Iver's Persuasion

David was clearly quite curious about Iver.

Yesterday, Iver had just run out, George said he needed to rest and didn't let David disturb Iver... so David quietly endured it until the next morning.

After finishing his morning exercise and having breakfast, he immediately went to find Iver.

Iver sat in his wheelchair, looking out the window at the winter courtyard. The servants had cleared away the fallen leaves, and a large white griffin was running and flying repeatedly with its daughter.

Emily clearly hadn't yet mastered the griffin's instinctive ability to manipulate the atmosphere like plucking a string on a lyre. When she dashed and flew, she created visible storms and produced a loud "bang bang" noise, ruffling her feathers.

The other large griffin beside it was even faster—it could disappear in an instant and then reappear. But not only was it completely undisturbed, it was also perfectly quiet throughout, without stirring up any storm, and not even the small branches beside it swayed.

"That's an instinctive skill of griffins," David said, seeing that Iver seemed very curious about it. "Dad said that if humans could obtain level three or higher of [Storm Affinity], they might be able to do the same."

"And you?"

Iver turned around and said with a gentle smile, "Is your Path Trait by Storm Affinity?"

"No, I am Lightning Affinity."

David shook his head and said honestly, "Dad said that if I were a warrior or a swordsman, I could do whatever I wanted. Because the advancement ritual would only give us the Path Trait that fits us well, and we wouldn't be weak if we followed our hearts. But I will be a soldier in the future, and I will go to the battlefield. And it will be the most intense and brutal part."

"That's why any choice that deviates even slightly from the core could lower my chances of survival. So Dad gave me clear advancement requirements... including which abilities I can and cannot use during the ritual; which Path Trait I can choose, and under what circumstances I can and cannot choose..."

David complained, "I've been memorizing this for ages, it's really complicated."

Iver said softly, "Your father did it for your own good."

The Grand Guardian truly values his son.

Generally speaking, it's rare for high-ranking superhumans to place such importance on their offspring...

After all, when desires overflow, "having a child" becomes the most standard and simplest way to alleviate them. And the ceiling of this era is currently too low, making it easy to reach the end.

Once you have this concept, or even just this knowledge, it's hard not to see children as tools for protecting yourself.

Because the primary purpose of having a child is no longer for love, or even for tradition or inheritance. It's to relieve one's own stress.

Thinking of this, Iver asked, "Do you have any other younger brothers or sisters?"

"There is none left."

Mr. Knight was also quite disappointed about this. "I actually really wanted a cute little sister. John's sister is so cute, she's always following him around, with a sweet, babyish voice... Ah, John is my classmate."

He explained casually.

But then he sighed, "But my parents said they are very busy, and taking care of me is already their limit. If they raise another child, their energy will be divided between two people, and neither of them will receive enough love, attention, and family education."

"So at least while Dad is serving as the Grand Guardian, he doesn't plan to have another child. But I don't actually dislike having a younger brother or sister... It would be nice to have someone to play with and train with."

David dreamed of a future that might never arrive.

But he didn't know what his parents had sacrificed for him— George had been Grand Guardian for a long time, and now he should be stuck at level 49, just like Meg. In other words, the pressure on his path had been building up for a long time.

Mingming believes that having another child would effectively alleviate the pressure she faces on her journey.

Moreover, since David does not object or even expects it, there is no need to deal with internal family conflicts.

However, in order to ensure that David could enjoy complete love and attention and receive wholehearted education and guidance, they preferred to abandon this excuse.

Of course, there is another possibility... that the Grand Guardian's moral standards are so high that he believes it would make the process of reproduction too utilitarian, giving meaning to newborns even before they are born.

Therefore, he would rather endure the pain and anxiety of the oppression of the path than choose to release this intense desire.

... Whatever the reason, it's truly remarkable.

Especially in an era where the average superhuman has several or even a dozen children, this sentiment is all the more precious.

He's right.

Iver sighed and said in a deep voice, "When you reach the Fourth Level or even the Fifth Level... you'll understand the sacrifices he's made."

This is not difficult.

For David, who reached the Second Level at the age of fifteen, entering the Fourth Level was a foregone conclusion.

The world level cap will be raised in a little over a year at most, and that's assuming there are no unforeseen circumstances. Things are now developing slightly differently from what Iver remembers, and Iver has a premonition that "the known future may arrive sooner or later."

For David, the only potential problem right now is advancing from the semifinals to the finals.

Starting from the Third Level to the Fourth Level, failure or death may damage the soul. Accumulated damage will reduce the success rate of subsequent advancements. The worst consequence of failing to advance from the fourth to the fifth energy level is, at present, damage to the soul, while the worst consequence could be immediate death.

The cost of failing to advance from level four to level five and from level five to level six will only decrease after all Nine Great Paths have been unlocked once.

If Mr. Knight remains so naive, he may become unable to advance due to accumulating too many failures.

Even if Aleister could take him once or twice... he couldn't take him every time.

If faced with the choice of abandoning the knight to secure victory or saving the knight and risking defeat, Iver would undoubtedly choose the former.

As the level increases, the intensity of the Promotion Ritual gradually increases. The influence and suppressive power of the Shadow Fiend's strength will also gradually decrease... Not to mention, there are also scenarios in the Promotion Ritual that focus on puzzle-solving or strategic gameplay, and not all rituals can be resolved through violence.

