Chapter 72: Chapter 72

“Alright, now that she’s calm, let’s start…”

As Sokram spoke, Fira, much like Periklis had done, began rubbing her head against his shoulder, basking in the warmth of his mana.

“The first thing you need to ensure for the technique to bring the best results is forming a good synergy with the tamed beast you’re trying to guide. Without synergy, the technique won’t work.”

Sokram gently led Fira by the reins; she trotted alongside him cheerfully, her hooves thudding the earthy ground.

“There are three main ways to develop synergy with beasts. The most common is time; the more time you spend together, the stronger your synergy becomes. But this method would be impractical for beasts intended for sale.”

He continued, his voice clear, “The second is through a bonding contract. This allows a tamer to easily understand the beast’s primal feelings and mental state, making it easier to calm and orient it. However, this only works for very experienced or exceptionally talented tamers. A bonding contract can be transferred to someone less experienced once the beast is trained, which makes it a viable option for commercializing trained beasts. If you lack a Runic Expert to translate the contracts into binding runes for you, I can offer my services in that regard as well.”

Kanami and Lazar exchanged glances, understanding the subtle hints embedded in his offer.

Seeing their acknowledgment, Sokram proceeded, “The last, and most optimal method, is energy affinity. This is generally easier for Mana cultivators, but if you’ve reached Aura Manifestation…”

As he spoke, Sokram allowed his spirit essence to overflow and manifest; a visible ripple of energy caused several elders to gasp in shock.

Aura Manifestation was a stage most cultivators only reached after decades of dedicated practice, but even more astonishing was the color of his Aura, a profound, terrifying black, like the void itself.

“Aura of Annihilation…” one of the elders muttered, the words escaping involuntarily amidst the stunned silence.

And the others began to murmur amongst each other.

“As you can see, my Aura’s affinity to Fira is none,” Sokram stated with a shrug, his gaze shifting to Lazar.

“Is your Aura as fiery as the fire I can control with mana?”

Lazar grinned widely, a spark of challenge in his eyes, and manifested his own aura.

It erupted outwards like a wave of pure flame, enveloping their immediate surroundings in tangible heat.

Fira, feeling the powerful, familiar warmth, turned from Sokram back to him, clearly reveling in the heat of his aura.

“Good,” Sokram acknowledged, remaining outwardly unbothered.

While his manifestation wasn't as overtly strong and explosive as Lazar’s fiery display, it possessed a sharpness.

An intense focus that did not escape the discerning eyes of the elders present.

“You were truly born to be a Killing Blade, hm? Has Kamus seen your aura already?” Kanami asked, her voice laced with a newfound respect and interest as she studied Sokram.

“Master said I’m not ready yet,” Sokram replied, scratching his head lightly. “She told me the Grandmaster is quite the eccentric wolf.”

“That he is, haha.” Kanami chuckled, her gaze drifting into the distance for a brief moment, a fond memory of the old wolf Kamus touching her expression.

Sokram’s voice brought her back to the present.

“Well, now that you know your Aura's affinity matches the beast’s element, all you have to do is, using the synergy between the two of you, guide a measured amount of energy through the pathways depicted in the scrolls’ techniques.”

“Excuse me, Family Head Maneless.” Sokram took the reins from Lazar and began walking Fira around the paddock once more.

Lazar withdrew his fiery aura, his eyes widened, brows raised, and his heartbeat spiked slightly.

He was clearly taken aback by how easily Fira followed Sokram, even after being exposed to his own potent aura.

It tightened his chest, forcing him to breathe a little deeper.

But when he saw Sokram effortlessly mount Fira, something she had only ever allowed Lazar to do in her entire life, a sharp pang struck his heart.

“Good girl, Fira.” Sokram smiled.

But the truth behind Sokram’s seemingly effortless connection was the complete assimilation of his mana with Fira’s fire element, a feat easily achieved by Elementals but one that would be incredibly difficult for most other races to replicate.

Seeing the distress flicker across Lazar’s face, Kanami couldn’t resist a jab.

“That’s why I prefer wolves; these mares ain’t loyal.”

Lazar glared at her, his fists clenched, and the air around him turned dangerously hot for a second, a potent force held barely in check.

Yet, Kanami only met his glare with a knowing smirk, letting out a subtle, teasing giggle.

“Now, with the synergy reestablished, Family Head Maneless, can you please observe her energy flow?” Sokram calmly rode Fira around the paddock, stopping close to Lazar.

Lazar looked at Sokram, his brows furrowed with a mix of surprise, frustration, and growing respect in his gaze.

After a moment, he spoke, his tone softening slightly, “I’ll call you Sokram from now on; it’s fine for you to call me Lazar.”

This informal address caused gasps among the Goldenmane elders.

Lazar rarely extended such familiarity to youngsters from any family, including his own kin.

