Igor felt his consciousness being wrenched away by an irresistible force.
The world spun, light and shadow shattered.
The stream, moonlight, forest… all real scenes rapidly faded, replaced by a sensation of weightless soul drift.
It was as if he had fallen into a vortex constructed from auroras and ice and snow, feeling the dizziness of a soul being extracted.
When his senses returned, he found himself no longer in reality.
Before him was an endless icy-blue void.
As far as the eye could see, there were boundless, cold, dim glows.
Fine particles of ice dust, like living stars, floated and rotated around him, emitting frigid starlight.
And his gaze was involuntarily seized by the majestic presence at the center of this void—
It was an elegant and mysterious Ice Crystal Phoenix.
At first glance, Igor wasn’t even sure if it was real.
It resembled more of a solidified dream.
A frosty image jointly constructed by stardust and auroras.
It hovered there quietly, its posture graceful and noble, every feather carved vividly, refracting magnificent iridescence.
Its body was translucent, displaying a fathomless icy silver.
Looking into it, one could see energies like liquid auroras slowly flowing within, containing a heart-palpitating vastness.
Merely gazing at it made Igor’s soul tremble, a reverence born from life instinct welling up.
He felt like a speck of dust, gazing up at an eternal snow and ice deity.
“This… this is…”
Igor’s throat was dry, while his mind was roiled by towering waves.
‘A High-Level Spirit!’
‘This is definitely a High-Level Spirit!’
The young man screamed inwardly.
After all, Igor was the illegitimate child of the Orion family.
Although his knowledge of the transcendent wasn’t deep, he had a general understanding of the ranks of elemental spirits.
As he knew, elemental spirits, from weak to strong, could be divided into four ranks: 【Lesser Spirit】, 【Greater Spirit】, 【Spirit Lord】, and 【Holy Spirit】.
Above these, legends spoke of eight elemental lords who governed all single-element spirits, known as the Eight Divine Thrones of Elements, the foundation stones of all things—the eight 【Spirit Kings】.
Greater Spirits and above were collectively referred to as High-Level Spirits.
They possessed wisdom and power far surpassing Lesser Spirits, and in some remote human tribes, they were even worshipped as deities.
As for the one before him now…
Igor couldn’t help but swallow a nonexistent mouthful of saliva.
He suddenly remembered the water elemental spirit that the Orion family was so proud of.
That terrifying existence, nurtured by the family with all its resources for hundreds of years, already incredibly close to the 【Greater Spirit】 rank…
He had once felt its oppressive aura from afar during a family celebration, that damp, heavy pressure that felt like it could drown one in the deep sea, making it difficult for him to stand at the time.
But the oppressive aura of that water spirit, compared to the presence before him now… was like a rushing stream encountering a glacier that has frozen for eons.
Merely existing here, merely sensing the throbbing of this icy-blue void, his soul trembled instinctively—
It was absolute suppression at the level of life itself!
‘This is definitely not an ordinary Greater Spirit!’
‘Its rank must be far above the water spirit the Orion family venerates!’
‘Is it the pinnacle among Greater Spirits? Or perhaps…’
Igor dared not think further.
That was already beyond his comprehension.
Merely realizing this made him feel dizzy.
Just as his mind was shaken violently, enveloped by boundless awe, the ice elemental Lesser Spirit he had seen outside flew around the Ice Crystal Phoenix like a chick returning to the nest, affectionate and clinging, its demeanor gentle and intimate.
Watching the Lesser Spirit that seemed like a mote of dust beside the other, Igor’s heart trembled slightly, and understanding dawned:
‘So that’s how it is!’
‘This wild Lesser Spirit, which I saw as hope and fought with all my might to win over, is actually… just a subordinate of this being!’
At this moment, Igor suddenly felt his previous cautious and clumsy probing and attempts to please were so absurd and laughable.
‘Of course…’
‘There’s no way I could have successfully contracted that Lesser Spirit because it isn’t independent.’
‘A higher spirit can command lower spirits, and without permission from the higher spirit, it has no authority to contract with me…’
Having thought this far, Igor felt somewhat dejected.
