Fantasy Family Simulator (FFS)

"It's fine, we have plenty of time. We'll plan carefully and wait for it to show up. I don't believe it can stay hidden forever," Rhett reassured the creature.

The shadowy monster fell silent for a moment before responding, "To tell you the truth, my time here is limited. I forgot to mention—one of the unique traits of our Shadow Demon race is that we don't need to travel anywhere in person. A shadow clone is sufficient."

Rhett was stunned, pointing at the creature. "You mean… you're just a clone?"

"Exactly. For us Shadow Demons, we always send out clones while our true body remains hidden somewhere very safe. The clone is just as powerful as the original, and even if it dies, it doesn't affect the main body. After some time, it will regenerate automatically," the shadowy creature explained.

"So, as long as it doesn't die, your clone can exist indefinitely?" Rhett asked in return.

"That's right. I never fear death because my energy can be replenished over time. But eventually, I will exhaust my energy, and I'll be forced to return to my true body to replenish it."

"Is there no other way to avoid that?" Rhett asked, frowning.

"There are other ways, of course. In the Infernal Realm, there are certain materials that can replenish our shadow clones' energy, allowing them to last longer. In fact, some wealthy and resourceful Shadow Demons never have to return to their true bodies. But, unfortunately, I'm not one of them. Though I received a blessing from the Shadow Demon Ancestor, which extended my time here, most of it is already used up. At most, I can last for a few more months. That's why I'm so eager to work with you humans," the shadow creature explained.

Interesting... Rhett pondered the Shadow Demon's abilities and stroked his chin before asking, "In that case, leave the next part to me. I'll do everything I can to track down the Blood Demon fragment and deal with it. But I want to clarify something: does the Blood Demon fragment have any fatal weaknesses? Is there a way to quickly defeat it?"

"It was already forced to flee by you all, wasn't it?" the shadow creature asked in surprise. "Right now, the Blood Demon fragment is only at the Saint level. Its abilities are just unusual, and especially now that it's injured, it's no match for you. Do you really need to know its weaknesses?"

Rhett thought for a moment before responding, "I'm just curious. Suppose the Blood Demon fragment evolves over a thousand years and gains the ability to briefly break through spatial rifts—how would we quickly destroy it then?"

"A thousand years of evolution? That would be tricky," the shadow creature mused. "In that state, the Blood Demon fragment would have formed a rudimentary blood core, making it several times stronger than when it first arrived in this world. It would likely have powerful resistance to all types of source energy in your world. The only effective counter I know of is the Light Essence—Purification, which is particularly effective against the Blood Demon. If you can land a hit with it, you could cause significant damage. But after observing this world, I've noticed that not a single Light Saint has comprehended the Purification Essence. Though I've heard it's the hardest of the Light Essences to grasp, this situation is almost too coincidental…"

After saying this, the shadow creature regretfully shook its head.

"Purification Essence…" Rhett muttered to himself, committing the information to memory. He made a mental note to seek out other Light Saints once he returned to the future. If he combined their Purification Essence with his Gravity Space and Dissolution Essence, he should be able to handle the Blood Demon fragment.

Suddenly curious, Rhett asked, "How do you know that the Purification Essence is the most difficult of the Light Essences to comprehend?"

The shadow creature gave Rhett a glance before looking down at the cloud sea below and saying, "I learned about your world's basic structure from the Shadow Demon Ancestor, who in turn learned about it from another powerful entity in the Infernal Realm. Your world contains extremely pure source energy, though in small amounts. This energy is what you refer to as Essences. Naturally, the more abundant the source energy, the stronger the effect."

Rhett's eyes lit up as the creature's explanation confirmed what he had already suspected. After experiencing the Creation Simulation and absorbing the mysterious Flowing Fire, he had gained a direct understanding of source energy. Some types of source energy were more abundant, and thus more powerful.

"And what about your world? What's it like?" Rhett asked, feigning nonchalance. "There's a legend in our world that when people die, their souls automatically travel to the Infernal Realm. Is there any truth to that?"

"Hahaha." The shadow creature laughed twice before responding, "What do you think? Even the Blood Demon, with all its power and resources, can barely manage to cross between worlds. Why would you think the weak souls of humans could travel to the Infernal Realm?"

Upon hearing this, Rhett's heart sank. He had been clinging to the hope of finding a way to revive Nicole in the Infernal Realm. Could that hope be truly lost?

Sensing Rhett's silence, the shadow creature let out a sinister laugh. "Oh? Are you hoping to come to the Infernal Realm yourself to find someone you've lost?"

Rhett shot the creature a cold glare, thinking it was mocking him. But then the creature's tone shifted, becoming pointed and meaningful:

"I did say that souls from your world can't enter the Infernal Realm on their own, but that doesn't mean there's no way…"

"What way?" Rhett's eyes gleamed with hope. "Have souls from our world gone to the Infernal Realm before?"

"I mentioned earlier that our Shadow Demon Ancestor learned about your world from another powerful being. That being has maintained contact with your world for a long time and even established a contract long ago," the shadow creature explained. "It's said that this being used one of the most powerful relics of the Infernal Realm to create a Soul Passage. Many of the souls of the dead in your world are drawn through that passage and arrive on the Continent of the Dead."

"The Continent of the Dead?"

"Yes, the domain of that powerful being. It occupies roughly one-third of the Infernal Realm, and no one dares provoke it."

"Do all souls get drawn there?"

"Not all of them," the shadow creature said. "Though that being is powerful, creating a Soul Passage over such a vast distance only allows it to absorb weaker extraordinary souls. Ordinary human souls are too fragile and often dissipate. And stronger extraordinary souls are too powerful for the passage to handle. So, most of the souls drawn through are from mid- to low-level extraordinary individuals. What was the strength of the person you're concerned about?"

