'Should I attempt to acquire the heat element as well?' Alex seriously pondered.
Given the synergy between the smoke and heat elements, acquiring the heat element might be advantageous. Moreover, since it was also classified as a low-level ability, it likely wouldn't require too many soul points.
Alex considered this for a while before ultimately deciding against it. At the moment, he didn't feel a pressing need for the heat element. After all, he was convinced that as his mastery over the smoke element increased, he could manipulate the temperature of his smoke without external aid. There was no immediate necessity to spend soul points—which he was currently trying to accumulate—on copying an ability.
Furthermore, there wasn't a heat control ability among those Lilia possessed. In fact, the only person he had ever known to wield such power was Daisy herself. Thus, if he wished to acquire the heat ability, he would need to find a way to integrate her into his harem.
'It might not be such a bad idea,' Alex thought as his gaze shifted toward Daisy.
While Daisy might not have been the most stunning woman Alex had ever laid eyes on, she was undeniably attractive in her own right. With her cyan hair framing her delicate features and her emerald green eyes that sparkled with calm attitude, she possessed a charm that was hard to ignore. Her small button nose and full, inviting lips further adding to her appeal.
At this moment, she was no longer wearing her tattered dress; instead, she had changed into a more modest outfit that Amelia had given her. Despite the dress's conservative cut, it still clung to her form enough to reveal the subtle curves of her ample chest.
Also, for a noblewoman, Daisy possessed a surprisingly toned and athletic physique, a testament to her rigorous training and disciplined lifestyle.
To top it all off, she possessed a kind of innocence that was very appealing to Alex. Given his nature as the carrier of the Sin of Lust, he was constantly plagued by a craving to corrupt and defile pure, innocent young women.
Feeling his gaze, Daisy broke out of her meditation. As her eyes fluttered open, they met his, those hypnotic silver orbs that seemed to bore into her soul. An inexplicable shiver ran down her spine, feeling like prey under the gaze of a predator.
"I-Is there something you want?" she asked softly, her voice tinged with embarrassment.
"I was just checking on you," Alex responded in a surprisingly gentle tone.
The sudden shift caught Daisy off guard, but she managed to hide her surprise and simply nodded. "I'm fine, but even though I absorbed more heat, I can't assist you further at the moment."
"That's alright," Alex reassured her, his tone still warm. "You can always help me later, once you've fully recovered." He then turned his attention back to the smoldering liquid hovering in the air.
Daisy followed his gaze to the strange substance floating between them. She watched as Alex extended his hand and touched the molten liquid.
Just as Daisy was about to warn him, fearing he might burn himself, she was shocked to see no signs of injury. There was no sizzling of flesh, no acrid scent of burning skin.
Unbeknownst to her, Alex was immune to the effects of smoke, and with the smoke having completely absorbed the heat, it could no longer harm him. While the molten liquid could indeed cause severe burns to an ordinary person, Alex was unfazed.
'Hmm, what if I created a new armor from this?' Alex mused. His reasoning was simple: with armor so hot that merely being near him could cause burns, the damage he could inflict in direct combat would be substantial.
Yet, he quickly dismissed the idea. While the smoke had successfully absorbed the heat, he couldn't prevent it from dissipating. Soon enough, this liquid would cool down. To create armor imbued with heat as a primary attribute, he would need to find a way to prevent heat loss or be able to increase the temperature himself.
Nevertheless, thanks to this small experiment, Alex had learned quite a few things about his smoke element.
Firstly, he now knew that he could control smoke in a liquid state. The explosion of his smoke armor a few minutes later had given him a hint that this might be possible, but seeing it in action confirmed his suspicions.
When he thought about it, it made more sense than he initially realized. Smoke, after all, is composed of gaseous, solid, and liquid particles. If he could manipulate smoke to make it take on a solid state, it should be feasible to do the same and make smoke take on a liquid state as well.
Anyway, with this insight, Alex finally had a way to enhance the potions he created. Although his current smoke potions were highly effective, they were unconventional and not what most people were accustomed to. Traditional potions are typically liquid, and while many would still be interested in his smoke potions simply due to their novelty, others might be put off by their unfamiliar form. After all, habit is one of the hardest things for people to break.
