Death... and me

Rean looked at Reliance before asking.

"You can tell that it has mutated?"

Reliance nodded and then touched Kentucky's head, where the almost imperceptible crown made out of black and white feathers was present. Kentucky didn't mind, though. Since Rean was there and Reliance had given him delicious food, he didn't think that Reliance was bad.

"There are no records about Minokawas having a crown of feathers, so I can tell it has mutated somehow. Is it me, or the Light Element I felt from you back then is also present in these feathers? Oh, right, Mia already told me everything about you and your brother's peculiar elemental affinities."

Rean wasn't surprised by that.

"Yes. I think it has something to do with Roan and I having this special connection that allows us to use the others' elements. Because of that, Kentucky can also use both Light and Dark elements."

Reliance shook his head in response.

"You are wrong. Whether you or Roan can use those elements matters little. That's because Minokawas were already supposed to use those two elements to start with. Your Elemental Affinities are indeed extremely rare, but you guys definitely aren't the only ones that have ever existed."

Rean heard that and couldn't help but ask Sister Orb in secret.

'Sister Orb, is that true?'

[I don't have much information about this side. Still, it is not hard to imagine that in the entire half of the Universe that other races can do it. However, I can at least guarantee that no one has a higher affinity with those two Elements than you two. At most, they would only be at a similar level, and even that would be almost impossible.]

Rean had to admit that even if it was half of a Universe, it was still a scale that he could hardly fathom. It made sense that there might be others out there that can use the Light and Dark element.

'Alright.'

Rean then returned his attention to Reliance and asked.

"Elder Reliance seems pretty sure about it even though you have never seen a Minokawa before."

Reliance nodded.

"The reason is pretty simple. Kentucky can use both Light and Dark Elements, right?"

Rean nodded and waited for Reliance to continue.

"However, from what I heard, you and Roan can only borrow each other's elements. It's not like you can gather the other element alone, but Kentucky can. Besides, the old records already said that it could use Light and Dark Elements. I think that the legend that Minokawas can swallow the Sun and Moon are probably related to this ability to use Light and Dark Elements."

Rean shook his head after hearing that.

"That's not entirely correct. I can gather the Dark Element without Roan's help."

"You can?"

Rean nodded once more.

"Yes. However..."

Rean then used his Spiritual Energy to call forth the surrounding Dark Element. Unfortunately, the amount he could gather on his own was almost imperceptible.

"I'm simply terrible at it. Using my Dark Star Sword and borrowing Roan's Dark Element is hundreds of times better. Besides, when I concentrate on gathering the Dark Element, my ability to gather the Light Element is deeply affected. Simply put, it's much better for me to use the Light Element alone than trying to use the Light and Dark Element together. After all, the gains don't make up for the losses. I would rather use my Dark Star Sword to gather the Dark Element if Roan was not present."

Reliance understood.

"I see... Well, those are not elements that I can use, so I can't help out that much on it."

Rean then asked something else.

"Does it mean that Kentucky did not receive any mutation?"

Reliance immediately denied that idea.

"No, he definitely mutated because of you and your brother. As I said, Minokawas were not supposed to have a crown of feathers. In fact, the results of the mutation are pretty obvious. Ask Kentucky to do one thing for me."

Reliance then explained what he wanted through a Spiritual Sense message.

Rean was surprised to hear it at first, but he quickly nodded and sent a stream of thoughts through Spiritual Sense to Kentucky.

*Chick? Chick!*

Dark and Light Elements began to converge around Kentucky like torrents. All of a sudden...

*Whoosh!*

Kentucky's body soon burst into black and white flames! The flames were intense enough to even force Rean to release his Spiritual Energy to protect himself.

Reliance, on the other hand, just smiled after seeing that.

"As expected, he really mutated. I might be wrong, but according to the records I found, a Minokawa shouldn't be able to call forth the Light and Dark Flames before it reached at least Stage Five. Let alone one flames as intense as this one. It's quite obvious that Kentucky can use his flames to surpass the Stage Two Demon Beast level of power."

