The Long-Standing

Adam's curiosity was piqued.

He had once looked into the countries surrounding the Holy Sound Kingdom, searching for routes to other nations.

To the north, the countries were practically wearing the same pair of trousers as the Holy Sound Kingdom. The Holy Sound Church wielded considerable influence there, and those northern nations were riddled with natural barriers, making them a dead end. He would be found sooner or later.

The western countries were also theocracies, but transportation was fairly developed there, so they should have been the best destination. However, Adam's greatest obstacle to leaving lay in that direction as well.

That left only the east and south. The east lay across the sea, but the Church kept a tight grip on ships entering and leaving coastal areas. To the south was the Loken Kingdom, where the borders were sealed and the two sides stood hostile against one another.

Going east made it relatively easy to board a ship, but difficult to disembark.

The problem with going south was the border blockade. Crossing it would be extremely difficult, but once he made it through and reached the Loken Kingdom, he would be relatively safe.

In the end, Adam chose to come to Roa. He knew that the Holy Sound Kingdom and the Loken Kingdom were enemies, but he did not know why the two nations were hostile.

He had not expected it to be caused by the disappearance of a Loken Kingdom noble.

"This is only the fuse. There must be many deeper underlying reasons for the war's outbreak." Adam closed the book after reading for only a short while.

"It's just that the name Ronnie sounds familiar." Adam frowned. He seemed to have heard that name somewhere before. Generally speaking, he would not forget anything he had deliberately remembered, but if he had merely caught sight of something by chance, an impression that had not run deep would be difficult for him to recall.

Before long, the door opened, and Anthony entered with a rather poor complexion.

His face was somewhat pale, and there was little color in his lips. Yet when he saw Adam, he smiled, sat down to one side, and began the lesson.

Today's lesson still covered the Meditation Method: insights into constructing Nether Soil, as well as common mistakes people tended to make.

Every sentence was experience bought by their predecessors with their lives. Though Adam's talent was quite good, he could not disregard such experience.

"After the Nether Soil Meditation Method constructs Nether Soil, it further stimulates certain latent abilities in life. This stimulating effect can also be used on other living creatures."

"Latent abilities?" Adam was somewhat puzzled. After constructing Nether Soil, he had felt more changes in his spirit. There had not been much change in his body.

"That is because this part of your ability is not latent." Anthony tapped the tabletop as he spoke. "What components make up a person's charm?"

"First are basic conditions like appearance and physique. Next comes the emanation of life force. A person's life force forms a certain kind of field that affects other living things around them, including things emitted from the body, such as scent."

"Then there is temperament, and that is connected to the soul."

"The Nether Soil Meditation Method originated from the extension of Yi's deeds. In the Divine Word, Yi is regarded as the Mother of Humanity. She possessed an affinity that could lull every crying child to sleep, make wild beasts obey her commands, make everyone love her, and calm those burning with rage—the most essential charm of humanity."

"The Nether Soil Meditation Method has the effect of bringing out a person's charm. Yet now, things have been turned upside down. People seek out those with charm to judge whether they are suited to the Nether Soil Meditation Method."

"You are like that, Adam. You possess a powerful affinity that reveals itself without needing to be stimulated."

"Of course, as your Nether Soil Meditation Method progresses, your charm may receive a further boost, and you may eventually condense the trait of extraordinary charm."

Adam suddenly understood. At last, he knew why both Anthony and Xilin possessed such high charm.

Clearly, charm was something that could also be improved through the Meditation Method after birth.

"Then what effect does extraordinary charm have?" Adam continued asking. If he adjusted it through Soul Weight, he could cause his own charm to undergo a qualitative transformation and erupt completely. Even if it was not the extraordinary charm Anthony described, it was probably not far off.

"The extraordinary represents the complete metamorphosis of something. Once extraordinary charm is condensed, it can produce effects similar to a charm spell, or even effects resembling Spirit Word."

"You can use your own charm to make everything around you change in accordance with your will."

"As for extraordinary perception, when you perceive related things, you can enter a state of spirit sight. If someone observes traces you have left from afar, you will also sense it."

"If you have learned the relevant arts, you can even trace backward to the person who touched your traces."

"Trace them? Can it accurately pinpoint that person's location?" Adam asked in return.

"Very difficult. You can only receive a rough sense of direction, and that involves knowledge related to curse arts." Anthony answered every question. "I have not studied curse arts much. If you are truly interested, you can ask Alva, or I can teach you some basics when I have time."

Anthony's answer startled Adam. Was Alva well versed in curse arts?

However, Adam was not in a position to keep asking, so he immersed himself in the study of sorcery once more.

Time passed quickly. At noon, the lesson paused for a while, and Adam went down to the first floor to eat the lunch Xilin brought him.

Elsewhere, McLaren drove the carriage back to the Rom Family, where he was questioned by the person who had delivered Adam's gift that morning.

That person swiftly passed the information upward, until it reached Walker and Doug.

"The Central Clock Tower?" Doug struck the ground with his cane and said in confirmation, "That's right. It is said that Alva contracted that place in his early years. It seems he still has a sorcerer's laboratory there."

"Could the longevity medicine be there as well?" Walker guessed. He had followed Doug to the Ratu Family several times and secretly conducted investigations, yet he had not sensed anything resembling the longevity medicine.

"Not necessarily. Send someone to inspect the clock tower later." Doug sighed. According to the information they had gathered so far, both Alva and his servant Ai had taken the longevity medicine, and they had taken it at different times. Ai had only taken the medicine later, which meant that Alva had continued refining longevity medicine even after being expelled by the Church.

Unfortunately, most of their information was vague, leaving them unable to make an accurate judgment.

Just as Doug and Walker were speculating, McLaren secretly met someone else: Doug's son, Matt.

Matt, who was in his late forties and nearing fifty, was already somewhat balding. His slightly plump body, combined with features somewhat similar to Doug's, lent him a measure of dignity.

"That filthy commoner truly took a book to the Central Clock Tower?" Matt asked for confirmation once more. After receiving an answer, he became increasingly impatient.

This morning, he had learned that Adam was the son of commoners and merely had a teacher-student relationship with Ratu. He had still wondered whether he was being overly suspicious. Ever since the old man coughed up blood and he realized he might have an opportunity, he had indeed become somewhat sensitive.

But now, his suspicions could no longer stop bubbling to the surface.

Because Alva had gone to the church today to paint murals, while that damned filthy, lowborn commoner had neither gone to the church nor to the Ratu Family.

"Could it be that the old bastard sent someone to teach that commoner knowledge at the clock tower?" Matt could not suppress the thoughts spreading through his mind.

There was nothing at the clock tower. What would a commoner be doing there all day for no reason?

If things were truly as he imagined, it meant the old thing intended to replace him. After all, inheriting a noble crest required the corresponding knowledge, and he himself had received similar education when he was young.

"I absolutely cannot let this happen." Matt grew increasingly agitated. If he could not inherit the family, even his best possible outcome would be being cast out. And once he lost the skin of being the Rom Family's heir, those people from the gambling dens would come rushing over with their promissory notes and gnaw him clean to the bone.

"How could the long-standing family glory of my Rom Family possibly be inherited by some bastard?" Matt gritted his teeth. If outsiders had not been present, he might have shouted it aloud.

"You. Continue investigating that commoner." Matt turned and ordered McLaren.

The last remnants of his reason kept him from acting immediately. He needed to confirm this first.

"Also, I need to send people to watch the clock tower and see whether the old bastard transfers anyone there."

Thanks to Zerozero_ for the tip. Thank you for your support.