Rayne circled the jade platform several times while feeding Kaka chicken soup.
To be honest, he didn’t see anything particularly special about it.
The only thing he could be certain of was that this jade platform was deeply bound to the Fairy Temple.
It likely possessed an autonomous defense mechanism that could be activated by the blood of a Covenantor.
Rayne had not forgotten that before the platform’s defense mechanism was triggered earlier, Rita had scratched the back of his hand, causing some blood to drip onto the jade.
Upon closer inspection now, he found no traces of blood remaining.
It seemed as though the platform had completely absorbed it.
Given that the little fairies were all born from this jade platform, it was hard not to let one’s imagination run wild.
However, continuing his research might be considered rude.
At any rate, Rayne had already received a pass from the Little Fairy King.
He could return to the Fairy Temple at any time through the mark Kaka left in his sea of consciousness.
Fortunately, in the original story, Rita hadn’t used her pass to the Fairy Temple more than a few times anyway.
The only two or three times she did use it were to seek Kaka’s help.
Now that Kaka was going with him, Rita wouldn’t even need to travel to the Fairy Temple if she needed assistance in the future.
Therefore, Rayne felt that taking this opportunity for himself was harmless.
He had many ways to fulfill the role that the temple pass played for Rita in the original plot.
If an emergency truly required them to visit the Fairy Temple, Rayne could simply bring Rita and the others along.
The pass granted by the Little Fairy King carried far more weight than the Covenant Teleportation Arrays controlled by the royal nobility.
A Covenant Teleportation Array could only transport two people at a time, and it required the Little Fairy King’s consent before every use.
As for Rayne, as long as his mana was sufficient, he could theoretically bring an unlimited number of people with him without needing the Little Fairy King’s permission.
Furthermore, the most valuable aspect of this pass was that if Rayne encountered an opponent he couldn’t defeat, he could retreat directly into the Fairy Temple to seek refuge.
It was essentially a divine tool for staying alive.
The Fairy Baptism took much less time than Rayne had anticipated.
Shortly after he gave up on studying the jade platform, the Little Fairy King emerged with a dazed Rita in tow.
“Tsk, tsk. 51 points, huh? You’d better start treating this little sister of yours like a human from now on.”
Kaka immediately launched into a sharp critique before shaking its head.
“Actually, forget it. She’s too dim-witted. She doesn’t feel like a normal 51. At most, she’s ‘human-like.’ I can’t go any higher than that.”
“How does she compare to me?” Rayne asked.
“It’s half a dozen of one, six of the other. But being ‘human-like’ still makes her a human. A stray dog like you doesn’t deserve human rights yet.”
Rayne somehow understood what Kaka meant.
The current Rita only possessed the potential of 51 points, but her overall strength was only slightly higher than 10.
It made sense.
Rita, who had just been drained of all the mana in her mana source, could only sit at the same table as a small fry like Rayne, whose mana source was dormant.
Once she enrolled in the magic academy, Rayne believed that through systematic study and training, she would slowly begin to show what a 51 should look like.
Then, Kaka recalled Rayne’s previous display of absorbing energy and spoke with a hint of uncertainty.
“But the way you sucked up that Calamity power earlier was pretty freaky. It felt a bit… perverse.”
This ‘perverse’ didn’t mean he was a creep; Rayne knew Kaka was referring to a potential transformation in his form rather than a psychological deviation.
‘Dammit!’
‘When did I start understanding Kaka so well?’
‘Does the Little Fairy Covenant affect the contractor’s way of thinking?’
Rayne felt a surge of anxiety.
He didn’t want to become a rank-obsessed jerk like Kaka who everyone hated.
“Rayne… I feel like… I…”
Walking over to Rayne’s side, Rita seemed to find it difficult to describe her experience during the Fairy Baptism.
She could feel herself undergoing a transformation; not only had her mana source completely stabilized, but her entire body felt warm and cozy, as if she were soaking in a hot spring.
Moreover, she had learned from the Little Fairy King that this baptism was originally meant for Rayne.
He had voluntarily given it up and gifted the opportunity to her.
Because of this, the way Rita looked at Rayne became more complex.
‘What’s the point of acting like a brother now?’
‘If you’re really this kind-hearted, why did you attack Miria last night?’
Rita couldn’t figure it out.
After experiencing this Calamity attack with Rayne, she instinctively didn’t want to believe that he would do such a thing to her best friend.
But even now, Rayne showed no intention of explaining himself to her.
His attitude toward her was becoming increasingly perfunctory.
‘You won’t even argue with me? And what was that crazy talk about a birthday gift!’
‘Oh, this is so annoying!’
Rayne was naturally unaware of the conflict in his little sister’s heart.
He glanced over her and noticed a beautiful light-butterfly resting on her shoulder.
It blended almost perfectly with her clothes; one would miss it if they weren’t looking closely.
It seemed that after the Fairy Baptism, the Little Fairy King had also helped Rita find a fairy willing to form a contract with her.
Noticing Rayne’s gaze, the Little Fairy King’s body gave a little shake.
“Her name is Nunu. She’s a good girl. I hope you don’t mind me taking the initiative on this, little brother?”
Rayne nodded in thanks.
“Not at all. I trust your judgment, Brother King. Thank you for looking out for my sister.”
The plot hadn’t changed drastically despite his interference.
Rita still contracted Nunu and underwent the Fairy Baptism.
She only missed out on a minor teleportation pass.
In the future, Rayne planned to prepare some items for her that could negate damage or allow for spatial blinking — a lower-tier alternative to the Fairy Temple pass.
In the early stages, the first crisis Rita would face was the Royal Assassination case 6 months from now.
That event involved a power struggle between Saints.
As the designated proxy of a Saint, Rita would be dragged into it whether she liked it or not.
Now that the Calamity Hochsimt was wounded, the person chosen to attack the Fairy Temple might change.
The Spirit Realm was extremely unique, existing in the gap between reality and illusion.
Without proper preparation, even a Calamity-class entity would find it impossible to move a single inch.
Hochsimt was the only Calamity-class combatant capable of entering and leaving the Spirit Realm at will.
Therefore, Rayne believed that while the Royal Assassination case might be delayed, it would eventually happen.
Repelling Hochsimt ahead of schedule had given Rayne ample time to plan and provide protection for Rita.
However, the prerequisite for all of this was meeting that Cloud Dragon in the royal capital and passing her trial.
Once he returned this time, he would need to make some specific preparations.
The memories in Rayne’s mind were incredibly clear.
He could accurately recall every detail of the Cloud Dragon’s trial.
Ancient-class combat power, a private vault that could rival a nation’s wealth, and a cold, classical face.
Most importantly, the Cloud Dragon’s transformed appearance was that of a tiny, white-haired girl with twin tails.
Which man of culture wouldn’t lose their mind over that?
He couldn’t wait to become Lady Cloud Dragon’s dog!
A stray dog?
No, a Cloud Dog!