Kentucky maintained his flames for a minute or so. Eventually, he grew tired, and the flames disappeared. Right after, he fell on his butt and began to gasp for air. That was the first time Kentucky had done it, so he didn't know how to control the flames yet.

Reliance then continued to explain.

"The Light and Dark Flames are deeply related to the Yin Yang balance in his body. Before a Minokawa grows strong enough, it shouldn't be able to control the flames, but look at Kentucky. He is just a hatchling, but it can already do such a thing several Stages below. The mutation he went through has deeply affected his affinity with those two elements and powers. Besides, you probably noticed it already, Kentucky is a lot more intelligent than any other Stage Two Demon Beast."

Rean immediately nodded. He had to do a few sect duties in the Beast Taming Faction in the past, so he came to know the Demon Beasts there. High-level ones were rare, but low-level ones were everywhere, which included Stage Two ones. Still, none of them could understand Rean's commands. However, Kentucky seemed to have no problem doing so. He looked more like a super prodigy. He learned things way too fast.

Reliance then started to pet Kentucky around his neck, much to Kentucky's delight.

"Alright. This is all that I know about Minokawas and what I can tell about his mutation. From now on, anything we find about him will be new for you and me. First, you will need to find more Heaven-Level Ores for him to eat. The earlier he builds his feathers with them, the better they will be in the future."

Rean immediately felt a headache.

"That's impossible. I might be making a lot of Spirit Stones right now, but only when considering the expenses of two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators. Heaven-Level materials are just too far from what I can afford at the moment."

Reliance had to admit that Rean was right.

"That's true. I do have a few more Heaven-Level ores that I accumulated by chance during all these years. Still, I doubt it will be enough to satisfy a Minokawa. Especially one like this one that is obviously far above in power than others. Kentuck will probably need a lot more ores if he wants to improve his scales and feathers."

Rean shook his head.

"I can't possibly ask Elder Reliance to use your own ores on Kentucky. Any Heaven-Level ore or material is just too rare. Besides, Kentucky is my Demon Beast. I should be the one to afford its food."

Reliance then smiled as he said.

"Well, that's a good way of thinking. However, I'm not doing it for you. I told you before, right? I want to see where Kentucky can arrive. Also, don't forget what I said. The ores I have with me are far, far from enough for its development. Minokawas need to continually eat them as they grow. Besides, I'm a Demon Beast Tamer. I don't use weapons. The only pieces of equipment I use are protective ones, which I already have."

Rean sighed and then nodded.

"If Elder Reliance is that adamant, then I won't say anything. I can only promise that I will use all of them for Kentucky alone. Fortunately, it will give me enough time to think about ways to get more Spirit Stones to buy Heaven-Level ores for him."

Reliance then shook his head.

"There is a better way for you to do that."

Rean's attention was immediately caught.

"How?!"

Reliance laughed and pointed at Kentucky.

"Did you forget? Kentucky is what I like to call a 'metal type' demon bird. How do you think Minokawas can evolve their feathers and scales? We already confirmed that they need Heaven-Level Ores too. Obviously, their affinity with metals allows them to perceive nearby worth consuming metals. Simply put, Kentucky is a Heaven-Level Metal detector in and out himself."

Rean's eyes lit up after hearing that. For a metallurgist in a cultivation world, those words were the same as the call of Gods!

"That's great! I'll be sure to keep an eye on Kentucky from now on."

Reliance nodded.

"That's good. Still, there are a few tricks you can use. For example, when you go out for a mission, try to move closer to mountains where there are higher concentrations of Spiritual Energy. Plan your travels in a way that will make you more likely to find Heaven-Level metal deposits with Kentucky's help."

It was then that Reliance's expression changed.

"Another thing. Keep this special trait from Kentucky hidden. Even if they are family or close friends, do not disclose Kentucky's Race or Metal Finding ability. If anyone discovers out about it, you might get into deep trouble. Even the entire Dalamu Sect will be powerless to help you."

Rean immediately nodded.

"Yes, Elder Reliance."