Bluffing

After a moment of silence, Cyril followed his established persona to find a topic:

"You have already come into contact with the true mystical world, but you don't seem to have become a Beyonder yet. Are you preparing a potion?"

"How did you..." Owen looked at him in surprise, but quickly figured it out himself:

"Right, you didn't look surprised from the very beginning."

"So you have also come into contact with the true mystical world, and have even become a Beyonder, which is why you didn't hold that evil ritual Welch shared?"

Cyril leaned back against the sofa and nodded slightly: "Something like that, but I haven't become a Beyonder yet."

Owen was not surprised by this: "That's normal. Potion ingredients are too expensive. If it weren't for the inheritance my parents left behind, I would also..."

He paused, then suddenly changed the subject and asked: "Did you obtain a complete potion formula?"

Cyril nodded, his tone filled with a hint of lament: "Of course, but it's a pity that it doesn't suit me."

I don't just have a complete potion formula; I possess an entire Beyonder pathway, including the acting principles. It's just a shame that I'm guarding a mountain of treasure but cannot use it.

It's all Adam's fault for leaving so quickly back then. Otherwise, I could have applied to join the Twilight Hermit Order. He holds the second Blasphemy Slate, though he might not necessarily agree to it.

...∑(°△°|||)︴

Cyril, having realized this belatedly, suddenly froze... I was careless again. I'm sorry, big shot, please ignore me...

He then looked around uncomfortably. Although he saw nothing, he felt as if a pair of eyes were staring at him from the corners, from behind his back, from the glass windows, and from places he couldn't see.

"What's wrong with you?"

Owen watched Cyril's strange reaction and instinctively looked around as well, but he didn't find anything unusual in his home.

Cyril forced a laugh and shook his head: "Nothing, just a bit of PTSD..."

Owen: "Huh?"

To prevent his mind from wandering and thinking about things he shouldn't, Cyril quickly changed the subject:

"When did you come into contact with the mystical world, and how is your potion preparation coming along?"

Whether it was the previous experience that brought them closer or the long period of solitude that made Owen instinctively crave a partner he could open up to, he told Cyril about his situation without holding anything back:

"At first, my understanding of the mystical world came from the notes my father left behind. I only discovered them in his belongings after he passed away. Unfortunately, there wasn't much information in them."

"Because of that, it took me two full years to learn more from the occult circles I came into contact with, and at the same time, I purchased the Beyonder ingredients needed to concoct the Apprentice potion. This potion formula also came from my father's legacy."

"Hehe, let me tell you a secret: it is said that this pathway was once mastered by an ancient family from the Fourth Epoch. It must be one of the most powerful of the 22 pathways."

"According to the occult knowledge I possess, on the night of the full moon, the Spirit World and reality overlap the most. That is when spirituality is at its peak, which is most favorable for consuming the potion and achieving advancement."

"That is to say, tomorrow, I will be able to become a true Beyonder."

Cyril stared at Owen in silence. The other man's words gave him a strong sense of déjà vu; he felt as if he had heard this somewhere before.

Is this guy a character who appeared in the plot? But why don't I have any impression of him?

Apprentice, full moon, ancient family... I seem to remember something... It couldn't be such a coincidence, could it? A living Key of Stars?

It is August 1349 now. Calculating the time, it seems to match up, but... I don't believe for a second that there wasn't some sort of arrangement involved. However, this is exactly what I need.

Owen shifted his body to the side; Cyril's gaze made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Just as he was about to remind the other person that such a gaze was impolite, Cyril suddenly withdrew his eyes and said in a serious tone:

"Have you ever thought about changing your pathway, or choosing a different time to consume the potion?"

"Why?" Owen asked in surprise, then explained to himself:

"The Apprentice pathway was passed down by our family... by my father. It has a relatively complete potion formula and accumulated knowledge. Choosing this pathway will make my advancement to higher sequences much easier."

