“Fragment?” Ou Tao turned the golden shard over in his fingers. At first glance, it looked no different from an ordinary curved glass fragment. He traced its edge lightly.
A description then appeared before him:
*Saintess Amalia. Legend names her the most chaste and radiant Holy Maiden in history—the third-generation Saintess of the Church of Sacred Hymn. Blessed with breathtaking beauty and a gentle, melodic voice, she played the seven-stringed lyre. Through enchanting magical harmonies, she guided humanity to triumph over darkness.*
*Yet during the Dark Age, Saintess Amalia fell to the Apostle of Lust—a Necromancer by class—who sought to corrupt her into his plaything. He cast Soul Subjugation, aiming to seal her soul into a Soul Core.*
*But Amalia refused to yield. With her final breath, she poured her entire soul into her lyre and struck a defiant battle hymn.*
*She charged recklessly toward Lust. Though she knew it was futile, her pure heart would not break. She fought until the very end.*
*Even sealed within the Soul Core, her spirit shattered it from within. It fractured into ten pieces, scattering across the world. Enduring the agony of a splintered soul, she ensured no villain would ever defile her.*
*The resulting blast gravely wounded Lust, buying the Church precious time to eliminate him. A resolute, sacred woman—powerful, beautiful. Can you collect all her fragments?*
A phantom shimmered from the fragment before Ou Tao: a golden-haired beauty. He rarely said this, but she was the first woman he’d ever seen who could rival Sister Su.
Her hair flowed like liquid sunlight. Her pupils resembled golden-petaled blossoms in proud bloom. She stood before a dawn-lit abyss, bathed in pure white radiance that highlighted her serene features. A pristine robe edged in gold hugged her graceful silhouette. Beneath its sacred aura, a high slit revealed long, slender legs. She wore ancient Greek-style platform sandals; golden straps wove delicate patterns across her jade-like feet and fair calves. In her hands rested a golden lyre. A faint floral breeze swirled as her fingers brushed the strings—like a goddess descending.
Ou Tao’s heart ached to summon such a Saintess onto his blade. She outclassed his silly donkey spirit by miles—not just in looks, but in aura. *Absolutely leagues ahead.*
Alas, this held only one-tenth of her soul essence. Nine more fragments remained.
Still, luck favored him. Of only ten fragments in existence, he’d drawn one. Her true rarity far exceeded two hundred gold coins—but perhaps the Heavenly Principle’s official valuation set her price. After all, a lone fragment was useless. Without all ten, it couldn’t fuse into a complete Soul Core. Unsummonable, it was little better than a brittle pebble.
*If this were the “Great Bro”*—*the type to drop art this gorgeous*—*he’d hand every player one fragment, grab them by the collar, and yell: “Will you spend money or not? She’s waiting in the gacha pool! Go save her!”*
But this world held no shortcuts. Amalia’s soul was singular. Her Soul Core, unique. Only by gathering all ten fragments could she be restored.
The Heavenly Principle embodied absolute fairness. Principle of Heaven Skills proved it. Just as in Ou Tao’s former world—where one *jin* of iron and one *jin* of gold experienced identical gravity—here, whether a god-tier warrior or a level-10 peasant, all possessed exactly three Principle of Heaven Skills with identical effects.
“Soul Subjugation and Soul Summoning,” Ou Tao murmured. “Skills the legendary Lust wielded. Every Necromancer, Demon Hunter, and Spiritblade Knight learns them at level five. Once I collect all fragments… Amalia will be mine.”
A message from Bika popped up: *“Sir, you misread it earlier. The term is ‘Soul Subjugation’—not ‘surrender’! In this world’s lexicon, it means subduing a soul and sealing it into a Soul Core. Translation error… or your Chinese needs brushing up?”*
Ou Tao fell silent. *Truly, Chinese is profound.* Thank goodness this wasn’t live-streamed—he’d never live down the “illiteracy” jokes.
He packed the materials. The villagers, renowned for their forging skills thanks to Kai’s father, now wished to relocate their families to Francia. The local lord had long urged this; after the Crimson Skull attack, they finally agreed—this place was too dangerous. They paid Ou Tao to escort them. For the coin, he accepted.
He swiftly cleared the remaining snowmen. Luck was middling: no materials dropped, only a Lolita-style frilly dress. *Perfect for Ke Er. Might boost my daughter’s charm stat.*
Then—a sharp pang. A sword spirit had been utterly annihilated. Her blade shattered. Her mental presence vanished from his mind.
Ou Tao’s pulse spiked. He recalled every sword—except the one guarding Ke Er. *The little cat spirit… sacrificed herself.*
Without hesitation, he devoured the meal his daughter had cooked. Stamina restored. Nutritional buff activated—for the third time—endurance surging.
