Chapter 4776: THE Villa Dei Boscoreale IV

So he stepped deeper toward the vibrant pools.

Above him, the artificial sky seemed to shimmer with anticipation. The contribution he had made would allow the descent of loot for him to consume in these pools to refine his foundation even further.

As he neared the pools, his existence was literally fed more information through The First Tongue!

|TREASURES OF THE THERMAE|

|The treasures in this region take the form of consumable items that must be ingested while bathing in the pools.|

|Each treasure contributes to progression through the cycles of Katharsis.|

|Examples of Known Treasures:|

|Ambrosia Pellets: Small golden spheres that taste of honey and starlight. Contributes 1% toward next Katharsis cycle. Classification: Common.|

|Nectar of the Muses: Liquid silver that flows upward when poured. Contributes 5% toward next Katharsis cycle. Enhances comprehension during refinement. Classification: Uncommon.|

|Ichor Crystals: Crystallized essence that pulses with inner light. Contributes 10% toward next Katharsis cycle. Temporarily elevates perception during consumption. Classification: Rare.|

|The Apples of the Hesperides: Golden fruits that never rot, warm to the touch. Contributes 25% toward next Katharsis cycle. One of the most sought-after treasures. Classification: Very Rare.|

|Prometheus’s Ember: A fragment of an infinite flame contained in a small bronze vessel. Contributes 50% toward next Katharsis cycle. Burns away impurities with divine fire. Classification: Extremely Rare.|

|The Cornucopia Draught: Liquid that contains the essence of endless abundance. Instantly completes current Katharsis cycle regardless of progress. Classification: Legendary.|

|Kronos’s Crystallized Moment: A frozen instant of time given physical form. Completes current cycle AND provides 50% progress toward the next. Only 3 have ever been found. Classification: Mythical.|

...!

The treasures ranged from common to mythical!

One may ask... just what would the one who contributed 9 new letters of The First Tongue obtain in a treasure vault of Glossarians that protected and studied The First Tongue itself?

Noah had a brilliant smile as he thought of this.

He arrived before an incandescent obsidian-blue pool.

The moment his eyes landed on it, its details unveiled before him!

|You have arrived before The Pool of Lethe (Forgetting).|

|Function: Helps one forget inefficient patterns in their foundation, allowing for reconstruction.|

|Stepping into any pool will also allow for the generation and acceptance of treasures based on the quality and immensity of your contributions.|

|This pool is particularly effective for those seeking to rebuild foundations that have accumulated flaws over time.|

...!

A glorious pool lay before him!

Noah’s steps didn’t stop.

He went down the glistening blue-gold stairs that led into the vast pool. It looked more like a mini sea than a bathing area, stretching outward until steam and distance obscured its far edges.

And it felt...

"Well damn..."

It felt fucking hot!

The steam emanating from the Pool of Lethe did not do justice to the level of heat the waters held! Just halfway in, Noah felt the scorching temperatures penetrate into his skin and toward his existence.

The heat sought any and all inefficiencies to eradicate!

It burned through patterns that had calcified without his notice.

It seared away assumptions that had become limitations.

And while it did so...

Noah fully submerged his body!

The obsidian-gold waters surged around his upper chest, lapping against his muscular form with heat that would have vaporized normal THE Surface Depth entities!

He reclined back gloriously, finding a position that allowed him to relax while the waters worked their magic.

He raised his head to see the shimmering artificial sky.

The 27 Phonemes continued their slow rotation, and the sky itself began shining gold! No doubt allowing many vibrant treasures to manifest soon.

But...

At such a time.

The obsidian waters a few meters away from him churned.

His eyes became sharp.

He looked over with the alertness of one who had survived countless ambushes.

And shockingly... a vibrant head of hair began to rise from beneath the surface!

An...entity.

The only way Noah could describe the emerging head and figure was that of a Dryad.

Her hair was composed of flowing vines and leaves that seemed perpetually in bloom, colors shifting between emerald and gold with each movement.

Her features were delicate but ancient. Her skin had a faint bark-like texture that spoke of connection to primordial nature itself!

Her upper body emerged from the waters with casual grace, revealing form that was simultaneously organic and grand. Shoulders that seemed to grow from living wood. Arms that flowed like branches reaching toward sunlight. A presence that spoke of forests that had existed before differentiation gave them names.

And her eyes!

They had a brilliant obsidian-blue swirl of immensity and glory.

Depths that contained ages of accumulated wisdom! Light that spoke of authority earned through eons of dedication! Patterns that seemed to write and rewrite themselves with each passing moment.

While looking at her, Noah could have sworn he felt the aura of a Muspeli Lifeform.

That particular resonance of fire and transformation that marked those born in Muspelheim.

But this being whom he did not sense or observe before they showed themselves... she gazed at him calmly.

Her eyes were filled with analysis that missed nothing. Every detail of his existence was being cataloged. Or she was trying to anyways.

Then she waved her hand.

A wall of pure Mana formed behind her!

She leaned back on it casually, just like Noah, her arms outstretched behind her in a pose of complete relaxation.

Steam swirled around her form, obscuring and revealing in equal measure!

And Noah... could not sense any aura from her at all.

Nothing.

As if she simply didn’t exist from a perceptual standpoint.

And yet Noah felt the same perception from her that he had now felt from a few others.

That stifling sensation of oppression.

That heaviness that felt undeniable!

That brilliance as if one was standing too close to the sun.

It was without a doubt the brilliance of an Absolute!

An Absolute that at this moment looked at Noah with eyes that held ancient amusement.

"You come into someone’s spring unannounced, and you don’t even introduce yourself?"

Her words were oppressive.

Her voice carried authority that made the waters around them ripple in response! The artificial sky above seemed to dim slightly in deference to her presence! Even the heat of the Pool of Lethe seemed to intensify, as if recognizing its master.

Her gaze was even more so!

Those obsidian-blue eyes bore into Noah with weight that would have crushed most beings into submission. They demanded acknowledgment! They required respect!

Yet Noah stared back calmly.

His voice came out soon after, steady and unshaken.

"You must be Glossikos the Articulate."

...!

BOOM!

Glossikos!

An entity that was one of the four Absolutes in THE Agora of Primordial Judgment!

The supreme leader of the Glossarians!

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