Chapter 1098 Xi's Problem

Chapter 1098 Xi's Problem

Jake felt a fleeting surge of aspiration hearing his AI's wise words, but that optimism rapidly fizzled out after comprehensively combing through the massive trove of memories in the alien's colossal mind. No wonder whales, even extraterrestrial ones, are famous for their superb memory!

Besides being a highly intelligent mutant cetacean with an eidetic memory, Lord Ooom was also much older than him. Somehow, although he felt no empathy for the alien that ended up in his stomach, Jake felt slightly better realizing his meal had lived a long, fulfilling life. The generations of progeny from his romances were enough to repopulate an ocean.

"Fuck, even a marine alien that looks like a giant glowing turd has a richer sex life than mine," Jake cringed as he inadvertently binge-watched some of this alien's 'feats'.

[And you ate him...] Xi reminded him tactfully, punctuating her short sentence with a definitely not innocent silence.

"... Maybe I should try to find Lucia?" Jake suggested, giving as good as he got. "I'm sure we can work out something to alleviate her Corruption symptoms."

[ ... ] Now it was Xi's turn to bristle. [If you were willing to let me use my body more often, your issue would have been solved a long time ago.]

"A body that is made from my own cells," Jake cut off the debate with a grunt, before reformulating as he sensed his AI's mood hit rock bottom through their connection. "I love you Xi, I really do. But this! It's like fucking myself. I won't do it."

[Isn't that what you've been doing with your right hand since puberty?] Xi accused fiercely. [I don't see how it's different.]

"Let's not revisit this topic again, right?" Jake grimaced, exasperated. "It's really not the time." n--0velbIn

He and Xi had this recurring discussion every two or three days since Jake made his relationship with Lucia official. His AI wasn't opposed to their relationship, invariably reaffirming that she existed 'for him', but lately this constant reminder had taken on a bitter-sweet flavor, hiding a lot of frustration and resentment.

It wasn't so much that she was jealous, but that Jake persisted in maintaining a nearly platonic relationship between them when they could be so much more. She understood his reasons on a purely logical level, but it was still driving her crazy.

Jake, of course, wanted with all his being to free her from the anchor holding her to her origin, but he had to face the harsh reality: for now, he was incapable of doing it. Knowing that the thread existed was one thing, but cutting it was beyond his abilities.

He had tried everything. Even the most basic application of Soul Power involved at least Grade 15 Aether in terms of compression, and he barely knew how to mobilize his own.

That didn't stop him from trying everything. The Third Form of his Original Spell, Essence Snatch, was created just for that, but he had still miserably failed. If anything, it hadn't had the slightest effect at all.

He had given up on the matter after discovering he couldn't feel this thread at all after trying to recalibrate his brain in Oracle AI mode. It was as if the flaw had been fixed...

"We'll talk about this later," Jake finally declared in a non-negotiable tone, trying to ignore the knot in his chest. "I'm getting back in motion."

[Understood.] Xi responded in a cold, emotionless voice.

Jake tensed, suppressing his urge to comfort her, but soon regained his composure, his expression hardening with determination. Gritting his teeth in anticipation of the next Life Enchantment promising to be particularly brutal, he plunged back into the water, shooting like an underwater comet into the main tributary of the Lumyst River.

The vast expanse of dark blue water, riddled with violent swirls, left him indifferent, eerily echoing his own mood. The good spirits following his recent power-up were already a distant memory.

The towering tree, ablaze with heavenly glow in the distance, its vast golden trunk climbing high, vanishing into the night's dark gray clouds, also left him unmoved. Equally unimpressive was the cascade behind it, a colossal force of nature, brimming with vital energy, unleashing billions of water cubes every second in a furious, torrential onslaught.

Fortunately, Jake didn't have to remain trapped in his gloomy thoughts for long, as a paroxysmal pain soon drilled into his skull without warning before exploding throughout his body.

[Cosmic D Starfeyrves Body lvl2 (+10)]

Jake groaned weakly under the impact but didn't slow down. Now that he knew what to expect, he wouldn't be caught off guard so easily again.