Secondly, he now understood the synergy between heat and smoke and discovered that, depending on the temperature, smoke could shift between different states. He now knew that by varying the heat, smoke could transition through a continuous cycle: from gas to solid to liquid, and then back to gas.
He wasn't sure how this newfound knowledge would be directly useful, but he had a strong intuition that mastering the ability to seamlessly transition smoke between states would significantly enhance both his elemental control and his combat effectiveness.
As he pondered, Alex found himself drifting into thought, his focus wavering. This changed abruptly when he noticed something peculiar.
Rising from his spot, he approached the unconscious body of the level 4 bandit restrained by the thick branches of the Sylvive. Kneeling beside the man, Alex carefully examined his form. At first glance, everything seemed normal: his breathing was steady, and his pulse was strong, indicating that he was indeed unconscious.
However, Alex wasn't convinced. He crouched down and whispered in a sinister tone, "Stop playing, I know you're awake."
There was no response.
Alex chuckled and stood up, his expression turning cold. "If that's how you want to play it," he said, summoning the incandescent liquid whose heat had diminished but was still intense. He positioned it just a few centimeters below the man's crotch.
Immediately, the fabric of the bandit's pants began to show signs of melting, and it seemed on the verge of catching fire. Sweat beads formed on the level 4's forehead, but his eyes remained tightly shut.
"I'm sure you're feeling the heat between your thighs," Alex taunted, "This liquid has probably reached over a thousand degrees. If you continue to pretend to be unconscious, I won't hesitate to move it closer."
Still, there was no response.
"I guess you don't value your balls," Alex sighed, feigning pity as he commanded the liquid to advance.
It barely moved an inch before the man's eyes flew open in terror. With a panicked shout, he yelped, "Wait, wait, wait, I'm awake! Hey, you hear me?! Move that thing away from my balls!"
Stopping the advance of the searing liquid, Alex's expression turned serious as he inquired in a cold tone, "Who are you guys?"
"Fucking psychopath, almost took away my family jewels just to ask me who I am," the man mumbled under his breath.
Seeing the defiant glint that flashed through the man's eyes as he spoke, Alex added, "At the first sign of a lie, you will lose your balls. Don't tempt me."
The man gulped hard and nodded vigorously. He clearly didn't want to become an eunuch.
With this ultimatum from Alex, Gevedon began to divulge everything he knew without holding back.
Seeing that he apparently wasn't subjected to the same contract as the others, Alex sighed in irritation and pulled out a soul contract. He instructed Gevedon to sign it, but the man vehemently refused, even when faced with the threat of death. Ironically, when Alex threatened to burn his balls and remove his crotch, he suddenly became cooperative and signed the contract.
'Wait, does this guy value his testicles more than his life?' Alex thought, bewildered.
In any case, after getting the level 4, whose name he learned to be Gevedon, to comply, the exchange went smoothly, and Alex finally received the answers he needed.
Apparently, this group of bandits was affiliated with one of the underworld boss's minions. The boss in question was named Gordon Samra, and his zone of influence spanned several territories of the Fiore Empire. As fate would have it, Alex's territories were among those within Samra's control.
Alex also learned that the reason Gevedon hadn't signed a soul contract with Gordon like the others was because the two of them were close.
"Interesting," Alex mused to himself.
After extracting every bit of information he could from Gevedon, Alex released him and his group, who would from now on, act as double agents under his command.
Alex ensured that none of the nobles were aware of this arrangement though.
Of course, before releasing the other bandits in Gevedon's group, Alex had them sign a soul contract with him. Although they had previously signed a contract with Gordon, it was of a lower grade compared to the ones Alex had secured from Night. Consequently, they would be more loyal to Alex than to Gordon.
Once the bandits departed, leaving the nobles in bewilderment, their journey finally resumed and as the sun set on the horizon, Alex's group finally arrived in Drisidd, the city hosting the Drazen family's annual auction.