"A first-level extraordinary individual…" Rhett's breath quickened. "Could she really be in the Infernal Realm…?"

"A first-level extraordinary? The chances are quite high!" the shadow creature said. "Souls at that level are easy for the passage to absorb, and most of them do end up on the Continent of the Dead."

"Can you send me there?" Rhett asked, his heart pounding. He stared intently at the shadow creature, his expression deadly serious.

"Are you joking?" the shadow creature's voice suddenly rose. "The Soul Passage can only transport souls, not living beings! Even if you died, your soul as a Saint would be too powerful for the passage to handle. Give up on that idea…"

"Then what level of power is needed to force entry into the Infernal Realm?" Rhett asked, still serious.

The shadow creature blinked at Rhett's determined face and almost hesitated to crush his hopes. "I suggest you forget about it. Saints in your world are a dime a dozen compared to the Infernal Realm."

"Please, you must tell me! I'll agree to any conditions you ask!" Rhett said urgently.

"Sigh… why do you insist?" the shadow creature looked at Rhett with pity. "If your world's source energy were to increase severalfold, and if you could master all the Essences of one element to their fullest and even create a relic, then perhaps it might be possible to reach the Infernal Realm. But your world is centuries, if not millennia, away from such growth. And even then, there's no guarantee it will reach that stage."

"Is there any other way?" Rhett pressed on, unwilling to give up.

"Well… there is one other method, but it's equally impossible for anyone in your world to achieve. Even after tens or hundreds of thousands of years, there may be no hope," the shadow creature replied. "The Shadow Demon Ancestor once speculated that if someone could fuse source energies, it would unlock infinite possibilities. But this is merely a theory. No one knows how to do it, or even if it's possible."

"Source energy fusion…" Rhett whispered to himself, burning the idea into his memory. "How does one fuse source energies?"

"As I said, it's just a theory, and no one knows what comes next," the shadow creature answered. "Even the Infernal Realm has limited knowledge of your world. You people should know more about your own powers than we do."

Rhett sighed softly. "Thank you…"

After a pause, he asked another question. "From what you've said, it sounds like the Infernal Realm's powers are quite different from ours. Can you give me a rough idea of what they're like?"

"Haha, that I cannot share with you!" the shadow creature flicked two of its tendrils. "The Infernal Realm's depth is far beyond your comprehension. It's much stronger than your world. In the future… if you ever have the chance to enter the Infernal Realm, you'll understand. Though I doubt you'll ever get that chance…"

"Thank you…" Rhett felt he had gained valuable knowledge from the conversation. After a brief pause, he asked, "By the way, I still don't know your name or your title. Would you mind sharing that with me?"

"Haha, I don't mind at all. My full name is Deidara Shadow. Since we've gotten to know each other, how about you share the name of the person you're looking for? If I ever visit the Continent of the Dead, I wouldn't mind looking after her for you," Deidara said casually.

"Will she remember her past life?" Rhett asked anxiously, fearing that the dead might lose all their memories and become strangers.

"That's hard to say. Generally, weaker souls are muddled and wander aimlessly across the Continent of the Dead. But if a soul becomes stronger, there's a chance it could regain its memories," Deidara explained. "It's similar to how human infants are born without full awareness. It's the same with souls."

"Her name is Nicole Von…" Even though Rhett knew this was all a simulation, he couldn't help but feel anxious as he spoke. "If she's in trouble, I hope you can help her."

"Nicole? Got it." Deidara said thoughtfully. "If you manage to deal with the Blood Demon fragment within a few months, I'll have more freedom once I return to the Infernal Realm. I'll head to the Continent of the Dead and look for her. But if you can't… hehe, I'll have to face some punishment, and when I go to the Continent of the Dead will depend entirely on luck!"

Rhett took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. "I'll handle it…"

A month later.

At the top floor of the Golden Blood Palace, in the very same alchemy lab where the former headmaster, Gunas, had met his end, Rhett sat cross-legged on the carpet, eyes closed, fully immersed in his comprehension of the Essences. Around him, the Earth Element formed an endless world, with countless Earth particles gathering, displaying intricate Essence patterns—sometimes as fluid as sand, sometimes as solid as a fortress.

Though the five great Essences constantly shifted and transformed, they still refused to fuse. Since his conversation with Deidara, Rhett had dedicated all his time outside of searching for the Blood Demon fragment to exploring the path of Essence fusion. But after a month of effort, he had made no progress whatsoever.

"Sigh… it's too difficult…"

Rhett could feel the Earth Element world around him remain unchanged. He sighed inwardly. Essence fusion? What exactly did that mean? And how was it done? It was truly a path with no visible end, one where he could only fumble in the dark. The end of the road might bring light, but it could just as easily lead to endless darkness. Regardless, he had to keep going!

Rhett opened his eyes and turned toward the alchemy table at the back of the room. Manu, having returned to his humanoid form, sat engrossed in an alchemy book, his eyes glued to the pages, completely absorbed.

The death of Headmaster Gunas a month ago had been kept under wraps. After consulting with Haedis, Rhett decided to keep the news confined to the upper echelons of the Golden Blood Academy, publicly announcing only that Gunas had entered a long-term seclusion.

In exchange, Rhett and Haedis agreed not to take any action to absorb or take over the academy's resources while they awaited the emergence of the next Saint-level alchemist.

Of course, in return for sparing the academy, Rhett and Haedis secured access to all of the alchemical knowledge and research the Golden Blood Academy had accumulated over the past two thousand years.

The price for the academy was immense, a devastating loss. The term "bleeding dry" didn't even begin to cover it. But without this deal, the academy—bereft of a Saint to protect it—would have been like a fat lamb among wolves. Its inevitable fate would have been to be devoured by the other powers...