"Interesting, they're more than interesting! Here, this is our most popular fan-fiction. Handle it carefully boy, these have long since sold out, this is my personal copy." The old man said as he pulled a book out from a shelf behind the register.
Minos took the book with some interest. He flipped it over to its front and read its title with a quick sweep.
"Nine Sword Divinity x Reader?" Minos had no idea what that meant, but the old man raved about it, so it must be good.
"The Nine Sword Divinity was injured, and you managed to save him. With your tender care and love you nurtured him back to health… What the hell is this?" Minos said as his face went black.
"Relax boy, it's just fantasy. Besides, that isn't even the best part." The old man said with some annoyance, snatching the book out of Minos's hands.
"The Nine Sword Divinity was finally healed after months of recuperation, it was time for him to leave, but before he left, he looked back at you. Your eyes met as the love of a thousand lifetimes seemed to flicker by in a single moment, you knew this was it."
"He held his sword tightly, his arms shivering, as if leaving took all his strength, but ultimately he dropped his blade. With a smile, he embraced you, finally realizing that it was never his sword that gave him strength, rather, it was you…"
The old man's eyes went teary as he read that final excerpt. Minos could only watch on with a dark face, feeling like the old man was making a fool of him.
"Alright, enough with the fan-fiction. I want something real, no more fiction please." Minos finally said, breaking the old man out of his reverie.
"Your loss boy, but if you want nonfiction, then the Nine Sword Divinity's biography would be the best place to look." The old man responded
"Good, then give me a copy." Minos said, as if he wanted to escape the old man as fast as possible.
Fortunately the old man didn't recommend anymore fan-fiction, and Minos quickly got the book he came for.
He paid a single Nux Crystal and made his way to the back of the store. There were a few chairs here, and the location was quiet, making it an ideal spot to read.
The best part was that the old man was completely out of sight, so Minos no longer had any worries. He quickly got comfortable and began flipping through the book.
The book was a simple biography, and while it didn't go into extensive detail over the Nine Sword Divinity's life, it still told the most critical stories, which naturally included when he cut the eruption on Volcamie Island. This story was the most critical in Minos's opinion, so he quickly got to reading.
'The Nine Sword Divinity landed on Volcamie Island on approximately 1219 of the Alephora continent calendar. What exactly his purpose for coming to the island and what he did on it were both unknown, however the eruption splitting was well documented.'
'Experts of past years have spent decades scouring the island, looking for traces of the Nine Sword Divinity, where he went, and if possible, what his motives were...'
'Of course the vast majority of these searches have ended up with nothing. The Nine Sword Divinity was ultimately the strongest expert on the continent, and if he wanted to hide his traces, it would be impossible for anyone to track him.'
'Some theories say that the Nine Sword Divinity left an important treasure on the island, but a nearly century long hunt headed by the continent's experts ended in nothing, hence the theory was eventually dismissed as nothing more than a rumor.'
'Ultimately, the Volcamie Island was the last place the Nine Sword Divinity was seen before he seemed to vanish completely. Whether he is dead or not is still not definitively known, but for most people, the history of the Nine Sword Divinity has long since been turned into myth and legend, giving close to a once uncontested lord.'
Minos closed the book as he read the final sentence. He felt slightly melancholy, even a cultivator as powerful as the Nine Sword Divinity was slowly being forgotten by time, a powerful reminder that even the strongest would fall.
While his legends are still talked about today, more than two centuries later, it's clear his name was getting weaker with each passing day.
Minos couldn't help but wonder if it was even possible to forever etch your name into the books of history, or is it really inevitable that even the mightiest will be forgotten?
'No, one may be forgotten by the world, but they'll never forget themselves. Rather than trying to leave a legend, one should become a legend, an eternal life, an unforgettable name, the one who writes history rather than the one being written into history. This is the ultimate goal of cultivation!'
Minos eyes burned brightly with an unbreakable passion. The Embryonic Soul Rune appeared on his forehead and started to spin rapidly, the two soul runes around it following its momentum, as Minos's soul underwent another metamorphosis.
The Embryonic Soul Rune once again split into two, with a new soul rune joining the other two. Soon three soul runes began spinning around the original one, and Minos's soul similarly gained an extra split.
