Ethan's teleportation magic circle required any non-sentient objects to be completely "lifted" before they could be taken along. Simply placing or touching something in the circle without fully picking it up—even if he held the handle—wouldn't work.
For humans or any sentient beings, as long as they were within the circle and their will was to "follow Ethan," they would be transported as "passengers" by the circle.
That's why Ethan had specifically reminded Michael Corvin and the others before activating the magic circle to depart. Both Alexander and Michael had immediately stepped out of its range. Only Selene, who stood at the edge of the circle, had not moved.
He thought Selene simply hadn't paid attention to his words or was lost in thought about her future. He didn't expect her to end up being brought along when he returned.
The fact that she came along meant she had subjectively chosen to leave that world. What Ethan wasn't sure about was whether this female vampire could truly adapt to life in this new world. After all, here, sunlight was abundant, and it wasn't realistic to hide in the cabin all the time.
"Who is this…"
The blue glow of magic faded gradually. To Diana, who was standing by the door, it had only been a moment. What surprised her was that this time, Ethan hadn't returned with materials or objects—but with a person. Was there something special about this woman? Or had Ethan found her to be an excellent partner?
Selene was looking around with curiosity. The gentle sway of the ship told her she was on a vessel. That in itself wasn't unusual, but the ship's design and construction looked very "old," as though it were a wooden sailing ship.
"This is Selene."
Ethan didn't go into detail. He just introduced her by name. He wanted to ask what Selene intended to do. Only by clarifying her thoughts could he decide what to do next.
"Did you intentionally stand within the range of the magic circle?"
"Yes."
Selene withdrew her gaze from her surroundings, though she continued to glance at Diana. Her instincts told her this tall, beautiful woman was extremely dangerous—more dangerous even than Ethan. After Ethan asked that question, the woman had shifted slightly, clearly ready to either attack or… protect Ethan?
That was absurd. Did this powerful mage even need someone to protect him?
She wondered if her instincts were off. But as a seasoned fighter, she would never admit she was wrong.
"Because I don't want to stay in that world."
For Selene, there was nothing left to hold onto in that world. She had lost everything. Even if she hadn't followed Ethan, she had nowhere to go. It was better to follow him into another world—at least she could leave behind all the painful memories.
Ethan understood Selene's thinking. She didn't want to remain in a place filled with sorrow and wanted to start a new life elsewhere. A normal desire.
"Then you now have two choices."
Selene looked at Ethan, waiting for him to continue.
"Stay on my ship and become part of my crew. You'll experience many strange worlds, and your life will become much more exciting."
Ethan originally wanted to say, "But you'll need to earn our approval first." But after thinking it over, there was no need to say it outright. If she could earn their trust, of course she'd be allowed to stay. If she couldn't, even if she wanted to stay, he'd eventually send her to another world.
Selene simply didn't want to stay in the Underworld. Changing worlds wasn't difficult for Ethan. She didn't seem like the type who'd get kicked out when the energy ran dry. Ethan could definitely find a new world for her to settle in.
"The other choice is… for you to send me back?"
Selene was smart. She had already figured out the second option. If one option was to stay, the other was obviously to leave.
"Of course, you can choose to go to another world. I have no interest in returning to your original world."
The truth was, Ethan hadn't even marked the coordinates of the Underworld. If he wanted to go back, he'd have to rely entirely on luck. And considering that each "random" teleportation was influenced by his subconscious, he had no desire to return anytime soon—maybe not ever.
If he promised to send Selene back, he'd just be giving himself unnecessary trouble. So he left it at that.
Selene didn't know this. She thought Ethan was being considerate, allowing her to choose a suitable world. That made her feel he was actually a kind person, not as cold as he appeared.
"Thanks."
"No problem."
He would never admit he couldn't go back. That would ruin his image too much.
"I can't decide right now."
"That's fine. Even if you made a decision now, you'd still have to stay here for a while." Ethan briefly explained that he couldn't continue teleporting between planes for the moment—he needed some rest.
He had Diana take Selene to a room to rest. She could think about her future while staying here.
"Oh right, before you settle in, be sure to close the windows and curtains. There's plenty of sunlight here." Selene nodded, thanked him, and left the captain's cabin.
It wasn't long before Diana returned. After closing the door behind her, she crossed her arms and looked at Ethan.
"What's the deal with that woman?"
"Something went wrong when I came back." Ethan waved it off. He didn't care whether Selene stayed or left. His only objective had been the blood of those two. Now that he had it, he could begin his next plan.
"You're not going to continue?"
Ethan shook his head. While his control over space-time energy had improved significantly, and the cooldown period after each teleportation had shortened, frequent use still put strain on his body. The root of the issue was that his body was still too weak—just an ordinary human.
"I've collected enough for now. There's no need to jump to another world so soon."
He took out his spoils. One test tube contained Michael Corvin's blood. The other—a blood bag—contained Alexander Corvinus's blood.
"Blood?"
Diana wasn't surprised to see Ethan collecting blood. She'd even helped him acquire Ares's divine blood. She wondered, though, whether this was some god's blood? But if Ethan could draw this much blood, the god couldn't be that powerful.
"Blood with special properties."
Ethan briefly explained the special nature of the two samples. Diana then understood why he wanted them.
"You're trying to take advantage of the blood's property of absorbing all foreign traits and making them part of itself?"
"Exactly."
Ethan had many good things on hand. The Spring of Life was pure life energy. Then there were the Blood Orchid and divine blood, both of which fit perfectly with his goals.
Of these, divine blood was the most valuable. If used well, it could lead to a complete transformation for Ethan.
Right now, he had two options. The first was to turn everything into a one-time-use potion. After taking it, his body would be enhanced many times over. Even if he couldn't reach Diana's current level, he could become something close to a demigod.
He wouldn't say he'd become invincible, but beating someone on Captain America's level wouldn't be hard.
The second option—and the one he was leaning toward—was to use the ingredients frequently and over time. This wouldn't bring immediate dramatic changes, but it would yield long-term benefits.
Ethan made his decision almost without hesitation: he chose the second option.
"Why? Because there's too little divine blood?"
"No. Because I want a broader future."
The first plan didn't even require Alexander or Michael's blood. With other ingredients, he could already make a potion that significantly improved his body. But that came with a ceiling.
Even if he used divine blood as the base, the most he could hope for was a body stronger than Captain America's. And while the divine blood might grant some latent potential, it still wouldn't allow him to surpass the demigod level.
To continue improving after that? He'd have to abandon his current body, undergo extreme transformations, or find a substance more powerful than divine blood to craft a new potion.
With the second option, there wouldn't be a massive immediate boost. The potion would gradually improve his physical condition, but its real effect was to remove his body's limitations—to lift the ceiling on his potential.
The downside was slow progress. But the upside was clear: there would be no upper limit. As long as Ethan kept pushing himself, he could grow endlessly—perhaps even surpass Diana one day.
There was one more crucial reason Ethan chose the second option: if he used divine blood for direct enhancement, he couldn't guarantee what effects it might have on his spiritual power. Sure, it might boost it. But it might also permanently shape or alter it. And that was unacceptable to Ethan.
With the second option, he could ensure his spiritual power remained untouched—his greatest asset would remain intact.
The first option offered huge benefits, but carried serious risks. The second offered plenty of benefits too—but with far fewer risks. Knowing himself, Ethan didn't even have to think twice. He would always pick the second option.
"This way, even if my potion fails, I'll still have control over my future."
(To be continued.)
***
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