Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1169: Pure Bloodline

In fact, this was not Adam’s first encounter with the ideology of the Crimson Path. He had an acquaintance named Zera, who was not a direct member of the Crimson Path at the time, but during their first meeting, she made the same proposal as Mariam.

At the Crimson Path, blood purity was of utmost importance. In this regard, the Crimson Path was similar to the Twelve Branches and all other high nobles.

However, the Crimson Path was not limited by the number of relatives in the family and did not have to care about commoners because of their surname and the blood running through their veins, as was the case with the nobility.

The Crimson Path, the Dark Order, and the Azure Lotus were factions, not families, which gave them both advantages and some disadvantages.

The purity of blood was of particular interest to women in the Crimson Path. They were more selective than men. The reason was also that, through a century of experience, especially among the High Nobles, it became clear that the influence of a man’s purity of blood had a stronger effect on the purity of a child’s blood than the purity of a woman’s blood.

Well, the higher mortality rate among men and the fact that, in general, slightly fewer men were born than women also played a part.

Adam knew this because, thanks to Osana, he had extensive experience interacting with nobles, but that didn’t mean he was going to have children with just any woman.

He had no such plans!

But Adam couldn’t hide the fact that Mariam possessed knowledge that could be useful to him. He was getting closer and closer to the top, so he needed to know as much as possible about the Big Three.

“I was a blank slate, but that’s no longer the case? What does that mean…? Moreover, shouldn’t my lineage be weak?”

Mariam giggled, unable to contain herself at Adam’s naivety. However, it wasn’t surprising, as he had never delved deeply into the subject. He simply had no reason to, and if Mariam hadn’t appeared, it would have continued that way.

“Hah, Adam, don’t make me laugh. Do you still think your blood is weak? Well, I think the problem is that you don’t know enough about this subject.”

Adam shrugged, not denying it. His knowledge of blood purity was limited to what he had learned during Osana’s rescue. However, high nobles valued blood purity because it increased the chances of their children becoming Phantoms.

If a noble did not become a Phantom, even if they were a high noble, their fate was not particularly good. Even if they were a Phantom, but an Artificial One like Osana, there could be trouble, as in her case.

Mariam took a sip of wine and licked her lips.

“You see, Adam, you are the first Phantom in your family. However, I’m not just talking about your parents being ordinary people. Your grandfather, grandmother, great-grandparents, and another generation before them—all of them were ordinary people. None of them developed the Spark naturally.”

Adam gulped as she squeezed the fabric of his pants.

“How do you know that? Have you been following me…?” No. Adam shook his head. “That’s not what interests me. Why do you know something that even my parents hardly know?”

“It wasn’t easy, even with my connections and abilities. I have to admit that I couldn’t trace it back further than the fourth generation. However, there’s no need to.”

“Hmm? Why?” Adam tilted his head.

Mariam folded her hands together as she leaned forward.

“Because it only takes two generations without Phantoms to purify your blood. So, since your parents and grandparents weren’t Phantoms, your blood is as pure as a blank slate.”

“And? What does that mean?”

“It means that now that you’ve become a Phantom, the next lineage begins with you. Sure, you still have your parents’ genes and so on, but the Phantom energy flowing through your veins will be unique to your children. Your sister’s children won’t have it, unless she becomes a Phantom, although… that’s pointless.”

Silence.

A gloomy silence fell for a few moments. Mariam shouldn’t have mentioned Adam’s sister, as it reminded him once again that in seven years, she and his family would disappear from this world.

“Ahem.” Mariam coughed. “My apologies. I didn’t think. Let’s move on.”

Adam nodded silently.

“But your blood is valuable not only because you will start the next bloodline. You are a Natural Phantom, and even though at the K4 level it no longer has any significance in terms of power, it still has an effect on your blood.”

Then, Adam looked her straight in the eyes.

“It’s all about whether the child will become a Phantom or not, isn’t it? Everything as before?”

Mariam nodded deeply. There was nothing to hide here.

“When you have a pure bloodline, the chances are especially high. You are a Natural Phantom, which also adds a few percent to the success rate. You’re a man, which is more important in this case. Also, if you actively eat monster meat, the chances increase even more.”

Mariam waved her hand, continuing to list all of Adam’s features that positively influenced the likelihood of his children becoming Phantoms.

“In general, considering everything that has been said, the chances are about 75-85%. However, there is something else…”

“Hmm?”

Mariam’s voice became lower.

“If your partner is a woman, the chances increase even more. This only works when the male is a Phantom and the female is a Hybrid. More precisely, this is how maximum effectiveness is achieved.

“In conclusion, considering everything that has been said. If you eat monster meat for several months or even years and have a child with a female Hybrid, there is a 90-95% chance that your child will become a Phantom.”

For a while, Adam said nothing. He seemed to be thinking about Mariam’s words, which had awakened hope in her that he would agree.

After almost five minutes, Adam nodded slightly and looked at her.

“I understand you.”

“But…”

“Why would I want that?”