His three split souls quickly evolved into four, and his thinking speed received another boost. Thoughts began running through his mind at an incredible speed, his resolve and determination towards the future getting ever stronger.
His eyes shined brightly, like the brightest sun on the darkest day. If one was to look into his eyes at this moment, they would be shocked back by Minos's tremendous will and spirit.
Minos himself seemed to realize this difference, and quickly shut his eyes. After breathing deeply a few times, he soon regained control, and when he opened his eyes again, they turned back into their peaceful water-like tranquility.
While this wasn't exactly a new ability, but rather a benefit of Minos's strengthened soul, it was still a new move added to Minos's arsenal.
Minos decided to call this technique Spirit-Shock Sight. When activated, anyone that looks directly in his eyes will be attacked by his tremendous spirit, causing them to be temporarily stunned.
…
The excitement of having had a breakthrough in his Soul Rune Ascension technique was swiftly reeled back by Minos, and he soon got back to his main goal.
The book didn't really give him any important clues, other than the rumor of the treasure left behind on Volcamie Island.
However even then, Minos wasn't arrogant enough to think he could find something the top experts of the continent couldn't do, even when given decades.
So once again, he was left clueless, and with no real direction to head in, but naturally, that wouldn't be enough to stop Minos. He quickly got to the other books that had reference to the Nine Sword Divinity, and started his search anew.
But just as usual, these books didn't seem to head anywhere, mostly made up of empty rumors and myths. The Nine Sword Divinity had existed hundred of years ago, and the history of the man had long since been riddled with inaccuracies.
It was a challenge to root out the truth from falsehood, and Minos had to constantly compare dozens of different books to get the most accurate idea of what happened at certain times.
Soon enough it was clear that the books offered on the Volcamie Port were quite empty in substance. It seemed that the best way to get a clear view of the Nine Sword Divinity's history, one would have to go to his homeland.
Naturally that was impossible for Minos given the journey required for such a trip, so he could only keep looking through the books, in an attempt to find anything of use.
''The Chronicles of the Saint' claim that the Nine Sword Divinity stayed on Volcamie Island for only a single day, splitting the eruption, and leaving right after, however the biography directly contradicts this.'
'Did the Nine Sword Divinity even spend any time at all on the island, or was it merely a pitstop on his journey? It's possible that rulers of Volcamie Island at the time realized the economic benefit if the world thought the Vocalmie Island held some special historical reference, hence they fabricated the story…'
'If that was the case, then the so-called rumor of the treasure left here would almost certainly be a lie.'
'Still, who's lying and who's telling the truth is unknown. The author of 'The Chronicles of the Saint' is a mystery, however the biography was written by a Volcamie Island native. Maybe that's where I should direct my search…'
The biography of the Nine Sword Divinity was written by a man called Yaflow Devim, an ancient historian who called the island home.
That in itself called into question his credentials. How could one who never left the island really know the Nine Sword Divinity's history?
Still, this was the only real direction Minos had left, so with no other options, he tucked his books into his spatial ring before exiting the store.
Before leaving completely, however, he turned towards the oldman in charge of the store and asked. "Hey oldman, have you ever heard of Yaflow Devim?"
"Yaflow Devim, hmm.." The old man pondered as he rubbed his scraggly chin. After a couple minutes went by, a light seemed to go off in his head.
"Oh, are you talking about the author of 'Nine Sword Divinity, A Biography of the Man, Myth, and Legend?''
"That's the one"
"Naturally I've heard of him. While he wasn't exactly a popular author or historian, his book was still quite well received, of course whether it is more fiction or history is up to the reader's interpretation."
"I'm curious about the man, do you by any chance know where he used to live?" Minos asked.
"Ahhh, well based on what I know he used to live on the western port, across the island, also known as Tropical Tree City, but that was decades, maybe even centuries ago, and his family may have long since moved."
"I'll take my chances. Thanks for the information oldman." Minos said politely.
"No problem boy, and come back whenever. There's still plenty of fan-fiction I have yet to show you."
Minos's face suddenly went dark as he speed-walked out of the store, nearly breaking into a run. The laughs of the oldman echoed out of the shop as Minos entered the streets, he let out a long exhale, feeling a strange sense of freedom.