Chương 314: Chapter 290: Steps Toward Divinity Part 1

"By the way, do you have any idea what affinity I should choose when using the Heartroot Elixir I borrowed from Kael?" Thalion asked after checking on the item in his spatial ring. So far, their conversation had been going well, and he was genuinely curious to hear the thoughts of the Voice of the System—or rather, the imprisoned dragon god.

"Hmm. Interesting question," the dragon god mused aloud, sinking deeper into the soft cushions of his chair.

"In general, it could be any affinity. When adding new affinities to something, there are a few common theories on how to proceed. One approach is to choose an affinity you have massive access to. It doesn't help much if you pick an affinity that matches well with your form, but then lack the materials to actually grow it. Another widely accepted theory is to select an affinity that synergizes well with your current one. For example, fire and water usually don't mix well.

Even if you have plenty of materials available, combining those could be counterproductive. In your case, I'd go with a third option: choose what you feel will be best and ignore the other two theories. Also, there's no need to rush. The elixir won't give you an immediate power-up. It would've had a massive impact on a Sanguine Thron, but on a Sanguis Impera it will simply add a new affinity without changing how it consumes energy.

That means the Sanguis Impera would be able to feed on something other than blood to grow stronger. Pretty cool, actually."

"Thanks for the input," Thalion said. He had already been thinking about affinities and which might pair well with the Sanguis Impera, but it wasn't an easy decision. He had to consider what affinities would also benefit his other forms. For the Crippled Eclipsari and the Tidecaller Serpent, he had no clear idea which affinities would be best. Ice might work well for the Tidecaller Serpent, but for the Crippled Eclipsari? Maybe earth?

Luckily, those forms were already quite strong, and he was planning to focus on fear effects next for the Eclipsari. The Tidecaller Serpent would also get a major upgrade once he used the massive crystal. So for now, there wasn't an urgent need to add extra affinities. On second thought, some mental abilities might pair well with the Tidecaller Serpent. The blue translucent flames already affected the mind, so adding mental-based skills like Ankhet did sounded promising.

For Eagly and his human form, the situation was different. Storm affinity was cool, but not enough in Thalion's eyes. He wanted to add another affinity that would make that form even more dangerous. Maybe Light? Light was fast and would match well with wind and lightning, but it might interfere with his passive skill that made him harder to detect. If he ended up glowing like a giant lightbulb, that would be counterproductive. For the Sanguis Impera, the most logical choice would probably be Fire.

He already had a fire skill, and if the Sanguis Impera could channel its bloodline flames, it would become far more powerful than with any other affinity. The only problem? If Eagly ever became a dragon, he might also need the fire affinity. After all, how could he use a proper dragon's breath without it? This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. All in all, Thalion didn't really have a concrete plan for which affinities to add.

Then again, he had a literal god in front of him, so why not ask?

"What affinity do you think would fit best? I've got a few ideas, but I'm not really sure they're good in the long run."

"It's hard to say what's good long-term," the dragon god replied thoughtfully.

"But considering your bloodline, I'd say fire is always a solid option. Light or life could also work well. I think those three are your best choices. But you still have time, so don't rush it. Whether you add a new affinity now or in three months won't make much of a difference. What is important is that you have a clear idea of where you want your forms to go in the future. Otherwise, your evolution, or worse, your divine clase, might guide you down a path you won't like."

By the end, the dragon god looked genuinely serious. Thalion understood the concern, but he wasn't keen on waiting too long either. He would need every power-up he could get to survive in this new world, where he would be facing powerful, well-trained E-grades. Still, the affinities the dragon god suggested made sense. Light might be an odd choice for his human form, but maybe it was because plants needed light to grow? Life made sense too. It fit well with both blood and plant-based powers.

How he would nurture the life affinity was a question for another time, though. For now, fire still felt like the strongest and most promising option.

"Do you have any idea how many Chosen will appear on New Earth and what the event quests will be like? Oh, and how big will New Earth be?" Thalion asked. Getting information about the upcoming trials was extremely important, especially since he would have to participate in all of them. The last part, about the planet's size, was also crucial. Maybe it was so massive that the chances of running into a chosen were relatively slim?

"How many Chosen, hmm… Let's take a look," the dragon god grumbled before continuing.

"There should be at least ten Chosen on New Earth. The event quests vary, but the first one is usually a kind of treasure hunt mixed with slaughter or survival elements. For example, there might be extra rewards for killing other treasure hunters, in addition to whatever treasure they drop, but it can take many forms. The second and third events often change, and the third one is usually created by the spirits of long-dead gods, which makes it pretty chaotic.

In the last two eras, the second event was an arena trial, but that's not guaranteed. It changes a lot."