Camella Palace wasn’t an unfamiliar place for Winnie, and he roughly remembered the location of the Soul Art Collection Hall.

Otherwise, in such a vast palace, one would surely get lost without a guide.

As he walked along the path leading to the royal collection hall, Winnie recalled the few plot details he knew.

If he remembered correctly, in the original story, Mirexia’s eventual affection for Aesphyra wasn’t an overnight development.

Winnie played a significant role in the process.

Without such a repulsive childhood friend constantly pushing Mirexia into Aesphyra’s arms, Mirexia might not have turned out the way she did.

It could be said that Winnie’s behavior disgusted Mirexia to the point of developing an aversion to the opposite sex.

Although part of the reason was that Mirexia herself had some tendencies in that direction, after all, this was a yuri game, where men had no right to choose their partners.

Dismissing these thoughts, Winnie looked up at the grand marble palace adorned with exquisite dragon relief pillars.

This was the Camella Royal Family’s exclusive Soul Art Collection Hall.

Winnie had been here many times but had never entered, as he had no interest in Soul Arts before.

Although the Camella Royal Family had always absorbed the [Dragon’s Eye] as their soul art, that didn’t stop them from building their own collection hall to attract and gather exceptionally talented individuals under their banner.

The dragons carved on these stone pillars were the totems of the Camella Royal Family.

There was also a rumor outside that the Camella Royal Family had a rather severe collecting habit, particularly fond of gathering rare and precious items.

Winnie wasn’t sure if that was true.

In the original story, Winnie rejected the church and everything related to soul arts.

Wasn’t that also a form of escape?

Focusing all his attention on Mirexia and living freely in the royal capital, perhaps only in such moments could he briefly forget his weak and incompetent self.

Winnie took a deep breath and opened his virtue panel.

With so many types of Soul Arts in the royal collection hall, even if he only looked at the one-star ones, surely there must be at least one suitable for him, right?

Winnie wasn’t confident.

Could he really catch up to the original Winnie, who took shortcuts, relying solely on a one-star Soul Art?

With such apprehension, Winnie stepped into the royal collection hall.

Upon entering, his vision suddenly broadened.

If Winnie had been preoccupied with future concerns before, now he was utterly stunned by the scene before him.

The interior of the collection hall was even more spacious than it appeared from the outside.

The ceiling and floor were made of transparent crystal, embedded with glowing golden enchanted stones that illuminated the entire hall brightly.

In the hall, the jade cabinets adorned with pearl accessories were actually the least valuable items.

On the cabinets, transparent crystal bottles contained shimmering Soul Arts, each radiating a deeply suppressed power.

It was truly…

Beautiful.

Winnie’s eyes sparkled with amazement as he gazed at the dazzling array of Soul Arts on the jade cabinets, feeling the immense power they exuded.

It was an indescribable sense of awe.

“Who’s there? Entering without even a greeting.”

His thoughts were interrupted by a hoarse voice.

Winnie turned to see an old man standing up from behind the counter near the entrance.

“Oh, it’s you, you little rascal?” Upon recognizing the visitor, the old man’s expression immediately soured.

As the saying goes, a good day ends the moment you see Winnie.

“Uncle Eric, according to the King’s orders, I’m here today to choose my own Soul Art,” Winnie said as he approached the old man named Eric, presenting the pass given by the King.

“Oh? It’s rare for you to be so polite today. I thought you were here to bother Her Highness again,” Eric scrutinized Winnie, not hiding his disdain for Winnie’s usual behavior.

This old man, straightforward in both temper and speech, was once the deputy commander of the Wrathful Dragon Knights.

After retiring, he took on a well-paid, leisurely job overseeing the Royal Soul Art Collection Hall.

The Camella Royal Family never mistreated their loyal servants, especially the Wrathful Dragon Knights, who served as the royal guards.

As long as you remained devoted to the royal family, you were guaranteed a life of wealth and honor.

“But weren’t you always indifferent to Soul Arts? What? After being publicly rejected by Her Highness, are you planning to find another way to win her favor?”

“If that’s what you’re thinking, as an old man who’s seen it all, let me tell you something you might not want to hear: you should give up now. You and Her Highness are not a good match, and she will never like you,” Eric said gravely.

“I know.”

“…You know?” Seeing Winnie so calmly and confidently accept his words, Eric’s expression shifted slightly.

Although elders shouldn’t meddle in the affairs of the younger generation, Eric had witnessed just how obsessive this kid could be.

Combined with Winnie’s usual behavior, if it weren’t for the sake of the Goddess, Eric would have long since stepped in to teach this brat a lesson on Mirexia’s behalf.

“Let’s not talk about that anymore, Old Man. Have you finished checking the pass? If you’re done, I need to go pick a Soul Art.”

Eric looked up and saw the determination in Winnie’s eyes.

The boy was brimming with energy, his gaze fixed ahead, seemingly unbothered by the earlier conversation about Mirexia.

He looked eager to rush in, as if nothing else mattered but the dazzling array of Soul Arts before him.

Strange, since when did this kid become so ambitious?

Eric muttered to himself.

“No need to check. The King already informed me about this. Go ahead,” Eric said, accepting the pass without even glancing at it.

“But given your previous lack of interest in learning, I doubt you even understand the different types of Soul Arts. Do you need me to explain them to you?”

“No need.”

“…Are you serious?” Eric’s eyes widened.

Winnie’s immediate response left him even more puzzled about what the boy was thinking.

“Yeah,” Winnie replied, his expression clearly saying, “Are you done? If so, I’m going to pick Soul Art.”

“Go ahead. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can…” Before Eric could finish, Winnie dashed into the hall like a gust of wind.

“Has this kid from the Varelis family gone mad today?” Eric shook his head.

Once inside, Winnie’s goal was clear.

The jade cabinets were labeled with the rank of the Soul Arts they held, ranging from the highest five-star rank down to the lowest one- and two-star ranks at the far end.

As for the high-rank arts, Winnie didn’t even glance at them.

What was the point of looking?

He couldn’t absorb them anyway, so it was better not to tempt himself.

Those were not things he could touch.

The variety of Soul Arts in the royal family collection hall was overwhelming, and it took Winnie a while to reach the section for one-star arts.

Compared to the high-rank arts, the one-star Soul Arts were significantly dimmer, their magical energy incomparable to their superior counterparts.

While the high-rank arts were few and far between, the one-star arts were numerous, as varied and abundant as weeds in a garden, with all sorts of strange and peculiar items among them.

Winnie opened his panel, his expression growing increasingly peculiar.

Powerful Soul Arts were often similar, but weak ones came in all sorts of bizarre forms, with countless strange and inexplicable uses.

They could do almost anything, except be useful in a fight.

For example, there was a one-star Soul Art called [Purify Filth].

It sounded mysterious and profound, right?

But what was its actual use? Dust prevention and maintenance.

In plain terms, it made plates shinier and floors cleaner.

So, it really was “purifying filth,” huh?

True to its name, emphasizing sincerity above all else?

The real question was, why did this seemingly useless art have a 73% compatibility rate with him??

What was that supposed to mean? Was it implying that he was only suited for this kind of utterly pointless Soul Art??