"
Li Xiran turned silent as she was unable to come up with any reason as to why a prince would deceive a village of cripples.
There was nothing they could give him.
The village head, embarrassed by her, apologized: "Please forgive her, your Highness. She is still a child and doesn't know any better."
Saying that, the village head signaled to a boy sitting beside Xiran.
He stood up, urging Li Xiran to sit down: "Sister Xiran, please sit down. We haven't awakened our spirit yet. We won't be able to understand the villagers' pain."
[Ding! Host, Protagonist has been detected, marking him as a target]
[Scanning the Protagonist's luck]
Han Yujin: 16000 luck points
Ashen's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing the system notification.
He hadn't expected that his villain points machine was so close.
He squinted his eyes to get a better view of the boy.
His jet-black hair was neatly combed, falling gracefully around his face, framing sharp and determined features. Yujin's eyes, a deep shade of brown, held a spark of intelligence and a hint of the challenges he had faced.
"Well well... Isn't this quite a surprise?" Ashen mumbled under his breath, a grin playing upon his lips.
He then turned his gaze to the crowd.
"Alright, let me first destroy your current spirits. Afterwards, I will call you to my palace for the awakening ceremony." Ashen suggested politely, maintaining a warm smile on his face.
A delightful smile spread across the faces of the villagers.
The village head stepped forward and bowed:
"Thank You, Your Highness! We will never forget your grace."
"No need to thank me. This is just a deal." Ashen said with a gentle smile.
He then moved to a room where he called the villagers inside one by one.
The first villager entered, sitting in front of Ashen.
"Close your eyes and summon your spirit.
Remember, do not open your eyes if you don't want to get blind." Ashen instructed gently, making the villager comfortable and feeling welcomed.
The villager did as Ashen instructed. A sickle appeared on his palm, rotating in the air as if it was a showpiece placed in a museum.
Ashen summoned his spirit, the white snake before willing for it to devour the sickle.
The white snake did as instructed. It opened its mouth large enough for a human to fit in before devouring the sickle.
Ashen then called his spirit back as the white snake disappeared.
"You can open your eyes." Ashen instructed calmly.
The villager opened his eyes before attempting to feel his spirit, however, there was nothing.
He yelled in delight: "It really worked. Thank you, your highness!"
The villagers now fully trusted Ashen as removing someone's spirit was unheard of and if Ashen was able to do that then why can't they awaken a new spirit altogether?
Afterward, Ashen repeated the process several times over with innumerable villagers but there was no change in his spirit.
It kept on devouring other spirits as if it was a black hole without any limit to its hunger.
However, after what seemed like an eternity, Ashen's spirit started glowing with white light.
He hurriedly sent the villager who was in the room outside.
The white snake's glow continued to increase in intensity.
A new head grew beside its head. It was a shade of blue in color, being ethereal before materializing fully.
The tail grew longer and its body grew in size, reaching the height of an adult male.
[Ding! Host, Congratulations on the evolution of your spirit to 2-star, Twin-headed Sky flame Viper]
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(Thanks for reading. ^..^)