Cautious Preparations

Xia Lun looked away and took stock of the changes in himself.

The benefits of higher attributes were not linear but exponential. The higher an attribute rose, the greater the benefit of each additional point.

With his Intelligence up by two points, the speed of his thoughts had changed dramatically. Ideas flowed with an exhilarating clarity, as if he had activated a weaker version of Heightened Focus.

Questions that had once stumped him now yielded answers almost at a glance, and clues he had overlooked stood out plainly. For instance, he had missed an obvious clue that proved Renee was not the Forgotten Saint: when King Guewen had told him that falsehood, the Information Panel had never displayed "Worldview Deciphered"!

At that thought, Xia Lun slowly sat up in bed and narrowed his eyes.

If Renee was not the Forgotten Saint, King Guewen's motive for secretly telling him she was became very interesting.

There were only two possibilities. Either King Guewen really was foolish, had been deceived, or had even been influenced by the Cognitive Filter; or he had some connection to the real Forgotten Saint—perhaps he was the Forgotten Saint himself!

"Knock, knock. Knock, knock."

Just as Xia Lun was about to think further, someone knocked on his bedroom door.

"Lord Xia Lun, six hours have passed. Would you care to look at the outfit you'll be wearing later?" The silver-robed tailor's voice came through the door. Xia Lun rose, walked over, gripped the handle, and pulled it open.

"How long until the banquet?"

The silver-robed tailor chuckled. "Three hours. Plenty of time. If you aren't satisfied, we can alter it right away." Xia Lun gave a slight nod and started toward the Tailor's Workshop, but the silver-robed tailor stayed where he was.

"Something else?" Xia Lun raised an