But soon, he rallied again:
‘Wait…’
‘Although I can’t contract with it directly…’
‘But now, haven’t I already come before its higher spirit?!’
To establish a connection with such a powerful existence was absolutely a legendary encounter.
But…
Would such a being really favor a human as insignificant as dust like him?
Igor didn’t know.
But he could no longer spare the energy to think about this. Almost instinctively, he took a step forward, using all his strength to hoarsely utter a plea:
“Respected higher being… ancient spirit who commands the frost!”
“Your humble supplicant, Igor, pleads with you here… grant me the power for revenge and protection!”
The young man’s trembling voice echoed in this mysterious space.
A moment of silence followed, as if spanning eons.
Then, an ethereal, clear, and cold female voice sounded directly in the depths of his soul:
“What a contradictory soul…”
“Carrying such profound hatred, yet not completely fallen.”
“The obsession to protect surges within it, persisting beneath the ice.”
“And deep within… there even hides a sliver of hope for the dawn.”
The voice paused slightly, carrying supreme majesty and a condescending scrutiny:
“So entangled, yet so tenacious… Igor, your soul is far more interesting than your mortal shell.”
Igor’s mind jolted.
‘She saw it!’
‘She saw through the deepest things in my heart at a glance!’
‘Before her, I probably have no secrets at all!’
This realization filled him with fear, but it also made him shed all pretense.
Not daring to hide anything, Igor bowed his head even lower:
“Yes! I need power! For revenge, and even more to protect those I must protect!”
The ethereal voice sounded again, carrying an aloofness of the highest order:
“Power? With your fragile shell and soul as they are now, even bearing a sliver of my power would cause you to instantly disintegrate, turning into ice dust within this void.”
Igor’s heart instantly sank to the depths.
‘As expected… I can’t even bear a sliver of power?’
‘In her eyes, am I really so weak…’
‘Right, for an existence like her, akin to a deity, a mortal like me probably doesn’t even qualify as a suitable vessel…’
Igor clenched his fists, but finally loosened them helplessly, feeling only utter despair within.
However, just as he was almost disheartened, the voice shifted slightly:
“However, the will burning within you has piqued my slight interest.”
“I can permit you to form a contract with my subordinate—this ice elemental spirit.”
As soon as the words fell, the Lesser Spirit flying around glowed brightly, becoming more solid and radiant than ever before, as if proudly displaying its power.
Igor was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted, almost weeping for joy.
As if fearing the other might change their mind, he, caught in ecstasy, hurriedly and eagerly shouted:
“I agree! I am willing! Great and benevolent ancient spirit! Thank you for your grace!”
But soon, he calmed down again.
Taking a deep breath, the young man resolutely raised his head and asked the most crucial question:
“Great ancient spirit, may I ask… what price must I pay for this?”
“Price?”
The ethereal voice seemed to ripple with a light laugh:
“In your current state, as frail as a newborn ant, what price could you possibly pay that would move me?”
Hearing the words of the Ice Crystal Phoenix, Igor felt ashamed.
But the subsequent words made his mind tremble:
“Then like this…”
“Having awakened from a long slumber, I have forgotten too much of the past, my power has also diminished, and I need a vessel capable of free movement…”
The owner of the voice spoke as if casually, carrying a vastness originating from antiquity:
“In exchange, as you live on and grow stronger, you shall, by the way, seek a vessel for my free movement, search for my lost memories, and explore methods to restore my power.”
“This, for you, might also serve as a form of guidance.”
This request sounded uncomplicated but contained much information.
A long slumber…
Igor instantly realized that the ancient being before him hid secrets far beyond his imagination.
But this suited him perfectly!
Wasn’t it precisely a path and direction to grow stronger that he needed?
The older the elemental spirit, often the more powerful, and also the more profound transcendent knowledge it possessed!
To be connected with such an existence was itself a tremendous, heaven-sent opportunity!
As for the requirements posed by the other party, after some thought, Igor had a preliminary judgment.
The requests to find memories and restore power were vague, but the vessel the other wanted, he could roughly guess what it was.
