Chapter 1212: 1212. Life

Noah had many questions, but his main goal was to find studies left behind by King Elbas. Still, he would take any piece of information that Second Prince was willing to give him.

"Why didn't you run?" Noah asked as he browsed through some of the scrolls on a dusty shelf. "You knew which memories the crystal you left behind contained. You knew that I would have come here."

The scrolls contained studies aimed for cultivators in the fourth rank fifth rank, but even Noah could see that the current inscription methods were more advanced than those described.

King Elbas might have been a genius, but most of his knowledge had become public domain. Only his latest inventions were still a secret, and the world wasn't sure if his descendants knew all of them.

"I came at you with the strength of ten powerhouses at the peak of the liquid stage," Second Prince replied as he took a bag of blood from a drawer next to him, "But I lost anyway. What should I try next time? Should I wait until I can do the same at the solid stage? Should I take my victory if I manage to become a god before you?"

Noah didn't answer that question. He had found a book that described some taming method, and he promptly stored it.

The Hive didn't need help in controlling the hybrids as long as Noah and Skully were there. However, Noah would eventually ascend, and beings stronger than Skully were bound to appear sooner or later.

Noah didn't want to leave the Hive unprepared for the army of hybrids, so he stored that book to improve Thirty-seven's knowledge. The automaton would take care of teaching it to the others when the time was right.

"These studies don't belong to you," Second Prince said as he poured a few drops of blood on his forehead. His crystal absorbed the liquid, and a small part of its missing piece regrow after that procedure.

"Didn't you just admit your eternal defeat?" Noah asked as he continued to browse through that collection. He wanted to make sure that he didn't miss anything valuable, so he inspected every item that he found.

Second Prince remained speechless after Noah's reply. He had vented previously, but he didn't expect Noah to treat that lab as if it was his raiding ground.

In the end, Second Prince sighed before asking Noah a question. "Why didn't you kill me? Don't tell me that you have started to pity me."

"You are a cursed existence," Noah began to speak as he heard those words. "Your Father has tortured and restrained you. Isn't this how life normally goes?"

Noah wasn't serious, but Second Prince didn't laugh. He shook his head and continued the treatment for his crystal.

Some of the shelves fell when Noah moved them to inspect certain items. The most important resource in the lab appeared to be the scrolls and books, but even those were quite old for the current era.

Yet, Noah took anything that appeared remotely valuable. It would be up to Thirty- seven to sort them and evaluate their utility. Even if none of them could improve the Hive's current state, it could lead the automaton to create something that could benefit his entire organization.

"You," Second Prince hesitated for a moment before resuming speaking, "Your ambition. It touched me in the separate reality. I managed to awaken a part of my personality in that place."

Noah didn't answer. He could feel that Second Prince's speech wasn't over. He didn't know what the Royal was about to say, but he didn't have much to do. Looting a lab didn't require much attention.

"How can an existence like you choose to live?" Second Prince asked. "I've read your story, I've made my investigations, and I know about a part of your individuality. Your law of ambition burns hotter than Father's flames. I didn't think it to be possible."

Noah recalled his defeat against King Elbas. The Royal had overwhelmed the forces of the entire world with his golden flames, and some of the powerhouses still feared that color.

The memories of such a massive battle could even affect the minds of the strongest cultivator. King Elbas was an existence worthy of creating those traumas.

"Why would I even help you?" Noah asked.

Second Prince wasn't his ally. Part of him knew that they weren't enemies either, especially after learning how King Elbas had manipulated him. Yet, Noah couldn't find any reason to help him.

"I still am King Elbas' heir," Second Prince replied. "I am the best inscription master in the world now."

Noah shook his head as he continued to browse through that collection of antiques. Second Prince was willing to bribe him as long as he could receive an answer to his question.

"What is your source of energy?" Noah asked. "Do you even have a dantian?"

Second Prince's eyes lit up when he saw that Noah had taken an interest in him. That gave him hope, but he had to answer honestly to avoid triggering another battle.

"My dantian is only for scene," Second Prince began to explain. "It grows and absorbs laws, but it contains no "Breath". My energy comes from the seabed."

Noah didn't need to show a curious expression to make Second Prince understand that he wanted to hear more about that method. He only turned and looked at the Royal with his usual cold reptilian eyes.

"The new continent was powerful enough to fuel formations on its own," Second Prince explained. "The seabed is quite similar. I have a formation connected to a teleportation matrix down there. The energy that it gathers flows directly into my dantian."

"So," Noah spoke to make sure that he couldn't gain anything from eating Second Prince. "Your dantian is worthless, isn't it?"

"Yes," Second Prince showed a smile as he replied. "I'm only a consciousness that moves puppets. I wouldn't satisfy you if you were to eat me."

Noah could only sigh at that discovery. Learning about Second Prince's cultivation method made him want to scan the seabed and see if he could find that formation.

If the Hive learnt how to harness energy from the seabed, it wouldn't have any problem activating the Copying Technique.

"You ask me how," Noah said as his inspection continued. "I don't know. I'm alive, so I choose to live. There isn't anything out of it. My ambition is boundless, but I would have remained alive without it too."

"Do you think I can?" Second Prince asked.

"You are the only one turning this into an issue," Noah quickly replied. "Alive, dead, human, monster, who cares. You can cultivate, so you can live this life."

Noah's words were something that Second Prince had repeated himself many times, but they had a different weigh when Noah was the one to speak them.

Second Prince suddenly seemed to understand something, but his mood didn't change. He remained pensive, and he didn't appear wholly convinced about Noah's point.

"The thing about your dantian," Noah began his speech, "You are completely useless to me without it. Killing you gives me no benefits, but I have another role in mind that you can fill."

"Which is?" Second Prince asked.

"Deal with my boredom," Noah replied. "I'm going to grow bored of these lands quite soon if no one tries to reach the top of the world. I don't want to spend the solid stage in seclusion."