"Our full name is the Gregor Folk Studies Club. We currently have nineteen members."
Leighton didn't disappoint Fu Qian's expectations. He displayed astonishing obedience, answering almost without hesitation.
Though the name he gave didn't seem to have much to do with the Ancient King.
"The reason we're called that isn't because Gregor founded us. We borrowed the name from a local scholar."
As he continued explaining, Leighton shifted position, moving somewhere he'd be harder to spot from outside the window.
"He was born in Lanfeilai, but left when he was very young. He didn't return to his hometown until late in life, when he took a job at a nearby school. That was when he did a great deal of research into folk customs, such as 'The Unassailable.'"
Leighton moved his fingers, sketching a familiar-looking triple-ring pattern.
"Although he was an ordinary man, Gregor firmly believed that divine enlightenment wasn't necessary—that power lay within mortal wisdom... and that finding it was simple, too. Its transmission over thousands of years proved its power, while its evolution was like the evolution of living things."
Leighton's voice was low, and his respect was clear.
"Most people considered this idea patently absurd, and in his lifetime, he never found any evidence to support it.
"But Your Excellency should understand: when there's no way forward, even the slightest glimmer of hope becomes tempting."
So the man behind the theory had already passed away?
This development didn't surprise Fu Qian much. After all, it was obvious at a glance that the things San Hao's Old Man had been poring over were ancient.
"After a long period of frustration over my inability to find a path to advancement, I came across Gregor's research notes one day. They opened the door to an unbelievable world... and then, going