Andrew's jaw dropped in awe after he stepped into the room.
The space was unlike any other within the pagoda. It was cavernous, and the walls looked like they were crafted from some mythical stone. The sheer vastness of the room made Andrew feel insignificant as if he was standing in the middle of an endless void.
As he gazed around, he couldn't help but wonder how Aeon had managed to create such a breathtaking masterpiece. The room was located just beside Aeon's equally impressive treasury, and Andrew couldn't help but feel awed by the sheer scale of Aeon's power and wealth.
The air was thick with the aromatic scent of old magic and long-forgotten knowledge. Andrew could feel the weight of centuries of history bearing down upon him. It was as if the room held all the most ancient secrets of sorcery waiting to be uncovered.
He sighed as his attention was grabbed by the towering shelves lining the walls. Each shelf was stocked with thousands of books, each emanating an aura of powerful magic. It was evident that Aeon was a passionate reader, and he had amassed an incredible collection of mystical tomes.
Despite the long passage of time, the books seemed to have been perfectly preserved by some powerful enchantments. Some of them even emitted a mystical radiance that pulsed with otherworldly energy. Andrew couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement, knowing there was so much to discover within the pages of these books.
But that was only the beginning.
As Andrew made his way deeper into the room, his excitement grew. He spotted a large reading table adorned with old books, a quill and inkwell, and a few scrolls.
What caught his eye, however, was a mystical, pitch-black dagger and its accompanying sheath, both resting on the table. The hilt was made of a dark metal unknown to him, and the blade shimmered with an eerie, ghostly light.
Andrew could tell with a glance that the weapon was imbued with ancient magic and held tremendous power. His curiosity was piqued, and he immediately triggered his newly awakened Valkyrie transcendent eyes to uncover its secrets.
[An antimagic dagger enchanted and imbued with sharpness, durability, and stealth concepts detected. This weapon can break any magical defensives below rank four.]
"A saint artifact with two offensive and one robustness concepts!" Andrew exclaimed as the information from his awakened Valkyrie bloodline library flickered before his eyes.
His eye ability allowed him to realize that the dagger was a weapon unlike any other, imbued with two offensive and one robustness concepts - a true-blue symbol of power in the realm of Edhen. Such mysterious concepts were only attainable by the mighty rank-four saint sorcerers, yet here it was, right in front of him.
Without hesitation, Andrew stepped forward and claimed the dagger as his own, feeling excitement coursing through his veins. As he examined it closely, he could discern the immense power emanating from the weapon, and he couldn't wait to wield it in battle.
"I hereby name you [Shadow Fang], and together we shall triumph in many battles to come," he declared with unwavering confidence.
With the utmost care, Andrew sheathed his new dagger, savoring the moment before finally securing it to his belt. His combat power had ascended to another level after acquiring the weapon. Filled with excitement and anticipation, he couldn't wait to confront the demons waiting for him outside the pagoda.
"First things first," he muttered to himself, "I should claim Aeon's pagoda as my soul artifact to avoid accidents."
Taking a deep breath, Andrew turned towards the most valuable treasure in the deeper part of the room.
It was another stunning statue of a nine-headed hydra, about a foot tall and so vivid and life-like that it looked like it could come to life at any moment. The statue was perched atop a crystal pedestal brimming with spatial energy.
As Andrew approached, he could feel the pulsing of the statue and the pedestal, almost like a heartbeat. The runic markings etched into their surfaces constantly glowed and faded, creating a captivating rhythm that followed some mystical law of the universe.
With just a glance, Andrew knew that these two mysterious objects were the control core of Aeon's magical pagoda - and he couldn't wait to make them his own.
As he prepared to awaken the spirit of the pagoda, a sudden wave of anxiety hit him like a ton of bricks. But he knew there was no turning back now.
With unwavering nerves, he approached the statue and began the occult ritual. His heart raced as he bit his wrist and chanted ancient incantations in the archaic tongue of Valkyries before swiftly inscribing the "sentient spirit awakening occult circle" on the statue with his own blood.
He finally finished the ritual, and it provoked a bright red light to emerge from the pedestal and cover the statue in a blood cocoon. To heal his wound, he quickly applied a therapeutic balm and waited anxiously to see the outcome of the ritual.
As he sat there recovering his energy, nearly two hours passed, and he suddenly felt a powerful pulse of magical energy emanating from the cocoon. He opened his eyes and saw the cocoon break, revealing a magnificent creature - a spectral figure of a nine-headed hydra, just about the size of an adult human!
Its nine pairs of purple serpentine eyes radiated ferocious glints, making it appear like a living beast as it floated there in the room. Its ethereal surface was embellished with captivating black and golden scales, adorned by tiny runic patterns that flickered in and out of existence.
The creature was unlike anything he had ever seen, and he could feel a deep and intimate soul connection with its core essence.
The realization that he had finally awakened a sentient artifact spirit immediately reverberated in his mind, and he let out a triumphant cry, soaking in the knowledge that he was about to claim Aeon's magical pagoda as his own.
Just then, an unexpected request came from the creature as it spoke directly into Andrew's mind, "Forefather! Can you give me a name?" The sweet feminine voice sent shivers down Andrew's spine, making it hard to believe that the speaker was the nine-headed freak of a pagoda artifact spirit floating before him.
"Excuse me," he asked without taking his eyes off the creature. "Did you just speak to me?"
"Yes, Forefather," it replied through telepathy, communicating directly into his mind. "I was asking for a name."
Andrew was still marveling at the Valkyrie bloodline's ability to create such a sentient being in just a few hours. Suppressing his awe and wonder, he said, "I'll name you Little Hydra since you resemble a mythical nine-headed hydra. Do you like the name?"
"Yes, Forefather," it responded in the same tone as before. "I'd appreciate any name given to me by the Forefather."
Andrew shook his head, his helplessness overflooding. He gazed at the spectral creature once more and asked, "Do you have complete control over this pagoda?"
"Sure thing, Forefather!" replied Little Hydra. "I'm a spirit created from the core of the pagoda and your bloodline ritual. The pagoda is my physical form, while what you see here is only my soul. So, I can control all the runes that make up the structure of the pagoda to perform their respective functions. Of course, that is only if you give me the green light."
"Wow!" exclaimed Andrew, brimming with excitement. "Can you give me a guided tour of every nook and cranny of the pagoda and its surroundings?"
"Of course, Forefather!" replied Little Hydra. "Just place your hands on my physical control core, and I'll transmit all the information directly into your mind."
"Thank you," Andrew said eagerly, stepping towards the small hydra statue atop the crystal pedestal. He touched it with both hands, eager to unlock all the secrets of Aeon's mystical pagoda.