Illusion Rune

After the duke's promotion ceremony, Lei Mo didn't leave. Instead, he spoke with Tagore and John, exchanging insights and experiences from their cultivation.

From their conversation, Lei Mo judged that Tagore was cultivating the Profound Mystery of Speed within the Law of Wind, though he seemed to have only just begun.

As for John Keaton, he was merely at the Saint Realm Middle Stage and had no insight into the Laws. Someone like Lei Mo, who had only just entered the Saint Realm yet already had a deep understanding of the Edicts, was what astonished the two of them.

They'd thought Lei Mo was a genius. Compared with the two of them, he certainly was, but Lei Mo knew what he was really like. Next to a true genius, he was nothing.

Without Franklin, he might still be at level seven.

Tagore Keaton had been famous for several thousand years and knew the powerful figures who had emerged over the past few millennia very well.

According to him, over the past ten thousand years, two Saint Realm experts had cultivated to an extremely high level. Any Saint Realm expert who challenged them—or whom they challenged—had either died or been injured. Neither had ever lost.

Gustav—he was in the far eastern reaches of human territory, where several tribes existed instead of kingdoms. The fighting there was comparatively brutal, and he wielded a heavy hammer.

He had killed more people than anyone else. The region where he lived was chaotic, with the tribes often at war with one another. He was also rough, fierce, and ruthless by nature.

Natalia Saavedra—she was active in the northern reaches of human territory, near the Elf Forest. She was relatively mild-tempered, though only by comparison.

Natalia was a half-elf. Her appearance was closer to that of an elf, but the elven people didn't accept her, so she could only make her way in human society.

Saavedra was her mother's surname, too. Her father was an elf, while her mother was an ordinary human who had long since died of old age.

Her father was said to be a Saint Realm expert as well. As for why a Saint Realm expert at the limits of his power couldn't return to his family, no one knew."

At the end, Tagore added one more thing. Perhaps he had the same weakness as Lei Mo: when the subject turned to women, he couldn't help saying a little more.

In Tagore's circle, people had already divided cultivation attributes into several different branches on their own, though their system wasn't as well-founded as Lei Mo's.

When they heard Lei Mo's classification, they agreed wholeheartedly.

Throughout the conversation, John Keaton barely spoke. Or perhaps he simply had nothing to contribute.

"Lord Franklin, what will you do next? Are you planning to stay with the Magic Beast Knights?" John could only try a different tack.

"I'll see what Lord Tagore has planned. I like the atmosphere in the Keaton Kingdom. I've already taken Rachel in, so from now on, she'll be the duchess here in the Keaton Kingdom!"

Lei Mo said it offhandedly. It was too late to marry him to a princess now; that would make it difficult to arrange everyone's place in the family. This arrangement was good enough.

"Have Martin make proper arrangements for Rachel's family!"

Tagore set the tone, and the people below could only carry it out. With a single order, Rachel's father became a landed earl.

It was all done with astonishing speed. Of course, there was no chance of a grand promotion ceremony. Even so, Old Bella—now Count Bella—was so overjoyed he could hardly believe his luck.

"Lord Franklin should be promoted to grand commander as well. It'll be a nominal position. John usually doesn't bother with the work anyway."

Tagore looked at Lei Mo, testing the waters.

"Smack!" Lei Mo snapped to attention and gave a military salute, signaling his agreement. He'd managed to show off again!

Tagore's mouth twitched, but he said nothing. Saint Realm experts could do as they pleased, so long as they were happy.

Lei Mo most likely wouldn't actually take up his duties with the Magic Beast Knights, anyway.

"I may travel around the continent. I wanted to ask Lord Tagore which people I should watch out for," Lei Mo said. Tagore and John nodded to show they understood.

As if! Saint Realm experts could fly incredibly fast, covering thousands or even tens of thousands of miles in the blink of an eye. How could they stay in one place forever?

After saying all that, Lei Mo raised the scepter in his hand to show that he was a citizen of the Keaton Kingdom, then left the royal palace.

When he returned to Duke Mansion, construction on the main city of his territory was still underway, so for the time being he had to stay in the capital.

After returning, Lei Mo told Rachel that the decree making her duchess would arrive soon. That very night, he enjoyed Rachel's attentive service and nearly lost his resolve as a powerful cultivator.

Leaving aside those scenes and actions unsuitable for children, even while making love, Lei Mo was thinking about fighting spirit. It was an important issue.

Although women were, for Lei Mo now, as easy to summon as they were to dismiss, he still couldn't bear to part with his sweet Rachel.

She was the first person he'd truly gotten to know after arriving in the human kingdom, and she was only seventeen. Lei Mo might appear to be twenty, but inside he was a sixty-year-old man. He couldn't be that heartless.

"Water Element... Water Element..." Lei Mo had spent three months pondering and working things out, and three months being lovey-dovey with Rachel. The decree making her duchess had arrived, and the people at Duke Mansion treated her with even greater respect.

"Looks like I can only carve an Illusion Rune!"

Rachel had made rapid progress cultivating Water Element fighting spirit, which showed that she had a talent for the Water Element. That meant combining it with a Water Element Rune was the right approach.

The problem was that the only Water Element Runes Lei Mo knew were the Image Rune and the Illusion Rune. The Image Rune corresponded to the Image Profound Truth, also known as the Profound Mystery of Floating Images, which was a High-level Profound Mystery.

It wasn't easy to comprehend, and Lei Mo didn't know the Rune corresponding to the Mysteries of Water Elements.

He couldn't have the Rune Soul tattoo Rachel, either. Lei Mo wasn't that magnanimous, even when it came to a Rune Soul under his control.

That left the Illusion Rune. The Illusion Rune—Mist Illusion—was a mid-level Profound Mystery. That would do!

After settling on a plan, Lei Mo still had plenty of preparations to make. To maximize the results, he took Franklin along, left the Divine Wind Bear behind to protect Rachel, and set off for the Seti Mountains.

According to Tagore Keaton, at the center of the Seti Mountains lay a lake more than a hundred thousand kilometers across, teeming with aquatic magical beasts.

There were no magical beasts above the Saint Realm anywhere in the Seti Mountains. The strongest had only reached the Saint Realm's peak; otherwise, they would have unified the entire mountain range long ago.

Lei Mo planned to kill a Saint Realm Water Element magical beast, preferably one with an aptitude for illusions, and use its Essence Blood to create a tattoo.

Of course, this was only an experiment. He would have to test it many times on other people and beasts before using it on Rachel.

Bill Cleveland had been feeling rather dejected lately. Lei Mo had grown so powerful so quickly that he no longer needed Bill's speed.

At that moment, Bill was making a long face at Rachel, as if telling her all about its troubles.

But with its sky-blue fur, round face, and little eyes blinking away, it couldn't have been any cuter.

"Don't worry. The duke chose you after careful consideration. Why else would he have picked you? There are plenty of fast Wind Element magical beasts."

Rachel stroked Bill's round head and looked into its glossy black eyes. The more she looked, the cuter she found him.

She couldn't resist giving him a good rub. Bill Cleveland pulled a helpless face; he couldn't exactly fight back.

Rachel was right. Lei Mo had carefully chosen the Divine Wind Bear. He would never simply neglect him.

At that moment, Lei Mo was holding the vague information Tagore had provided and muttering to himself.

"Wind Element... bear... A divine beast is out of the question. Could there be a magical beast that was born at the Saint Realm?"