Chapter 225: Selene's Food (BONUS)

"Holy Light?"

Loki's strength was formidable, and his perception naturally sharp. The moment Ethan's energy appeared, he was able to roughly analyze its properties.

After observing it for a while, Loki looked up at the sun hanging in the sky.

Naturally, Ethan noticed the gesture and, without waiting for Loki to ask, began explaining the characteristics of his energy.

"In fact, for many living beings, the sun is a symbol of life. So this vibrant, extremely bright energy shares certain traits with solar energy."

In Azeroth, the Tauren didn't originally believe in the Holy Light, yet the Tauren tribe eventually produced paladins who wielded it. The official explanation was that the Tauren Paladins' power came from their belief in the sun.

Maybe that was just a patch explanation made up by the developers in his previous life, but now Ethan could look at it differently: perhaps the Tauren's reverence for the sun caused their spiritual fluctuations to align with the Holy Light, allowing them to wield its energy without believing in it directly.

The Holy Light Ethan used wasn't exactly the same as the one in Azeroth, but by trying to align it with solar energy, any deviation had been reduced to a negligible level.

Given that its effects and appearance were nearly identical, the energy in his hands could be considered true Holy Light.

This energy was pure, powerful, and highly exclusive, making it difficult to control. However, Ethan now wielded it with ease.

"Is it because the energy intensity is low?"

"That's one reason."

When the intensity and quantity are kept in check, even extreme forms of energy can be subdued by powerful mages, making control manageable.

Of course Loki could do the same, but what was the point of using energy so weak and minimal?

"For practice."

These innately powerful races left Ethan speechless. Born with immense energy reserves, most of them neglected basic foundational training.

As energy intensity grew with age—and since the energy was inherently their own—it functioned more like instinct, rarely running out of control.

Occasionally, some exceptionally gifted individuals were born with overwhelming power. Due to their strong parents, like Diana and Thor, their energy was restrained in their youth and released gradually as they aged, allowing them to adapt to it over time. As a result, no Protoss would bother "wasting time" with such basic training.

"With long-term contact and practice, one can master its properties, understand the energy's various traits, and gradually increase control until they can fully command that type of energy."

Ethan shaped the Holy Light in his hand, flattening it and molding it into various weapons like swords, spears, blades, and halberds.

However, his current control of the Holy Light was limited to this level. A slight increase in energy would render it harder to manage, and the transformations lacked intricate detail, only mimicking outward appearances. More complex shapes were still beyond him.

"So what you're saying is, I should extract a bit of energy from the Casket of Ancient Winters, get used to that small portion, and then gradually increase the amount until I can fully master it?"

Of course Loki knew this cultivation method, but he hadn't used it in over a thousand years.

"Why do you want to master the Casket of Ancient Winters?" Ethan clasped his hands together. The Holy Light vanished from his palms, and in its place appeared a pair of radiant wings formed from condensed Holy Light on his back. "Once your understanding of this energy reaches a certain level, you become the Casket of Ancient Winters."

Looking at Ethan, Loki finally understood what he meant.

Once he fully mastered the energy inside the Casket, he could completely absorb it and convert it into his own power.

As a mage, he naturally understood the significance of assimilating a type of energy and transforming it into personal mana, it meant his strength would increase dramatically. If he succeeded, his power would no longer be inferior to Thor's, who wielded the power of thunder—assuming, of course, what Ethan said was true, and that Thor's power was truly hidden within him.

Otherwise, based on Loki's current level, he should be strong enough to crush Thor, freezing him into an ice sculpture with a mere wave of his hand.

Ethan dissipated the Holy Light wings behind him. Currently, their only function was visual flair. They served no practical purpose other than emitting weak Holy Light energy that made Selene very uncomfortable. She had leapt down from the poop deck and retreated to the front of the ship the moment the wings appeared.

After Ethan retracted the wings, Selene returned, but she looked at him like a vampire staring at the sun, which needed no further explanation.

Ethan took out the scepter that Loki had used before.

"I was going to melt this down and forge something else, but it looks like you still need it."

Loki accepted the scepter. The spot where the Mind Stone used to be embedded was now empty. He instantly understood what Ethan meant.

"Extract a portion of the energy from the Casket of Ancient Winters and set it in here?" Loki thought it over. It was a good plan, and he was quite used to using this scepter. "I'll need a suitable vessel."

"We can work on that."

Ethan spread his hands, his expression ambiguous, but Loki immediately grasped his meaning.

"Even if it seems a little like cheating, you've at least provided some preliminary proof for what you said."

Ethan had claimed he could help Loki become stronger. Although this time it was more about providing guidance than offering direct power, those key factors of growth lay within Loki himself. Sometimes, just offering a path forward could make a huge difference. Loki acknowledged that and didn't bother denying Ethan's 'help.'

Though he didn't make an official statement, he had already hinted that he was willing to remain onboard and accept a formal crew position to assist Ethan.

After giving Loki a new 'cultivation path' to focus on for the time being, the next issue Ethan had to deal with was Selene's.

Selene's problem could be seen as either minor or major—her dietary needs.

As a vampire, Selene couldn't eat ordinary food. The only thing she could consume was blood. However, the Goddess of Dawn had plenty of resources in storage—everything except blood.

There wasn't even an emergency supply of blood packs, as no one aboard needed them. The only one who might, Ethan, had already crafted numerous life-saving potions for himself. If those couldn't save him, then no amount of blood packs would help, so naturally none were stocked.

So… what Selene would eat had become the biggest issue.

"You can't eat anything besides blood?"

"No."

"What about water?"

"Water should be fine."

Ethan touched his chin, thinking about what to do. At present, the options were limited. The Goddess of Dawn didn't have blood packs, and unlike Earth's age of sailing, there were no livestock like cows or sheep on board. Killing animals for blood wasn't feasible in an emergency.

"I can use magic to create something similar to blood, but I don't know if it'll work."

He wasn't sure what exactly vampires needed from blood. Was it just that their mutated bodies could only absorb liquid nutrition, making blood the most efficient option? Or did they require something else?

As a mage from the arcane side, Ethan understood that blood contained life force, spiritual energy, soul imprints, and more. If vampires needed those things, then he would be at a loss.

"The Underworld world seems to follow science. Vampires and werewolves are mutated species, not magical curses."

But even in such a 'scientific' world, vampires could absorb memories through blood. That left Ethan uncertain about how to proceed.

No one could give him a definitive answer. All Ethan could do was prepare a batch of 'artificial blood' and let Selene try it.

It didn't take long, nor did it consume many materials. Within half an hour, Ethan had created a sizable batch.

Selene held a cup of the freshly made liquid and drank. After observing her for a bit, Ethan noticed her expression didn't look too good.

"Did it not work, or did it taste bad?"

Selene frowned, her expression reminded Ethan of drinking bitter medicine in his previous life. She clearly wasn't enjoying it.

"It doesn't taste good, but it does relieve hunger. Still, I feel a bit weak, like I'm not fully satiated."

Ethan nodded and took a bit of her blood to analyze. Based on her reaction, the liquid he created was edible for Selene—it could stave off hunger and maintain her basic survival. It wouldn't push her into the mummified state caused by blood deprivation.

But surviving on this concoction left Selene in poor health. She felt weak, and it wasn't enjoyable at all.

"It can only sustain life, nothing more."

That was good enough for now. When they visited another world later, he could consider bringing her some blood.

But Ethan was thinking bigger. He wanted to fundamentally change Selene's situation.

"I can make myself non-human. There's no reason I can't fix a vampire's physiology."

(To be continued.)

***

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