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After regaining more of her original Spiritual Power and creating Bianca, Elayne began expanding her Spirit Soul Root Formation manually, rather than relying solely on meditation and the slow growth of her soul. Now that she had transformed her very soul into root-like, plant-based extensions, she wanted to apply her Netherworld Farming Arts directly to it to see if her theory would work.
By combining [Soil Shaping (D-)] and [Nether Terrain Modification (D)], she was able to shape the soil around her and imbue it with Spirit Energy, thanks to Bianca’s composition leaking energy as she worked. Then, she infused the Spirit-rich soil with large amounts of Nether, forming a perfect blend of nutrient-rich earth and miasma—ideal for the "middle ground" she aimed to cultivate.
By merging the Soil of the Living World with the Soil of the Netherworld, Elayne sought to create a farm capable of growing any new "plant" she discovered, gradually modifying them into edible crops to support the farm’s development. With help from her people, she crushed the harvested remains of these plants and exposed them to Nether energy, turning them into compost and using it as fertilizer.
After three days of nonstop work with Mark and the other farmers, Elayne had expanded the farm tremendously, tripling its original size. It now covered nearly all the available land, excluding areas with large stones, smaller caverns, or crystals she didn’t want to disturb or destroy.
This expansion laid the foundation for the next step. Once the farmlands reached this scale, Elayne began infusing large quantities of Spirit Energy into the seeds she planted. Within hours, they sprouted into juvenile plants, and by the end of the third day, half had reached the young adult stage.
Using her Netherworld Nature Soul Commuting and Divine Soul Spirit Root Branching techniques together, she began connecting the Essence of Spirit and Nether Energy from every plant into a single point—located at the center of her soul, directly above the Domain Core.
As a result, Little Hope, who was using the Domain Core as her Phylactery, felt the power flowing into her body with awe. Her ghost was shocked by the sheer amount of energy she was receiving—and this was only the leftover energy. The real surge had yet to come.
"So, how are things going?" Sailor asked, walking over to where Elayne and Mark were working.
"We’ve barely fulfilled the conditions I needed," Elayne replied. "Now, the only thing left is to ’plant’ the roots of my soul into the soil... like this."
She swung Bianca and used it to plow the soil, injecting more energy. A transparent, thick wooden root emerged, entirely composed of golden and green soul essence. Once touched and activated by Elayne, it began to react.
The root quickly connected to the farm, and the Domain trembled, gaining a more permanent surge of power. Sailor and the others were confused about what she had done and how it had changed anything.
However—
FLUOSH!
The results were instantaneous. The essence of the entire Domain shifted, and the ground trembled. Even though Elayne had yet to procure rare, high-quality materials for the Domain Core to consume, she was quite literally allowing it to "consume" her soul—though not in the literal sense.
By connecting the root of her soul to the Domain, it was as if the Domain itself was anchored to her soul. It gained power by drawing from her soul’s strength, while she simultaneously drew energy from it, accelerating the growth of her Spiritual Energy Reserves.
"Okay—Orkus, Lisette, Shade, Yaga—are the Nether Spirit Totem Nails ready?"
"Yes, I’ve prepared a few hundred," said a large orc zombie, walking toward Elayne.
"I gave them a bit of my Ghostly Power Blessing, just like you asked, Auntie!" Lisette added.
"And I made sure the Cursed Runes were arranged correctly with Shade," Yaga said.
"Ready... anytime... Elayne..." Shade muttered, doing his best to speak, his long fingers clutching his head. Shadows were unstable beings, so it was surprising how peaceful Shade was—it could have been worse.
"Alright then! Thank you all for your help so far!" Elayne said. "Mark, help me out with this, will you?"
"Of course," he nodded. "This is why you made me this hammer."
Mark held a blazing hammer in his hands—a looted weapon that Elayne had modified into a Nether Spirit Weapon, infusing it with her powers and activating her new Title:
♢♢♢♢♢
[Netherworld’s First Spirit Weapon Blacksmith]
Acquisition Conditions: Be the first to create Spirit Soul Weapons in the Netherworld.
Equip Bonus: Can forge Nether Spirit Soul Weapons; +50% bonus to their Spirit Power.
A unique title granted to the first inhabitant of the Netherworld to create a Spiritual Weapon using ingredients from the realm, effectively turning it into a Nether Spirit Soul Weapon of immense power.
♢♢♢♢♢
This wonderful title allowed Elayne to create these weapons anywhere, with minor System assistance. With it, Mark’s Blazing Hammer—channeling his Inner Soul Flames—was incredibly powerful.
"Then... I just nail it down into the root? Is that a good thing?" Mark asked.
"Yeah, so it doesn’t easily detach," Elayne explained. "It might sound painful, but it’s necessary. The nails will keep my soul anchored to the Domain. Each nail has special properties and was crafted by our most brilliant minds."
"Well, that’s terrific," Sailor said. "I’m honestly amazed you’d go this far... Is it to find your friends and escape?"
"No," Elayne said, holding the nail as Mark swung his hammer down.
CLAAANK!
"..."
Elayne’s eyebrows twitched slightly, but she showed no sign of pain. She had endured so much already that there was little suffering left to feel.
Each nail was designed to keep her roots in place. They would continue growing and expanding, but remain fixed.
And not just that—
Each nail was akin to what Yaga, and the noble houses of the Netherworld referred to as a Soul Treasure.
Soul Treasures are special relics, artifacts, weapons, or accessories bound to a person’s soul. They grow alongside the individual, permanently strengthening both the soul and the person.
Thus, each of these nails, once embedded into one of her roots, would permanently bond with her and be refined by her soul.
Over and over, Elayne continued placing her roots into the Domain using Bianca, and with Mark’s help, she nailed them down.
This continued for as long as she could manage, reaching a total of 103 Soul Spirit Roots and Nails before collapsing to the floor.
Even in exhaustion, Elayne smiled, feeling the immense flow of Spirit Energy, Nether, Ghostly Energy, and even Cursed Energy coursing through her.
103 Nether Spirit Totem Nails were now embedded in her soul—piercing and bonding with it—forming a singular Soul Treasure composed of many smaller ones.
She had used the power of Totem Crafting to create these nails, giving Orkus, the Architect and Sculptor, all the instructions he needed.
Although she couldn’t summon Totem Spirits like in the Living World, the Totems themselves possessed magic and Spirit Power in their form. Each nail could produce a small amount of Spirit Energy daily.
"Elayne!"
She heard Mark’s worried voice as he ran toward her, lifting her and carrying her home after an arduous week of work.
"I-I’m... fine..."
"You overdid it! Why don’t you let me do it next time?"
"Eh?"
"If I had the same Nature Element within my soul, it might be possible for my soul to expand like a root. You don’t have to carry all the weight."
"Oh Mark... you’re so kind... but you’ve gone through so much... I could never..."
"But..."
"If you push yourself that hard... your soul might shatter. So no... not for now..."
"Elayne..."
Mark gently placed her on her bed and stayed by her side, watching over her as she slept for three days straight.
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