But Nirmal, watching his older brother, understood the sentiment.

Sokram was clearly unlike any youngster they had ever encountered.

Lazar placed his hand near Fira’s heart, his gaze fixed on Sokram. “If she trusts you this much, so will I.”

Sokram nodded, offering a respectful smile in return. “Thank you, Head Lazar.”

“Hm.” Lazar nodded back, rubbing his nose, while Kanami, Margiory, and Hannah exchanged knowing glances, trying to stifle their amusement.

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They knew Sokram had just profoundly impressed the proud Head of the Goldenmane family.

Sokram summoned the scroll detailing the technique he was about to use from his Void Glove and handed it to Lazar.

“In there, you can see the pathway I’ll follow.”

Lazar looked at the scroll, then back at Sokram, wide-eyed.

“You’re sure you’ll allow me to see it before we sign the contract?”

“You said you trust me and trusted me enough to bring your personal mount here, how can I not trust you back?”

Sokram’s tone was firm and unwavering, his smile honest and brimming with sincerity.

“Besides, you and your family love Eversnow as much as I do. To me, that makes you friends and allies.”

Not only the elders of the Goldenmane family but also the elders of the Greyfur clan nodded.

Lips curled into shy smiles among them, and some directed glances full of praise toward Margiory and Hannah.

“Heh,” Lazar accepted the scroll, opening it carefully.

His gaze scanned only the section depicting the energy pathways. “I saw that day in the Silverfang feast too, but you truly ain’t simple, hm?”

“I’m just someone trying to be the best dragon I can be for the sake of my family, but thank you, Head Lazar.”

Sokram gently caressed Fira’s neck while Lazar examined the intricate pathways.

When Lazar finally closed the scroll, Sokram asked, “Can I start?”

Sokram began guiding his mana through Fira’s energy pathways.

As Lazar watched, using his spirit essence to sense the energies moving within the Mare, he frowned.

He couldn’t sense Fira gathering any external energy, only Sokram’s mana circulating according to the complex pattern.

But what bothered him even more, keeping him silent, was that Fira’s heartbeat remained perfectly calm throughout, even with this strange, foreign mana coursing through her system.

The most challenging aspect of using guided cultivation techniques was typically the beast’s reaction to foreign energy; most beasts fought against foreign mana like an infection, writhing or even injuring themselves trying to purge it.

But Fira didn’t flinch.

She merely breathed deeper, drawing in the warmth like sunlight.

But then Lazar’s eyes widened, fixing on Sokram with astonishment.

After the fifteenth cycle of energy circulation, when Sokram initiated a new one, Fira drew an even deeper breath.

She inhaled deeply, drawing Magi, Aura, and Vitha into perfect balance, a feat natural for beasts below the Reformed Level, yet rarely this refined. But the sheer harmony with which she was doing it, the level of purification she was achieving with each cycle, and the amount of energy she gathered in every single breath put his own, highly-praised cultivation technique completely to shame.

“You told my brother, Nirmal, and the Grey Fang that you added a compensation clause to the contract if we don’t get good results in three weeks, but this speed of cultivation is enough for her to complete a whole tier in two weeks.”

Lazar looked at Sokram, his expression unreadable, a mix of awe and suspicion. “

Are you sure you want to give away these techniques just for a partnership?”

But Sokram shook his head, his conviction clear.

“No, not just for partnership. For the sake of Eversnow. Going this far is the least I should do.”

Kanami, who had known Lazar for nearly two centuries, watched him with surprise.

She had never seen him act so... out of character, so genuinely taken aback and open about it.

This only fanned the flames of her curiosity about the young dragon and his techniques.

As for the others watching, excitement rippled through them at Lazar’s words.

And Sokram knew he had just earned significant points with the elders of both Goldenmane and Greyfur; old people talked, and his growing fame would only solidify within two of Eversnow’s founding families.

“But this speed of cultivation happens because of the compatibility of every beast with Chaos energy. Because they lack higher intellect, the corruption of Chaos can still be purged through Reformation. Now, if they were as intelligent as we are, we, Nhiria’s children, would’ve already been extinct. There’s no matching their cultivation speed,” Sokram explained, offering a carefully crafted half-truth.

He knew there were many ways, far more potent methods, for humanoids and Evolved Species to surpass that cultivation speed by many folds.

And it wasn’t just through Chaos Energy Cultivation.

“I see,” Lazar said, a wry smile touching his lips. “And here was I thinking my cultivation technique was trash, haha.”

Hearing Lazar’s self-deprecating humor, Sokram chose only to smile and remained quiet, allowing the moment to settle.

But Hannah and Margiory couldn’t help but exchange a few cryptic glances, a shared understanding passing between them.

