After seeing Dragon off, Caelan began to tally up his gains.

Previously, he had partnered with Uta, selling autographs for a total of 2 billion Berries.

The auction of five artificial Devil Fruits had brought in just under 1 billion.

And Caesar, the biggest prize, had gone for 7.7 billion in one shot.

The total amounted to 10.7 billion Berries.

Just this single event of auctioning artificial Devil Fruits was enough to instantly fill up an SSR template.

Compared to his time in the East Blue, the difference was immense.

"Sure enough, the bigger the stage, the faster you make money."

Caelan looked at the 10.7 billion balance on his panel and smiled happily.

Back in the East Blue, he had worked tirelessly for half a year and only earned 500 million, enough to push Heracles' template to 50%.

But once he left the East Blue and entered the Grand Line, making 10 billion became effortless. Especially here in the New World, the rewards were even greater.

Changing seas could truly change one's fate.

"Still, without those six months of accumulation in the East Blue, I wouldn't be where I am now."

Caelan wasn't the type to spout nonsense about being full after only four buns.

Without that foundation from the East Blue, there would be no rapid progress now.

Even as an elite vice admiral, he had been forced into a cat-and-mouse game with pirates worth only a few million, making life in the East Blue harsher for pirates than ever.

With a slight sigh, Caelan stopped reminiscing.

What mattered more now was maxing out the Saintess of the Winter template, unlocking the secrets of creating Heroic Spirits, and mastering the Third Magic.

He was also very curious. Once this template was complete, what would the next one be?

"Getting this far is all thanks to my own hard work." Caelan grinned crookedly. "System, give me the points. Let's see your limit!"

With a thought, the balance of 10.7 billion dropped, leaving 1.4 billion.

At the same time, the Saintess of the Winter template rose to 100%.

…

[Host: Caelan Alaric]

[Template: Berserker Heracles 100%, Lancer Karna 100%, Saintess of the Winter 100%]

[Berry: 1.4 billion]

[Strength: A+]

[Durability: EX]

[Agility: A]

[Magic: EX]

[Luck: A]

[Noble Phantasm: EX]

[Personal Skills]: Third Magic: Soul Materialization, Magic Resistance (C), Riding (A), Discernment of the Poor (A), Uncrowned Martial Arts (—), Battle Continuation (B), Mana Burst (Flame) (A), Mind's Eye (Fake) (B), Valor (A+), Divinity (A), Madness Enhancement (B)

[Other Skills]: Swordsmanship (A), Armament Haki (A), Observation Haki (A), Conqueror's Haki (A)

[Noble Phantasms]:

• God Hand: The Twelve Labors (B)

• Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads (C–A+)

• Kavacha and Kundala: O' Sun, Become Armor (A)

• Brahmastra (A)

• Brahmastra Kundala: O' Brahma, Curse Me (A+)

• Vasavi Shakti: O Sun, Abandon Thy Crown (EX)

[System upgrading. Next template will be UR level. Please stay tuned!]

…

The first thing that caught his eye was the system notice.

[System upgrading. Next template will be UR level. Please stay tuned.]

"So that means… there won't be new templates for a while?"

Caelan was surprised.

He had thought new templates would unlock as before, but instead the system itself was upgrading.

What exactly was a UR template? Was it worth a full system upgrade?

How long would this take? And just how powerful would it be?

Caelan was curious, but quickly brushed it off. "Whatever it is, I'll know when it's done."

For now, no new template would appear.

But it didn't matter. The ones he already had were more than enough. Even without another, he was invincible.

Ignoring the upgrade notice, Caelan looked at the other changes.

The panel stats hadn't shifted, but the knowledge he gained was priceless.

In a trance, he once again glimpsed the vortex of origin, gazing upon ultimate truths that recorded everything, past and future.

He could only grasp fragments, but the entirety of the Third Magic—Soul Materialization—was now etched into his mind.

The secret of a Heroic Spirit's body. The secret of materializing the soul. The knowledge to turn a person into a living perpetual motion machine.

Countless truths rang in his mind, expanding his once-clear thoughts into something vast.

"Hmm…"

Caelan hummed softly as he opened his eyes.

His pupils remained black, but now brimmed with wisdom gained from new knowledge.

"From now on, I'll never be alone on the road to eternity."

Suppressing the flood of inspiration within, Caelan smiled.

With full mastery of the Third Magic, he could even transform his women into Heroic Spirits.

Youth eternal. Life eternal.

It had always been a hidden concern of his.

For one person to live forever was too lonely. He didn't want to endure watching loved ones age and die.

Even though the world of pirates had its own paths to immortality, like the Ope Ope no Mi, the Bat-Bat Fruit, or Pure Gold…

Without knowing the principles, he would never feel secure.

Now, with mastery over the Heroic Spirit body, that unease was gone.

"It's a pity this kind of immortality isn't perfect."

Caelan shook his head.

He had once thought the Third Magic would let him turn people into immortal Heroic Spirits with limitless power.

But after truly comprehending it, he realized it wasn't so ideal.

With his current conditions, he could only achieve half.

He could transform people into Heroic Spirits, but could not yet make them perpetual motion machines.

In other words, once their mana ran dry, they would die.

It wasn't the fault of the magic. The problem was that the Pirate World differed from the Type-Moon World. Certain conditions simply didn't exist here.

Those he transformed could only replenish small amounts of mana through food. The rest had to come from him.

As long as he supplied it, they would live eternally.

In short, all Heroic Spirits in this world depended on him to exist.

"Fortunately, my mana is infinite, so I don't fear the cost."

Caelan wasn't worried.

Thanks to the system, he had already achieved the perfect perpetual motion of the Third Magic. His mana was inexhaustible.

Supporting his women was nothing. Even doubling their number would not trouble him.

And there were many ways to transfer mana, magic circles draining vitality, absorbing leylines, absorbing the world's ambient energy…

But the most famous, and convenient, was through bodily exchange.

In other words, the arts of kissing and intimacy. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by ɴo(v)elFɪre.ɴet

That suited him perfectly.

The Third Magic gave him infinite mana and stamina, making him a true perpetual motion machine.

Satisfying the women at home was effortless.

He had always taken care of them all. Not once had he neglected any he had claimed.

"Enough of that. There are other gains."

Caelan shook the stray thoughts from his head.

After completing the Saintess of the Winter template, besides mastering the Third Magic, he had also inherited magic knowledge from the Einzbern family.

Most of it was of little use, but one technique in particular caught his attention.

An image of the mind… the appearance of a Reality Marble.

(To be continued.)

***

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