Reborn as a Demonic Tree-Novel

Ashlock easily broke the seals on the many rings looted from the two slain bounty hunters, confirming his suspicion that both men had been a stage or two below Nox. Once again, he let the contents from the ring rain down and form a separate pile beside Nox's belongings.

Oddly, all that went through Ashlock's mind as he saw the piles of shiny coins nestled among bundles of clothes was that this felt like Christmas and that he was turning into a dragon with a hoard.

"What's that, Stella?" Ashlock asked. His system could not tell him the grade or function of artifacts not given to him by the system since he lacked an appraisal skill.

Stella took the artifact and walked over to the area Diana had pointed to. Everyone watched in anticipation as she pushed her Qi into the ring, and the amethyst gemstone lit up with a purple hue, which then spread to her finger.

"That's a shame," Ashlock said, wondering what grade the system would assign such an artifact. "Perhaps C grade? If all it offers is increased control over telekinesis, it's not very versatile. Something like increased control over all spatial techniques would be better."

Douglas decided not to answer that question and took out his walking stick from his spatial ring and proped it up against the stone throne. Taking a few steps back, he pointed his glowing finger with the ring on it at the walking stick, and after struggling for a while to get a handle of the ring's power, the walking stick began to shudder and slowly lifted into the air.

Douglas embraced her in a short hug and didn't say anything more.

Stella looked between the two in confusion. Then, with a shrug, she seemed to give up on understanding the situation and returned to the floating items. Like a composer with telekinesis, Stella separated the clothes, spirit stones, and mortal currency into distinct piles, leaving only a few artifacts floating.

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The capabilities of the boots were yet to be fully discerned, but Ashlock had already deemed them far more useful than the ring Douglas had been given. "That blur effect alone would set these boots as a B-grade artifact, and I must admit they suit Diana's style."

Although Sol could heal most injuries, Ashlock was still unsure if this was a great idea. But Stella was right. Diana was a Star Core cultivator with a demon body, so she would have to throw herself from space to have a chance of serious injury.

"I agree. Those boots are a perfect fit for Diana's fighting style." Ashlock said. "But they would also be useful for almost anyone here..."

"How much do they increase your speed?"Ashlock asked.

"Seems like a good find and perfect for you then."Ashlock then focused on Stella, "Found anything, Stella? And what about Elaine? Have you found any artifacts that interest you?"

"I must have eaten them," Ashlock grumbled at the realization. His vines, and especially the void, did not discriminate and would devour anything they could get their tendrils on. But Stella had thoroughly checked and looted one of the corpses. So maybe they didn't have any defensive artifacts after all?

Its effect sounded relatively weak compared to the boots Diana had picked out. Still, a greater ability to track threats around her in a fight would help Elaine tremendously, especially with her lesser battle experience than the others here.

"That suits you well. You should take it." Ashlock said, and Elaine gave him a thankful nod while holding the bracelet close to her chest.

Now, all that was left was for Stella to pick something. There were still around a dozen artifacts to choose from, ranging from jewelry like rings and necklaces to more odd items like a small wooden statue of a three-headed dog. The problem was not all artifacts could just be worn and used. Some were specific for certain affinities, while others were too weak or powerful to be used.

Stella spent a while trying on various jewelry pieces but didn't seem to be a fan of them. Either because they didn't fit, their effects were a mismatch to her skill set, or like the ring she gave to Douglas, they were too weak. She was a rather strong cultivator now firmly in the Star Core Realm, so artifacts matching her caliber will be increasingly rare.

While watching her shift through the items with Elaine at her side and giving suggestions, Ashlock felt a ringing at the back of his mind. Focusing on it, he felt concern coming from Khaos through their mental link.

Someone was coming.

Ashlock used {Eye of the Tree God} to peer through the torrential rainstorm and saw Sebastian Silverspire flying through the sky on an ornate sword with Ryker standing behind him and peering past his waist at Red Vine Peak.

It was finally time for the Silverspires to set foot on Red Vine Peak.

"Sebastian will be here in a moment," Ashlock told the group. "I don't want them to become totally aware of what I am and what is happening here as they haven't sworn an oath of loyalty. But we have things to discuss with them, and keeping them at arm's length for so long when they are business partners feels wrong. The Silverspires have, without a doubt, been our greatest allies so far. Other than the Redclaws, of course."

"You and Stella can make the initial introduction and then give them a Mind Fortress pill. Since Sebastian Silverspire is a Star Core cultivator trusted to guard one of their Grand Elder's children, he should be mentally strong enough to speak with me directly."

Sebastian's shadow grew progressively larger through the rain until he touched down at the edge of Ashlock's canopy. Withdrawing his sword, he led Ryker toward the waiting Stella and Diana by putting a hand on the young boy's back.