Although elemental spirits also possessed materialized forms, to maintain their own spirituality, most preferred to reside in vessels that could reduce self-erosion.
The vessel mentioned by the other was probably this kind of carrier with free movement capability.
For example… some kind of controllable armored puppet, or golem.
To be honest, such things weren’t easy to find.
Especially since the other was a High-Level Spirit of high intelligence; it likely referred to something like an expensive magical puppet.
But as long as he became an Elementalist, anything was possible!
“Good! I agree!”
Igor vowed decisively, his voice filled with the resolve of burning his bridges:
“As long as I can obtain power, I will spare no effort to help you recover your memories, forge a vessel, and return to your peak!”
“So be it… the contract is formed.”
With this plain response, the light flowing around the Ice Crystal Phoenix seemed to brighten for an instant.
The nearby Lesser Spirit, as if receiving an irrevocable decree, emitted a clear, melodious hum, its form completely transforming into an utterly pure essence of ice element, instantly merging into the core of Igor’s soul!
Icy magic power surged through his consciousness like a tidal wave. The feeling of the world spinning returned, and his consciousness began to be expelled from this sacred yet terrifying domain.
Before his consciousness completely returned, Igor used his last bit of strength to shout toward the towering Ice Crystal Phoenix:
“Respected higher being… how should I address you?”
The ethereal voice seemed to pause for a moment, as if recalling something, before slowly transmitting, carrying a distant and icy echo:
“Ale… for now, you may call me Ale.”
…
After sending Igor out of the pendant’s consciousness space, the Ice Crystal Phoenix transformed back into a mass of icy-silver consciousness essence.
“Phew… finally done.”
“My dialogue just now… should have been a decent act, right?”
Aivrel, having returned to her ideological form, let out a sigh of relief and muttered to herself.
The Ice Crystal Phoenix was naturally a disguise she created using magic power.
Since she planned to indirectly control the contractor through a lower spirit, she couldn’t not make an appearance.
Of course, another reason was that she had been too stifled.
Her soul was, after all, human, with basic social needs. Having had no one to talk to for a full ten years, even with the support of absolute rationality, she felt she was about to go crazy.
Therefore, under the premise of maintaining safety, she didn’t mind stepping to the forefront to communicate with the outside world, alleviating the loneliness in her heart.
This was also why she wanted another, freer vessel.
Although the Phoenix Pendant was good, it had no capability for self-movement, forcing her to remain imprisoned, even for ten years.
However, the identity of the Ice Witch was too sensitive and clearly had unknown powerful enemies.
Not to mention her long, three-part True Name, which seemed to carry some mysterious power; even the simplified name “Aivrel,” if revealed rashly, could likely bring uncontrollable consequences.
Aivrel didn’t dare to gamble.
Even for communication, she had to adopt a different identity.
And the identity of an awakened, power-limited High-Level Spirit “Ale” was perfect for her disguise and foothold in the Prime Material Plane.
She was quite satisfied with Igor.
It was worth personally consuming magic power to heal him; this human mercenary was indeed suitable as a contractor.
Especially his character; faced with the squirrel that saved him, he chose gratitude over plunder.
This saved her a lot of trouble.
After all, a person who holds onto their bottom line even in desperate straits is always more trustworthy than an ambitious schemer who repays kindness with enmity.
Aivrel didn’t consider herself someone skilled at manipulating people’s hearts, nor did she think she possessed particularly strong abilities.
The acting just now was the result of many rehearsals in advance, and even then she had been terribly nervous.
Frankly, she was just an ordinary person who had accidentally obtained unknown power, and as an ordinary person, she naturally preferred dealing with people of noble character who were less likely to betray.
Her willingness to actively appear was precisely because the young man had passed her test.
During these seven days, she had been constantly observing him, learning about his experiences through his soliloquies, thereby further judging his temperament, ensuring he truly met her needs.
And Igor had not disappointed her.
Thinking of this, she eagerly directed her consciousness perception outward again, looking at the young man who had awakened in the outside world:
“Now let me… see what you will gain from the Spirit Contract!”
…