The Oracle Paths

Saros sneered with distaste, viewing the Brain-Eater pitifully squirm in hollow promises.

Any Evolver who'd dealt with Digestors as much as he had would know their words held no weight, no credibility.

Even if the Digestor's promises held sincerity, a miracle born from fear, their natural tendencies – rooted in their nature and origin – would persist, continuing to shape their behavior and character fundamentally. Once fear faded, these two Brain-Eaters would naturally start their plots anew.

Of course, how could a wise and seasoned Rank 3 Aetherist like Cekt be deceived?

Much like the Oracle Guardian, the old alien's lips curled downwards in disdain and

aversion, coldly pronouncing,

"And why should I believe you?"

A chill of terror raced along the spine of the Gorgonite, perceiving the hostility seeping from the voice of his former master. Aware that his life depended on what he'd utter next, he began sweating large droplets of mineral oil, soon coating him like engine oil – the smell was all too similar.

Rigel racked his brain for an adequate response. His counterpart Syrbarun,

peacefully floating in his glass cage, took a perverse pleasure in his current inability to answer.

With walls designed to block sound and telepathic signals both incoming and

outgoing, the imprisoned Brain-Eater could easily lip-read, yet his predicament spared him the existential pressure his comrade was facing.

It wasn't that he fancied himself safe from Wendok's wrath – he knew he'd soon face the same interrogation – but for the moment, he savored the spectacle of his fellow Brain-Eater enduring a dreadful grilling.

When Cekt and the others started losing patience, the Gorgonite's frantic eyes suddenly stilled, and, prostrated before the old alien, he looked up and proclaimed with newfound confidence, an eureka moment, "I-I am ready to sign an Oracle Slave

Contract!"

He anxiously awaited the green gremlin's response, only to be met with collective laughter. Even Jake couldn't help but sneer, retorting with a biting tone,

"Did you really think we would let you live without signing one? That's not enough.

Oracle Slave Contracts don't work well with your kind. And I know what I'm talking about as one of my Oracle Slaves is a Trojan Digestor."

Of course, he was referring to Ruby. He had firsthand experience with the limitations of the Oracle Slave Contract when it came to these creatures.

Cekt nodded, arms folded, hearing his disciple's words. His icy gaze then landed back on Rigel and he snapped sharply,

"You heard him. I'm giving you a second chance. Know this, if the answer doesn't satisfy me, I won't hesitate to kill you.

Because even though I can force you without asking your opinion, I have no good reason to. Whether you live or die is up to you."

The Gorgonite's face contorted in despair and anger at the ultimatum. With his

intelligence, he knew precisely what the old Wendok meant.

The Brain-Eater's features soon furrowed into a horrid grimace faced with the terrible dilemma. Jake could tell by the chaotic spiritual fluctuations how hard the choice was. Even if he didn't know what Cekt

planned exactly, he knew it boded nothing good for the Digestor.

The Brain-Eater was likely choosing between dying now and surviving, regretting every day he was still alive. In other words, the Gorgonite's choice would hinge on how

much he valued staying alive, or rather, how much he dreaded his own death.

Jake had his hunches about this aspect, and, unsurprisingly, Rigel didn't disappoint him.

"I... want to live. Whatever the cost. Alright, brainwash me. But please, don't manipulate too much with my personality or alter my memories too much. I want to know that I've been brainwashed and that I accepted this change willingly."

'As expected.' Jake nodded inwardly, hearing the Brain-Eater's decision.

Brainwashing was indeed the only real way to influence a Digestor's behavior. The only unknown was what kind of brainwashing

they were referring to?

If classical hypnosis-based brainwashing was an effective remedy for Corruption, the Oracle and Mirror Universe wouldn't have made such a fuss.

Therefore, logically, Cekt and Rigel were referring to a deeper, more permanent type of brainwashing, the kind that directly affected the soul. If he was not mistaken, it was something akin to the hereditary Soul Slave Seal that Brain-Eaters could innately use by sacrificing some of their Soul Power.

The only thing that still bothered him was that he didn't know his master was capable of such a feat. Wasn't it only Rank 5 or above Aetherists who had the level and experience required to manipulate the Soul Code?

In this case, it was likely a perk of his bloodline, a Soul Class, or some sort of Soul Cultivation Technique. Otherwise, it could only be made possible with a one-time-use item like the invaluable Phasing Scroll used earlier by Saros.

And indeed, Cekt immediately proved his last supposition correct when he summoned a peculiar red scroll that resembled a sheet of congealed blood, adorned with a complex design suggesting a large gold-inked blotch.

Jake found nothing of note about the scroll based on its aura or its materials, yet the reaction of Saros and Rigel proved quite the opposite.

"H-how?! How did you get this?" Saros

stammered out, his face contorted in shock, while the Gorgonite started trembling with horror, bowing without any hesitation.

"Anything but this, I beg of you!" the Brain-Eater whimpered, weeping copiously and shaking with terror.

Even Syrbarun, who was gleefully twitching in his cage, turned stiff, his terrified gaze pinned on the crimson scroll. His enjoyment of his fellow creature's misery was long forgotten.

"Oh? So, you know what this is." Cekt

chuckled at their stunned reactions. "Good, it'll save me some time."

"What is it, master?" Jake asked with

curiosity, the only one seeming indifferent to the scroll's appearance.

"Something that even works on Digestors because it originates from the same source,"

Cekt explained solemnly. "Don't bother looking for this item in the Oracle Store, you won't find anything. Even in the Mirror World, it's pricey just to get information about it. In our Mirror Universe, only the Oracle, the Ancient Designers, and some exceptional elites can lawfully acquire it."

His master's explanation only made Jake more doubtful, raising new questions. If it was so hard to acquire, then why did he have one of these rare scrolls in his possession?

More importantly, why waste it on a lowly Brain-Eater?

Even without reading his disciple's thoughts, the gremlin could guess his concerns, and he answered with a shrug, "What I can say is that I obtained a fair number of these legally."

Saros' pupils narrowed at his ambiguous response, and he instinctively gripped his four blades tighter, as if preparing for a fight for his life.

"Relax, Guardian." Cekt scoffed, rolling his eyes, "I'm not so petty as to silence you after summoning this scroll in your presence.

However, you're right about one thing. Now that you've seen this scroll, I have to ensure your silence. Let's sign an Oracle Contract."

The four-armed alien immediately relaxed upon hearing this order. On the surface, it was humiliating for him, but considering what he had witnessed, he got off

remarkably lightly.

"Do I need to sign one too?" Jake asked, his brow furrowing.

"No need." Cekt dismissed him with a wave of his hand without looking his way. "You don't know what this is, and Oracle

Contracts no longer hold much sway over you. Let me handle them while you take care of your infected companions. We'll discuss the rest later."

Jake didn't protest, but pointing at Epsilom, Hade, and Lyra, who were standing apart from their group, he inquired, "What about Epsilom and Hade? I don't think they're fully under the virus's influence."

Cekt momentarily turned away from Rigel at his remark, taking time to inspect his favored student and then Hade. After a quick mental scan, he confirmed, "You're right. There's a Soul Slave Seal in their souls. The

Sinewshade Virus isn't as effective on inorganic etheric races, and Epsilom, with his powerful and near-unfaltering spirit due to his power's nature, isn't an exception. As for your friend, it's more surprising, but it's due to his high Spirit Body level and decent Soul Strength. He must've also used a technique at the time of infection to protect his soul from the virus."

Turning back to Rigel, he bluntly growled, "Your handiwork?"

The Gorgonite quivered like a leaf under his scathing gaze, but knowing denial was futile, he quick

ly announced, "I've just removed it."