Eternal Thief

Pixy was now floating gently before Ace, her butterfly wings drooping slightly from exhaustion, yet her face shone with quiet pride and ecstasy.

Ace’s complexion also started to recover as his pain and exhaustion seemed to fade away. He glanced at the system’s notification before he looked down at his chest, where the ‘Primal Bond’ in the shape of an exotic tattoo now lay.

“You… branded me,” He muttered.

Pixy tilted her head with innocent delight. “No, we branded each other. I carry your essence now, too. Look!”

She turned around slowly, and to Ace’s surprise, a second tattoo was embedded faintly in the center of her back, beneath the shimmer of her wings. It was smaller and subtler, but unmistakably the silhouette of a shadowy figure with a face covered in a hood was there.

Ace’s eyes widened when he saw ‘his mark’ and couldn’t help but feel profoundly moved. His eyes narrowed slightly, “So this is a Primal Bond…”

Pixy nodded, her eyes gentle. “Indeed, this is the Primal Bond. Now we are connected for life.”

Ace nodded slightly before he secretly called his status. He quickly looked at the end, and just as he suspected, right below the ‘Eternal Provenance Treasure’, a new status called the ‘Primal Spirit’ had been added. He expanded this status without hesitation.

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[Primal Spirit:]

-Name: Pixie of Universal Wealth

-Primal Bond Owner: Heaven’s Stealer (Ace White)

-Rank: Law Spirit State (Sync with Host’s Cultivation State Rank)

-Potential: ???

-Current Primal Ability(s): 2

-1. Treasury Bind (Elemental State Ability)

-Description (1): Pixie of Universal Wealth can be permanently bound to a treasure vault, spatial treasure, or any realm separated from the Heavens and Abysses’ space.

-Description (2): Once bound, she gains complete control and awareness over the ‘space’, turning it into ‘Treasury’ and becomes its Wealth Administrator. Wealth Administrator can manipulate, categorize, and hide treasures—even from the Divine!

-Description (3): Nothing can be taken or added to the treasury without the Wealth Administrator’s permission. This rule won’t apply to the Primal Bond Owner!

-Bind Treasury: NONE

-Recommended Treasury to Bind: Thief’s Space

-Binding Cost: 1,000,000 Thief Points

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-2. Wealth Value Manipulation (Law State Ability)

-Description: Pixie of Universal Wealth can appraise and measure the value of any item; thereby, she can increase or decrease the perceived wealth value of items, affecting their worth, power, or even spiritual strength temporarily. She can add the status of “Curse” on an item to make it worthless junk to all but the Primal Bond Owner.

—

[NOTE: More Primal Abilities will awaken when the Primal Bond Owner reaches the next cultivation state!]

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Ace’s eyes shimmered with surprise when he read the new status. Except for Pixy’s potential, everything was revealed, including her abilities. Furthermore, Ace was astounded when he saw the system recommend Thief’s Space to bind as Pixy’s treasury.

‘Just as I thought, the system has no rejection towards Pixy. It could even be seen as the system approved of Pixy becoming my Primal Spirit.’ Ace thought, but at this moment, he was given a shock of his life.

“Oh? How interesting…is this that the power of that Unknown existence behind you?” She suddenly said, curiously looking at the status interface in front of Ace.

“You can see that?” Ace inquired with shock.

Up until now, only Moira was capable of seeing his system window, but even she was restrained by the system to a great extent. He wasn’t expecting Pixy to have the same ability, but when he thought about the mysterious Primal Bond and how Pixy could feel the system’s existence even before forming the Primal Bond, it didn’t feel strange anymore.

“Of course, because we are now bound by Primal Bond, any treasure or item with any value in your possession can’t be hidden from me. Even before, no valuable item that can be regarded as ‘valuable’ by the rules would be revealed to me because I’m, in a sense, the personification of wealth.

“Nonetheless, this unknown existence in you, despite having an unknown value, I can still not see through it. I thought it might change once we form the primal bond, but it’s still the same.

“Furthermore, the words on this strange projection are in the Language of Ancient Gods, and they are incredibly profound, to the level where even my understanding of the Language of Ancient Gods can’t compare.

“Only Primal Spirits like me are born with the basic understanding of the Language of Ancient Gods because we need it to create the Primal Bond. However, this existence is far above my understanding. But it’s a good thing since this means you won’t be at any disadvantage, which benefits me.” Pixy didn’t try to hide her inferiority from Ace as she casually explained.

Ace was even more surprised and quickly asked, “Doesn’t this mean this treasure is something that even surpasses the Heavens and Abysses?”

Pixy’s eyes flickered at Ace’s question before she subtly replied, “I mean, this is a fair conjecture and might even be real. But I won’t suggest you completely assume it because I might be able to sense and appraise the value of items. It only works on items that are marked by the rules and fall into the category of ‘wealth’.

“There are some items that can’t be measured by wealth despite their value. Like ‘Laws’ and ‘Rules’ are unimaginably valuable, but they can’t be measured; life is worthwhile, yet death makes it worthless in the end.

“What I’m trying to say is these kinds of things can’t be appraised but can only be comprehended. The existence in you has tremendous value, but at the same time, it is worthless without you realizing and understanding its full strength.

“As I previously told you, you might have many treasures, but they are not entirely under your control, which makes you vulnerable. If you, for example, die, then those treasures will be worthless to you.

“So, thinking that existence above Heavens and Abysses is too radical. Unless you can confirm it somehow, or make the Heavens and Abysses themselves acknowledge it, you can never reach this conclusion. That’s why thinking about it is nothing but a meaningless endeavor which will only harm you.”

Ace’s eyes widened at Pixy’s profound explanation, and despite not fully grasping it, he still understood what she was trying to say.

‘So, what she’s saying is, even if the system is above everyone else, as long as I can’t control it, whether it’s true or false, it’s meaningless to me. And considering my heritage, I can’t say it’s untrue!’