Lazar nodded, his decision made, convinced by the undeniable results. With this, Sokram gained his first official partner in his long-term plan to solidify his family's standing among the founding families and drive away the outsiders, the Steelhearts, from their beloved city, Eversnow.

“Alright, I’ll sign with you, Sokram.”

But then, a flicker of the proud, possessive beast-kin returned to his eyes, becoming momentarily menacing, laced with jealousy.

“Now, get off my mare.”

“Alright.” Sokram quickly hopped off Fira.

The Mare immediately turned, complaining softly and staring at Lazar with a look that strongly resembled disappointment as a subtle whine escaped her mouth, much to the amusement of some of the elders and his brother Nirmal, who chuckled at her blatant favoritism.

Lazar, looking slightly sheepish, led Fira out of the paddock, while the mare continued to look back at Sokram with a longing gaze.

His grandmothers and the elders clapped as if a performance had just ended, their chatter becoming very enthusiastic.

Oliver's proud smirk didn't hide his thoughts as his gaze followed Sokram like he would a sack of gold.

Right after, as if she could no longer contain her burning curiosity, but trying her best not to appear overly eager, Kanami brought her Dire Wolf into the paddock.

“Don’t think my girl here will be as easy to mount as that mare, Sokram.”

“I’ll be careful, Alpha Greyfur,” Sokram replied politely, maintaining his respectful demeanor.

Kanami frowned at his continued formality.

“Since you’re treating that kitty over there on a first-name basis,” she challenged, her sharp gray eyes meeting his directly, making it clear this wasn’t a polite request but a demand for equal footing, “you should offer me the same friendship, no?”

“Sure, Head Kanami. I’m honored to.” Sokram smiled at her sincerely.

He could feel the intensity of her sharp gray eyes analyzing even his slightest micro-expressions. At the same time, her acute hearing likely scanned his heartbeat for any sign of deception or nervousness.

Then, Sokram crouched down, lowering himself, to meet the wolf’s eyes.

The Dire Wolf’s muzzle was wrinkled, and there was a low growl.

Her breath smelled of iron and pine, and she glared at him as if resuming their earlier challenging stare-down.

“Heh, she’s quite the feisty one, but very intelligent too,” Sokram remarked, his eyes locked with the Dire Wolf’s in a silent contest of wills. Neither of them broke eye contact for a long moment.

“Grrr…” The Dire Wolf let out a very low, menacing growl, her body lowering slightly, muscles tensing, her claws scratching the paddock's earthy ground.

Alphas hated feeling challenged. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novelꜰire.net

But just as she was about to take the first step, the air around Sokram cooled subtly, colder than the north's air.

It wasn't a strong enough change for the others watching to perceive, but both the Dire Wolf and Kanami felt it.

The Dire Wolf hesitated, then approached slowly, taking careful, deliberate steps.

Its head tilted to the sides, sniffing the air, the wolf's intellect reflected in eyes that gleamed differently.

Then, she gave a few playful barks, jumping lightly around Sokram, as if testing him or inviting him to engage.

But Sokram remained perfectly still, never breaking eye contact, his demeanor radiating calm.

Sokram’s breath synced with the creature's rhythm, his heartbeat slowed not with fear, but with purpose.

This wasn’t a contest of wills; it was a dialogue in silence, instinct to instinct.

Finally, the Dire Wolf stopped a few steps away from Sokram, actively smelling him, her nose twitching.

“Hehe, this boy should be a tamer instead of a mage…” Oliver, who had been observing quietly from the sidelines, couldn't help but comment, a broad grin on his face.

His words, however, earned him immediate glares from Hannah and Margiory. A silent but potent rebuke that made the old man wisely shut his mouth once again.

The Dire Wolf looked at Sokram with a puzzled expression, and then... she sneezed.

Her tail wagged wildly, thumping the ground like a drumbeat, and the powerful wolf began jumping around Sokram like an oversized puppy, clearly inviting a child to play.

Sokram chuckled softly and raised his hand, motioning for the wolf to come closer.

Without hesitation, the wolf dashed toward him.

The crowd watching let out a few gasps, anticipating an attack, their faces pale with alarm.

But Kanami gasped for an entirely different reason, one born of shock and disbelief.

The reason became immediately crystal clear as soon as the wolf reached Sokram.

Instead of attacking, the hulking Dire Wolf threw herself at Sokram’s feet, rolling onto her belly with her tail wagging furiously, explicitly asking for belly rubs.

Seeing this utterly unexpected display, Lazar burst out laughing, his earlier jealousy forgotten in the face of sheer absurdity.

“Hahaha, so much for loyalty, hm? Hahaha.”

“Shut up! You old cat!” Kanami barked back at him, her voice a mix of embarrassment, confusion, and profound awe at what Sokram had just done, even if she couldn’t fully understand the underlying magic or technique.

She only knew her fierce, Alpha Dire Wolf had just been tamed like a house pet.