Being stripped of one's soul is truly a peculiar sensation.
When Linlin used her ability on Ian, he felt something inside him trying to emerge.
Even though he had returned to his human form, suppressing this restless force was easy.
But Ian didn't.
One by one, small, translucent orbs floated out from his chest.
Ian examined them closely—was this his soul?
It looked so unimpressive, with no special phenomena at all.
If not golden and blazing, at least it should have some unique flair.
"About five years' worth of soul," Charlotte Linlin said with a teasing tone. "Unlike me, brat, you can't replenish your soul. Once it's gone, it's really gone. Are you sure about this? If you regret it, I can still return it to you."
At least for Charlotte Linlin, the soul represented lifespan—taking a soul meant taking away life.
Extracting souls to create Homies naturally consumed lifespan as well.
"It doesn't matter," Ian replied indifferently.
What were mere five years of lifespan?
As always, there were countless ways to solve lifespan problems in this world.
"Mamama! Very good!"
Charlotte Linlin said approvingly.
If one didn't even have this level of resolve to become stronger, how could they ever rise above everything else?
"Then, witness its birth!"
With a gentle push of her hand, the soul extracted from Ian's chest was instantly infused into the floating mass of red flames before her.
The humanoid form also had a certain level of control over flames; otherwise, the entire process would have been quite troublesome.
The flames immediately began to tremble.
Ian was a little excited.
What would his exclusive soul weapon look like?
Hmm?
Wait!
Ian suddenly thought of something. "Aunt Linlin, how do I control its form?"
"Mamamama! Brat! Can't you feel it by now?"
Charlotte Linlin laughed heartily. "I didn't place any restrictions on it! It belongs entirely to you! However you want it to change, it will change! But remember, once it takes a final form, it can't be altered again!"
That's right!
It belongs entirely to me!
Ian could already feel it.
A strange connection linked him to the fireball in his hand.
It seemed like he could decide its form.
Shaping a figure, huh?
Perfect, this is right up my alley.
Alright then, let's make it look like this.
The flames in his hand slowly began to transform.
They took the shape of a small humanoid figure.
It was about the size of Ian's head, entirely red.
A big, round head, a small body, a pair of disproportionately large hands, and a tiny tail extending from its rear.
But its most distinct feature was the pair of long horns stretching from the sides of its head, each with a downward fork at the midpoint.
Pretty cute.
Ian's lips curled into a smile.
He had used the image of the Fire Spirit wielded by Hao Asakura in Shaman King as a reference.
After all, this was a spirit of flames too.
At the moment its form was finalized, the fire spirit's round little head lifted, and its large eyes opened, revealing a pair of golden irises filled with pure innocence.
It saw Ian.
Its round face instantly lit up with joy. It happily flew out of Ian's hands and clung to his face.
"Daddy!"
Ian felt a warm sensation on his face. Though this fire spirit was created using the Flames of Sun God's Wrath as a medium, in its current form, it had neither destructive power nor high temperatures.
It was like a fluffy little doll—soft, warm, and comforting.
It was quite strange. Clearly, its true form was a mass of fire, yet it now had a tangible body.
But upon further thought, Ian realized that this wasn't unusual. Leaving Zeus aside, even Charlotte Linlin's Prometheus was the same—a massive fireball that could occasionally take over Zeus' duties and serve as Linlin's support.
Perhaps this was just the norm.
Ian gently peeled the fire spirit off his face and poked its small belly with his finger. The fire spirit immediately squinted its eyes in pleasure, much like a satisfied little cat.
"Not 'Daddy,'"
Ian corrected, "It's 'Master.'"
"Master!"
The fire spirit happily fluttered up from Ian's hands, flying around him like a mythical sprite.
"Since you were born from fire," Ian thought for a moment, "I'll call you Surtur."
Naming it 'Flame' would've been fine, but since Aunt Linlin already had Zeus and Prometheus, it only made sense for him to pick a name with equal weight.
"Surtur! I'm Surtur!"
The fire spirit had no idea what the name signified, but it was overjoyed just to have one.
"Mamamama! Ian! I've already fulfilled my end of the deal. Now, kid, isn't it about time you kept your promise?"
Aunt Linlin sounded rather eager.
"Of course,"
Ian nodded lightly. "Aunt Linlin, you should head back and start preparing for the banquet."
"Mamamama! Then I'll be waiting for your good news!"
After speaking, she rode Zeus back to the Queen Mama Chanter.
Ian also descended, landing lightly on the deck of the Golden Dragon.
"Ian! Are you okay?"
Hancock looked Ian up and down anxiously, afraid that he might be injured.
"We just talked."
Ian said, "And I made a deal with Aunt Linlin."
"A deal?"
Jack asked in surprise, "Big Brother Ian, what kind of deal—"
"Ian! What is that?"
Yamato exclaimed in amazement.
She had noticed the small creature cautiously hiding behind Ian and reached out excitedly to grab it.
"Master, save me!"
Surtur, who was rather timid, cried out in alarm and quickly flew to Ian's head, clinging to his hair while trembling.
"Eh!"
Now, everyone saw it.
They all froze in surprise.
"This is Surtur, the result of my deal with Aunt Linlin."
Ian explained the trade he had made with Charlotte Linlin.
"Eh! Five years of your lifespan!!"
Hancock immediately panicked, her eyes turning red. For the first time, she spoke to Ian with a hint of anger, "Ian! Why would you do something like that?"
"Big Brother Ian!"
Jack was also visibly shaken.
Enel, who was sitting off to the side, looked amused.
That guy should just hurry up and die.
"It's just five years of my lifespan."
Ian said casually, "It was completely worth it."
Surtur's terrifying power—they would understand soon enough.
Everyone's expressions turned complicated.
They were once again certain that Ian had never spared any effort in becoming stronger. He had been like this since he was young and had never changed.
"Hehehe, I want a clone like that too!"
While everyone else was worried about Ian, only Yamato spoke up with a smile.
"Forget it," Ian rolled his eyes.
This girl didn't have the powerful Sun God's Wrath Flames like himself as a vessel. Summoning an Ice Elf wouldn't be meaningful.
Then, Ian looked toward Dorry and Brogy.
"Sorry, I promised Charlotte Linlin."
"Ha ha ha! What's the big deal, my friend?" Brogy laughed loudly. "It's just a banquet! It wouldn't hurt to vent on that woman a little!"
"Yeah! And," Dorry lowered his voice, "if you refuse, it won't be so easy for us to leave, right?"
Ian chuckled softly.
Dorry understood.
Linlin was so obsessed with giants that she was willing to endure humiliation in front of them. How could she possibly let them leave peacefully?
Although they might not fight, it was inevitable that they would be followed, accompanied like a pesky adhesive plaster. It would be nothing short of annoying.
"Well then," Ian smiled, "let's just enjoy this banquet."
"Oh!!"
**********
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