Crimson

Blackstone Manor.

Aaron, bearing the title of 'Baron of Blackstone', had returned to his own fiefdom.

Well, after this recent tournament, Theodore had begun handing out titles like candy; essentially, every knight in the Lower Green Forest had been promoted by one rank, with some even becoming viscounts.

However, these were all empty titles, as no one's actual fief had increased by even an inch.

In Aaron's view, at least the title of Baron sounded better than Knight...

Beyond that, there was a strange phenomenon: Colin's son, Xia Ya, had been enfeoffed as an honorary viscount, yet Colin himself had received nothing... Aaron had originally thought he might snag an honorary title like Viscount of Sothos, but it seemed Theodore was signaling some dissatisfaction with Colin, while remaining very pleased with the third-generation heir.

This seemed to correspond to some undercurrents, but Aaron didn't take them to heart.

Inside the bedroom.

Aaron opened his eyes, sensing the differences in his body.

Accepting the ritual and sacrifice in the dream world for the first time, especially the disappearance of the 'Essence of Crimson' at the end, had given him an indescribable sensation.

"The 'Essence of Crimson' used as a sacrifice is, in reality, the refined and concentrated spirituality of 'Crimson'. In terms of quantity... it might be enough for an ordinary person to fully awaken their spirituality and embark on the extraordinary path."

"And at that moment, the sacrifice in the ritual vanished. My consciousness felt that it might have arrived here... in the real world, inside my body?"

Aaron's eyes brightened slightly. If this were true, he might have finally found the path to the extraordinary in reality!

"My Lord!"

He rang the bell to let Daili come in and help him dress, eager to feel the changes in his body.

It seems like an illusion... but I feel like I have an unusual amount of vitality today?

Aaron looked at Daili before him, and it was undeniable that his body was having a slight reaction.

Daili seemed to sense something as well, blushing as she helped Aaron tidy his clothes.

This is a bit troublesome... I can feel a surge of desire... Is 'Crimson'... inherently related to reproduction and vitality?

Aaron felt a bit awkward: It seems I need to be careful in the future. I can't just eat anything, and I can't accept sacrifices indiscriminately...

"What would you like for breakfast?"

At this moment, Daili asked.

"Steak, well-done... no... rare. And bring me a glass of deer blood!"

Aaron blurted out.

Daili's expression was one of astonishment, but she quickly calmed down and retreated.

In the villa's dining room.

A piece of beef, almost raw, lay on a white porcelain plate, still oozing blood.

Aaron's usual breakfast consisted of vegetable salad, bread, and jam—a relatively light palate, which was why Daili had been so surprised.

At this moment, Daili stood to the side, watching as Aaron elegantly picked up his knife and fork. The cold fork pressed down only slightly, causing the beef to ooze a large amount of blood again, as if it were struggling, screaming, and resisting...

But it was useless. The table knife fell without mercy, separating the meat and causing blood to gush out, carrying the elegance of a predator.

A pinch of coarse salt and a dash of black pepper were sprinkled over the corpse of the cow, like a funeral rite for the dead...

Finally, the piece of meat was brought to his mouth, seemingly falling into a bottomless abyss...

"Hmm, the taste is unexpectedly good?"

Aaron took another sip of deer blood, reflecting in his heart: "Is this the pleasure of consuming flesh and blood? 'Crimson' is indeed within my body; it is influencing me!"

Fortunately, my reason can still restrain it. This is probably because the entity on the Crimson Moon is not in this world?

As for Lin, she was heavily influenced from the very beginning, effectively becoming half a devotee of the Mother Tree of Flesh... Of course, it was subconscious... The Mother Tree probably doesn't even know she exists, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to save her...

The members of the Black Sun Cult belong to the type that is influenced imperceptibly. Although they couldn't compare to Lin at first, as time passes, the influence will gradually deepen and become increasingly terrifying...

And Daili, what is that expression... What is this look of both fear and longing?

Has she been influenced by me?

Aaron put down his knife and fork: "Clear the table!"

"Oh, yes!"

Daili gave a start, as if she had finally snapped out of it. She stepped forward to clear the table, her breathing becoming heavy without her realizing it.

"I'm going out to train!"

Aaron felt his self-control trending downward and dared not stay any longer, lest one Daili not be enough. He immediately went to the training ground outside the villa and began to swing his massive greatsword.

In ordinary times, swinging this heavy sword through a few forms would consume a great deal of his strength.

But now, Aaron felt a difference.

It wasn't that his physique or strength had increased, but rather that every time he reached his limit, a new surge of power would well up from within his body.

It was as if a new source of power had been added to his body!

"This is the extraordinary nature of 'Crimson'!"

Aaron's eyes lit up: "Although... I don't particularly like this path... it cannot be denied that all things extraordinary are so brilliant, so enchanting..."

After exercising for several hours, he was drenched in sweat. Casually grabbing a towel to wipe himself down, Aaron suddenly picked up a dagger and made a small incision on his arm.

Blood soon flowed out, and he watched intently, seeing the bleeding stop automatically, followed by a sensation of numbness and itching.

"Vitality, promoting wound healing?"

"It's just that there seems to be some loss..."

Aaron frowned. What Lin sacrificed was the concentrated essence of numerous 'Crimson' spirits, enough to push anyone through the door to the extraordinary.

Yet, when it reached him, only a tiny fraction seemed to remain.

"Is this... the loss incurred from crossing between two worlds? It doesn't matter, though. If I let Lin sacrifice a few more times, the accumulation will be enough for me to push open the door to the extraordinary. However... I don't like the 'Crimson' path..."

"Hmm, next time I'll have Lin sacrifice other spiritual items... but she only knows how to collect 'Crimson' essence. To each their own expertise; it seems letting her establish a multi-path cult is a sound decision."

A moment later, Aaron stood up and shook his arm. The wound on his arm had long since vanished, leaving only a faint white mark.

"Very good!"

He checked the sky and felt a bit hungry: "Time for lunch... Is it medium-rare beef again? No... I want it medium..."

Aaron felt the hunger within him, and his expression gradually began to change.

As it turned out, his changes were not limited to that.

By evening, staring at a medium-rare steak, he couldn't bring himself to take a bite. In the end, he had Daili take it back to the kitchen to be cooked well-done.

"This is bad..."

As the rich, warm texture of the beef entered his mouth, Aaron sighed inwardly: "The spirituality is dissipating... and so, its influence on me is constantly weakening..."

"I must observe this."

The next day.

Aaron rang the bell, signaling for Daili to enter.

He watched the maid's every movement, his heart calm, filled only with endless regret: "Is this world truly devoid of magic... to the point where even the spirituality I worked so hard to obtain will continue to dissipate as time passes..."