"Besides, the full moon is the most suitable time for advancement. I've performed divination."

Mr. Door is still whispering during the full moon; what room for advancement do you have? You'd be better off changing pathways. Maybe the whispers during the full moon would be quieter then.

He muttered to himself in his heart, his gaze toward Owen gradually becoming serious and stern.

He decided to bluff the guy. Not only could this save a poor soul from committing suicide during the full moon, but it could also allow him to obtain the Apprentice potion formula he needed.

More importantly, his current savings were only 10 pounds, 13 shillings, and 2 pence. This was the living allowance he had managed to scrape together during his time at Backlund University; after all, he didn't have an inheritance from his parents to fall back on.

It was impossible to become a Beyonder with that amount of money, so he had no choice but to play the role of a Marauder and swindle some startup capital from classmate Owen.

Besides, I'm essentially saving his life, so what's wrong with collecting a little fee?

Under Owen's confused and wary gaze, his expression became increasingly serious and solemn until a look of panic appeared on the other man's face. Only then did he chuckle and speak:

"There aren't many forces that master the Apprentice pathway. Throughout the Northern and Southern Continents, there are only four well-known organizations. Among them, the Aurora Order, the Gnosis Society, and the Tamara family can only be considered to have mastered a portion of the Apprentice pathway."

"The ones who truly mastered the characteristics and formulas of the Apprentice pathway are the Abraham family, one of the great noble families of the Tudor Empire in the Fourth Epoch."

"Even among the many angel families of the Fourth Epoch, the Abraham family was one of the top-tier great noble families, and that is without exception."

Owen tilted his neck in a way that was hard to notice, a look of reflected glory on his face.

"I know this part of history. Don't forget that I am also a student in the Department of History."

Although he often skipped classes, that was only to get in touch with the mystical world and participate in the circles of those Beyonders.

Cyril chuckled, raised an eyebrow, and asked: "So, you aren't denying that you are related to the Abraham family?"

Owen, who had just been craning his neck with a look of reflected glory, was instantly doused with a bucket of cold water and froze in place.

"Uh, perhaps. It's been over a thousand years since the Fourth Epoch, so it's normal for some potion formulas to have leaked out."

"Although I sometimes wish I were a descendant of such an ancient family, shouldering a sacred mission and achieving great things, the truth is that my family has been in Backlund since my grandparents' generation, and my surname is Garcia."

Cyril looked at him expressionlessly. "You're explaining a bit too much. Besides, I remember when I last saw your father, he told me he had left his hometown to work hard in Backlund for a better life."

"..."

The expression on Owen's face stiffened once more, and he tried to brush it off with a dry laugh: "Your memory is quite good... that was several years ago."

Cyril nodded slightly. "It's alright. After all, we weren't this distant back then."

"Don't be so nervous. It's just a descendant of the Abraham family, isn't it? To use your own words, over a thousand years have passed since the Fourth Epoch; who doesn't have a successful ancestor somewhere?"

He paused, and after Owen's expression softened, he asked again:

"Do you know about the Antigonus family and the Kingdom of Night?"

Owen nodded gently. "Of course. Like the Abraham family, the Antigonus family was one of the great noble houses of the Tudor Empire during the Fourth Epoch. Besides them, there were also the Amon family, the Jacob family, and the Tamara family."

"As for the Kingdom of Night, it was an ancient country located in the Hornacis Mountains. It seems to have been destroyed during the mid-to-late Fourth Epoch."

Cyril nodded and said something that sounded completely unrelated: "Do you know, the name Cyril means 'serene night' in my hometown."

"Serene night?" Owen was stunned for a moment, not quite reacting.

A moment later, a look of shock suddenly appeared on his face. "It is said that the Kingdom of Night was founded by the patriarch of the Antigonus family and the Mother of Heaven. They revered the night and serenity, and worshipped the ancient Mother of Heaven."

"Are you a descendant of the Antigonus family from the Kingdom of Night?"