Twisted Language

In a daze, the endless darkness that had appeared before once again emerged before Aaron's eyes. Yet this darkness vanished in the blink of an eye, as if it were merely going through the motions.

What followed was an inexplicable realization.

The feeling was incredibly strange, as if it were an ability he had been born knowing.

And now, he had merely opened a dust-covered treasure chest and taken out the object within.

Once the ancient dust was wiped away, the colors he saw were still bright and vivid.

Dream Speech: Twisted Language can store up to three uses, and one use can be restored each time he sleeps. Effect: Forces the target to absorb unknown supernatural information, causing their speech to become incomprehensible for a period of time.

Huh?

Aaron stared wide-eyed. He instinctively rubbed his eyes and checked again, at a loss for words.

In simple terms, this skill... made other people talk in their sleep?

System, what the hell are you doing?

Do you think this is funny?

Although Aaron had a whole string of complaints ready, he really could not bring himself to voice them.

The system had an extremely weak presence. The fact that it could grant him an ability at all counted as normal performance, and he certainly did not expect it to give him another chance at life.

Aaron could only frown and accept this reality.

No matter what, this was at least the first supernatural ability he had obtained.

Though it did feel a little ridiculous...

But when he came to his senses, he discovered that the many supernatural beings present were quietly watching him, each with a different expression.

Aaron was baffled, but he accidentally met Siosand's gaze. Siosand looked as though he had witnessed some supernatural phenomenon, his eyes filled with disbelief.

What was going on?

What had he done?

Why was everyone looking at him?

Aaron scratched his head, completely bewildered.

"Didn't advance..."

Sart did not know whether he should feel relieved or disappointed.

According to the records of the Star Tower, no one had ever been able to complete an advancement in a single night.

If Aaron had managed it, he would have been recorded in the annals of history, while they would have become witnesses to that historical moment.

However, Sart could sense the dense Dream Realm aura around Aaron dissipating, yet it had not condensed into a Bronze Card unique to him.

That meant his advancement had failed. He had not completely found his own path to wielding supernatural power.

Successfully advancing did not necessarily mean the path was suitable. Multiple failures could instead serve as a form of selection.

In a sense, advancing from Iron Tier to Bronze Tier was merely a supernatural being's attempt to find a path suited to them. At this stage, advancement carried no risk of backlash.

With that thought, Sart walked over to Aaron, lightly patted him on the shoulder, hesitated for a moment, and said, "As for advancement, don't rush..."

Lord Bals coughed and interrupted Sart. "Master Sart, perhaps we should set out. Dawn is almost here."

Although the sky had not yet begun to brighten, it was faintly approaching the darkest part of the night—the final darkness before dawn.

They stood on the empty street, while the surrounding attendants silently held up torches. Sparks occasionally burst from them, making the street seem even quieter.

Bals lowered his head and glanced at the pitch-black sewer. "I'll go down first. If the Heretical Cultists have already sensed our presence, we probably don't have much time."

"Then, Lord Bals, what about your subordinates?" Aaron asked, pretending to be casual.

At a time like this, how does Bals still look like a lone commander?

He's a Gold Tier Holy Grail Path supernatural being, yet he doesn't even have a single supernatural being beside him?

At the very least, from the guards' clothing, Aaron could tell that they were merely ordinary people.

"My subordinates are still investigating this matter. They also need to guard several key locations. I have to prevent the Heretical Cultists from secretly leaving through another route," Bals said unhurriedly. "In fact, the sewer beneath our feet has three entire levels and is extremely complicated. Without guidance, we might not even be able to find the Heretical Cultist deliberately hiding here."

As he spoke, his iron arm radiated a bright white light. He was the first to climb down the rusted iron ladder.

Ed was just about to descend when Alice stopped him. "Ed, stay on the surface."

"Miss?" Ed frowned, somewhat puzzled.

"You'll be more useful staying on the surface than entering this filthy sewer with us." Alice glanced meaningfully at the guards around them and said to Ed, "If anything feels wrong, report it to the trading company immediately."

House of Iris was unrivaled throughout the Yagrant Kingdom, and they naturally would not give up the enormous profits from Badipila for nothing. They had also established a branch of the Iris Trading Company in Leyden City to handle the various goods transported through Leyden City.

As the publicly acknowledged heir of House of Iris, Alice naturally had the confidence to ask her family for reinforcements.

In fact, she had even declined the suggestion from Degas, the branch's chamber of commerce president, explicitly stating that she did not need additional protection.

In Alice's own words, "A true iris never fears any storm. Challenges will only become its nourishment."

By the torchlight, Ed caught the unspoken implication behind Alice's words. He nodded silently, then looked toward Aaron.

"He'll act with us," Sart said directly. He glanced at Alice, then deliberately looked at Siosand.

Siosand nodded somewhat unhappily and began sizing Aaron up, intentionally or otherwise.

To Aaron's surprise, he saw no hostility in the eyes of Siosand, who looked like a villain at first glance. Instead, he saw a hint of an expression that seemed to question the meaning of life, as if Siosand were scrutinizing him. It made Aaron's scalp prickle.

"If you encounter any unusual circumstances, extinguish the torches immediately." Alice casually gave the guards around them an instruction, then slowly descended the iron ladder with her torch.

As Alice's torch gradually grew smaller, Ed sized up the surrounding attendants and said in a low voice, "Then I'll leave Miss in your care."

Without waiting for Sart's reply, he quickly left the group and walked toward the distance with his torch.

Miss could encounter danger at any moment in the sewer. He had to contact the family immediately. This concerned the plans of the entire family, and not even a moment's delay could be tolerated.

As matters developed, he had already realized that the situation was gradually exceeding his expectations.

Not only was a Silver Tier Heretical Cultist involved, but even the Gold Tier city lord had personally entered the fray. This was certainly not a good sign.

Siosand looked up at the sky, gave a small yawn, and gently nudged Aaron. "Let's go."

"What exactly is your relationship with Sart?" Aaron hesitated for a long time before finally asking.

"He?" Siosand curled his lips. "He's my senior, nothing more."

"But you seem to..."

"Really look down on him?"

Siosand finished the sentence for Aaron.

"Yes."

"How do you think you'd face the person who took away the thing you wanted most?"

Siosand narrowed his eyes and looked provocatively at Sart, who seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.

The way the two of them acted immediately sent Aaron's imagination racing through countless melodramatic scenarios.

"That's enough, Siosand. You know that was just a rumor." Sart's expression darkened.

"But what if it wasn't?" Siosand's tone was ambiguous. "Respected..."

He saw the anger in Sart's eyes and swallowed the rest of the sentence as though nothing had happened.

I've got a trial recommendation today!!!!

Push hard!!!!

TAT (Though there are only three updates, so I don't have much confidence... The recommendation is this afternoon...)