At least the script written by Wei Zhe is definitely not good. He hates solving problems with violence and fighting, and his scripts will definitely be designed to even out the strength of everyone. If you randomly get his script, then Aleister, who has Shadow Fiend, will actually become a negative effect—because others will be more likely to gang up on her and attack her.

In this situation, no matter how much Iver valued the Knight, he couldn't afford to promote anyone else. Not to mention, Lily would also be promoting alongside "Aleister." Compared to the Knight, Lily was far more important to Iver.

Of course, if Mr. Knight can train him well, then it's like Aleister's promotion always comes with two reliable teammates. In the New Moon Ritual, the advantage of starting with two teammates is practically limitless... at least that was the case before everyone else knew about it.

So if possible, Iver still wants to help and educate David properly.

"Mr. Iver," David finally couldn't help but ask, "What kind of person is Miss Aleister?"

—They've arrived.

Iver thought to himself.

I'm not afraid of you asking, I'm just afraid you won't ask.

After a moment's thought, Iver replied, "I don't think she's a bad person. At most, she's just someone with a strong desire to perform and possess, who wants others to pay more attention to her. Even if she uses others, I think as long as her intentions are good, the result is good, and the consequences are controllable, then the process can actually be ignored."

Iver was actually referring to himself when he said that, but it also fit the characteristics of the Assassin Miss.

Now that the "Aleister" persona is basically complete, Iver's next task is to clean up his act and purify his persona, lest he overact and attract the investigators' attention.

Just like a "phantom thief"—it can't be a truly ruthless, bloodthirsty wanted criminal, otherwise you might be met by a sniper; but if it's just a phantom thief who hasn't caused any real harm, then maybe the other party will play along.

Iver didn't want the trouble caused by his disguise to drag down his real self.

"So I don't think you've been fooled by her. Because Aleister does have a flamboyant charm, the kind of allure that a true Transcender possesses."

"Iver said in a gentle voice."

Upon hearing this, David was taken aback. "How did you know...?"

He quickly realized he had said the wrong thing, but Iver went on to say, "Because she told me your story—you met at the Promotion Ritual not long ago, right?"

"... Ah, yes."

David replied with mixed feelings.

He was pleased that Miss Aleister remembered him, but at the same time saddened by the obvious closer relationship between Iver and her. Yet his good upbringing told him that he should not be jealous at this moment—so these complex emotions intertwined, making him feel very confused.

"I share the same opinion as her."

Iver said gently, "I won't stop you from embarking on the path of transcendence. There are no wrong paths among the Nine Great Paths; choosing any path is your own decision, and you can forge your own path."

"But you should only embark on this path when you have a full understanding of it. Don't be misled or confused by other people's words - impulsive decisions cannot last, and there is no turning back once you have chosen a path or career."

In the morning light, Iver's Deep Blue eyes shone brightly.

As he spoke softly from his wheelchair, David felt as if he saw a reflection of Aleister in him.

"Let's look at the common career choices Path of Transcendence — the Ritual Mage needs to master the science of curses and Ritual Studies; the Demon Scholar needs to master the science of demons and Ritual Studies; and the Demon Man needs to be possessed by a demon, unable to control even his will and body. So let's eliminate the Demon Man first... So, among the remaining two careers, do you want to summon demons, or do you want to curse others?"

Iver asked seriously, "Do you want to possess such mysterious skills, or do you simply admire Aleister and want to become like her?"

David listened intently as well—he actually had the same question and had been thinking about it for a long time.

He shook his head. "I'm not really interested in any of that... I just admire the courage to give up everything and challenge a powerful enemy."

[Question 1: Do you have the courage to face death and live?]

[Question 2: Do you have the resolve to challenge an invincible enemy?]

Aleister's arrogant voice still echoed in David's heart.

"In that case, I have a solution."

Iver bluntly stated, "Actually, there are some professions Path of Transcendence that have been lost."

"Just as the core skill of the Dedication Path is the Illumination Spell others by burning oneself, the core skill of the Path of Authority is the art of leadership, which includes the Word of Power, restraint, and judgment. The core of the Path of Transcendence is not demons, nor curses... but rituals."

"Ceremony?"

David asked doubtfully, "Isn't it a demon?"

Iver laughed, "How long has the Demon Scholar been around? Were there no Professionals Path of Transcendence before?"

These words are actually somewhat taboo—because only those with some understanding of demonology would know that Demon Scholar is actually a relatively new profession. But precisely because of Aleister's character, it's not surprising that Iver says anything. People will fill in the blanks themselves and convince themselves otherwise.

And what he said was indeed true—

Demons, curses, and contracts all originate from the powers of other celestial beings; the true power belonging to the Serpent Father is "ritual."

"I actually know that there is a long-lost profession in the Path of Transcendence, and it is very suitable for you."

"But you can't take the job right now," Iver said in a low voice.

"What is that?" David blurted out.

You little brat...

Seeing David's unreserved, almost eager, questioning, Iver immediately understood— Aleister's words might have some effect, but probably only a small part of it.

David's desire and longing for Path of Transcendence were not suppressed; on the contrary, they became even more intense.

So, it was indeed the right thing for me to tell David about this at this time...

"That is the [Moulting Warlock]."

Iver replied half-jokingly, "This is a long-lost profession. Because it requires applicants to have a sufficiently strong physique, it can only be used as a second career path."