Sumatra's Greatest Fan-Chapter 58: A Deity’s Treasures

At the 11th Settlement’s Peak!

"Please, head inside." Ongle prostrated on the floor before a large, double door. The double door led into a walled living quarter meant solely for the upper echelon of the Settlement.

It was where the Settlement Leader lived alongside his closest kin. Those part of a Settlement were related to each other. It was one big family.

Hence, those granted entry to the walled living quarters were purely out of merit. Runthral’s mother was one such existence, even before she had given birth to him. And after successfully birthing a Deity, her status had reached its zenith.

Ongle stayed prostrated at the entrance. This was how far he could go. His status as a servant was high, but hadn’t reached the highest yet. Only senior servants were allowed past this point, and they had been serving the Clan for a minimum of five decades or higher.

The courtyard was mired with walls of mist that blocked all manner of Prana detection means. An intricate network of environmental factors were involved at the place to naturally produce such mist.

The moment he set foot within, the mist belonging to a section of the courtyard vanished, displaying a route leading to one of the houses. The house had a single storey, spanning a living room measuring forty metres in length and breadth and reaching a height of twenty metres.

Upon entry, Runthral first noticed a thick layer of mist covering all the doors leading out of the living room. Even he hadn’t been to this place before and hence, he had no idea what all the sealed rooms meant.

His attention then fell upon a chair that had been decorated to resemble a throne. However, the chair was also wide enough to double as a bed. And weakly sitting up on the seat while being held by two senior servants was a bald, aging woman who was closing in on five centuries of life.

Her cheeks were sunken, prominently displaying the cheekbones. A thick, golden mascara elevated her gaze, highlighting a pair of eyes seething with wisdom earned through cruelty.

She was Eureur, a Cooter Clansman with Silver Grade strength standing at the peak of cultivation, at the 10-Life Stage, ready to reach the Transcendence Stage.

She had been born multiple generations before Raurau, and had only taken up the role of husband and wife for the sole purpose of birthing a Deity. She was the individual with the highest influence over the Settlement, having a myriad of achievements under her belt while also being an older sister to the Settlement Leader.

"You’ve arrived, my son." Her eyes curled ever so slightly in joy, watching the controlled presence emitted by Runthral, "I take it you had a fruitful time at the Academy."

"I did, mother." Runthral made a formal bow, "I have come to realise my shortcomings and am actively striving to improve myself."

"There’s nothing you can claim to lack, my son." Eureur waved her hand, motioning for the two senior servants to leave. Once they rushed outside, the door closed shut, followed by the mist congregating to form a thick layer.

Now that they had privacy, Eureur beckoned for Runthral to get close and gently placed her hand on the other party’s cheek, "Did you face any hardship?"

"I did," Runthral nodded, his eyes turning moist in response.

"Good boy," Eureur pinched his cheeks, "As long as you’re alive, every hardship will only serve to strengthen you."

"Remember your status," She continued, "Your potential for growth is wilder than your wildest expectations."

"But I thought..." He hesitated for a moment before asking, "I thought my potential was the least among the Empyrean Snappers."

"Yes, and I apologise for my lacking efforts." Eureur expressed sadness, "However, you need to understand something."

"In recent times, many Expert Gold Grade Pranic Beasts have emerged. But know this," She gently raised her trembling hands and pressed them upon Runthral’s cheeks, "Empyrean Tusk and Empyrean Snapper, only these two Races are worshipped as Deities."

"You might be the weakest Deity, but even that means you stand above every other Gold Grade Pranic Beast on Sumatra." She patted lightly, "That is how magnificent of an existence you are."

"Ah..." Her eyes turned moist as she admired Runthral’s face, "Just seeing your face brings me joy."

"I want you to harness every fragment of your potential." She expressed zealously, causing one of the mist walls dissipating to reveal a door, "And towards that, I have something to give you."

In response to her words, the door opened as an old Cooter Clansman with Iron Grade strength sauntered in. A stone helmet covered his head, firmly sealing shut his eyes. Its ends dug into his cheek and were anchored to his molars.

His body was absolutely ripped, his presence strong and robust. With a smile radiating confidence, he walked into the living room and stood a couple metres away from Eureur. Folding his hands, he huffed once and assumed a disposition as if he were a sculpture.

"Pay your respects," Eureur pointed at the burly man, "He had been entrusted with guarding the Treasures that are about to be bestowed upon you. His family, throughout history, has been rearing itself as sacrifices for our Deities. And they are why you’ll realise your true potential."

Thump!

Runthral promptly kneeled on the floor and touched the surface with his forehead. "I express my gratitude. And I vow to cherish your memory for as long as I live."

Drip! 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Tears streamed down the man’s eyes as he felt stunned by Runthral’s declaration. His lips quivered as he opened his mouth and spoke with a shaky voice, "Ah...to have been blessed with such honour, I have nothing else to ask."

Slowly, he kneeled on the floor and prostrated once. And upon getting up, he used a dense cloud to shatter the stone helmet. It formed loud thuds once the stone fragments fell, revealing their sheer density.

That wasn’t all. Their weight had dented the man’s neck, turning it bent and wormy. Now that the weight had been removed, the neck muscles recovered to their original structure.

Eyes closed, the man expressed solemnly, "As the one honoured with this task, it is also my duty to explain their creation."

"When a cultivator reaches the 10-Life Stage, they reach the peak of cultivation. The next step is to attain Transcendence." He continued, "But reaching the Transcendence Stage is easier said than done. The majority are erased without any trace and barely a few manage to succeed."

"Those who succeed are called Transcendents." He pointed towards the sky, "They live in worlds beyond Sumatra and cannot interfere with our lives anymore."

"But there are times where cultivators partially succeed. They failed to become Transcendents, but also succeed enough that they aren’t erased out of existence." The man concluded, "They become an existence carrying the fused entirety of their accumulations from life, and hence addressed and attached with the utmost respect and value."

"This is the first one I wish to bestow upon you." Once Eureur gave her nod of approval, the man dug out his left eyeball, which promptly hovered on the floor and generated a pillar of light to prop itself up. "It will enable you to dominate that which is ever present around us."

Minor Treasure–Wind Flow Sense!

"And this is the second one," He promptly dug out his right eyeball, which similarly propped itself using a pillar of light that reached four metres in height, "It will enable you to dominate that which is the foundation of life."

Minor Treasure–Water Flow Sense!

"Finally," The man eyed Runthral with bloody sockets and gave his final words once his eyes had finished regenerating, taking the opportunity to take in Runthral’s appearance, "When your overwhelming strength fails you, in situations where you’ve run out of Prana to use, this will come in clutch."

Without hesitation, he ripped out his heart and plopped to the floor, dead. His heart hovered on the floor and a second later, released a pillar of light to prop itself up, just like the other two.

Minor Treasure–Tangible Psychokinesis!

"With these three treasures," Eureur proclaimed, "You’ll finally embark on the path of maturing as our rightful Deity!"