Jane's Request

That afternoon, after Detective Isengard tested Abner on his progress in Ancient Feysac and found it highly satisfactory, he handed him another set of materials written in Ancient Hermes.

"Ancient Hermes originated from nature. Like the Ancient Dragon Language and Ancient Elvish, its effects are very direct. It is a language that truly possesses 'power'! But it lacks the necessary concealment and protection, making its users vulnerable to danger. You must keep that in mind while studying it. Unless absolutely necessary, do not actually speak it aloud." Detective Isengard repeatedly warned Abner as he handed over the materials.

Abner understood the gravity of the matter. He solemnly nodded and, with the assistance of the Pure White Eye, carefully devoted himself to studying.

And so, several days passed quietly.

Over the past few days, Abner's life had been uneventful. Through studying languages and reading and comprehending during rituals, he rapidly absorbed all kinds of knowledge and digested the lingering spirituality within his Potion. He even felt that in about another week, he would completely digest the Reader Potion!

Wednesday morning arrived quickly. After breakfast, Abner once again went with Xio to the abandoned manor in the North Borough.

After using up all the practice bullets they had brought, they sparred again. This time, Abner lasted a full minute against Xio before being defeated.

Xio was quite surprised. Her own Potion digestion had progressed rapidly these past few days, and her combat abilities had become much stronger than during their last spar. That was enough to show just how astonishing Abner's improvement was.

"Your physical condition hasn't improved much, but many of your techniques seem to be on the verge of completely integrating into your body and becoming instinctive! As far as I know, many knights need more than ten years of fighting on battlefields to reach that point... Maybe you really are a fighting genius. It's a pity you didn't choose a Warrior Sequence Potion." Xio spoke with considerable regret. Though she did not know exactly which Pathway Abner belonged to, it was clearly not one suited for direct combat.

Abner did not find that regrettable at all. Perhaps this talent for fighting was also a gift from the Pure White Eye, but its assistance in other areas was clearly far more powerful. Choosing the Warrior Pathway would have wasted most of its capabilities.

"By the way, with your build, weapons like knight swords would suit you better. I don't know much about those and only understand the basics. What I'm best at are daggers and Three-Edged Stingers." Xio was only one and a half meters tall, and many knight swords were taller than she was, so she naturally was not used to such weapons.

"Knowing the basics is enough. I'm not expecting to become a Sword Saint, and once I advance to Sequence 7, I'll naturally become a Weapon Master." Abner took it well and was not disappointed. He changed the subject and asked about Xio's plan to get close to the nobles.

"Has Fors's new book been published? Is she still finding all sorts of excuses to delay her manuscript?"

Xio rubbed her forehead and answered helplessly, "Not yet, but under my supervision, she's already finished it. It can be published as early as Saturday."

"You've really had it rough. I think her editor ought to treat you to a meal!" Abner joked with a smile.

"Actually, Miss Aina already has..." Xio sighed.

Just as the two were chatting and laughing, three carriages suddenly approached from the distance. The sound of hooves striking the ground immediately put Xio and Abner on alert. They hurriedly packed up everything they had brought and slipped through the manor's side entrance into a small storage room off the living room to hide. This was the emergency plan Xio had prepared in advance.

Fortunately, the two had been cautious enough to collect the shell casings after practicing their shooting. Otherwise, they would surely have left behind evidence.

What they did not know was that shortly after they hid in the storage room, a sudden chill wind swept across the shooting range. Once it passed, every trace of activity had been erased. The people stepping down from the carriages noticed nothing at all.

"Maybe someone wants to buy this manor..." After carefully making out the visitors' conversation, Xio whispered into Abner's ear.

Abner nodded. This was not good news for him. If someone really bought the place, he would no longer be able to use the shooting range for free.

"Actually, it's not a huge problem. Most wealthy people buy country manors for vacations or hunting, and they only come a few times a year. As long as we can avoid the people guarding the house, we can still use it." Xio had clearly guessed what Abner was thinking and offered a little reassurance.

Still, it wouldn't be as convenient as it was now. We'd have to sneak around and constantly watch our backs... Thankfully, my marksmanship is improving fast!

As Abner pondered this, the group outside finished looking through the other rooms and entered the living room together.

"Mr. Karon, what do you think of this place? It may look rundown, but after some renovation, it would be no worse than Elk Manor to the west. It's also closer to the North Borough and much more conveniently located. Buying it for 2,500 pounds would absolutely be worth it!" A magnetic male voice spoke in an exaggerated tone, utterly ruining what should have been a pleasant voice.

Hearing this, Xio pursed her lips and whispered indignantly, "My father spent 4,200 pounds buying it back then..."

Abner silently sighed. If I have the money in the future, maybe I can help Xio buy it back? On second thought, forget it. It would be more meaningful and ceremonial if she did it herself. What would it mean if I did it for her?

"Mr. Cecil, as you said, this place is far too dilapidated. Not only would I need to renovate it, I would also need to buy new furniture and decorations! Besides, I heard it's haunted? So how about 1,000 pounds?" Mr. Karon listed a series of problems before beginning to haggle.

"1,000 pounds is too little! At least 2,200 pounds! Mr. Karon, those haunting rumors are just that—rumors. Look, aren't I perfectly fine?"

"But didn't I hear that you really fell seriously ill before?"

They listened as the two continued arguing over the price until it was finally reduced to 1,800 pounds. Mr. Cecil refused to yield any further, and only then did Mr. Karon seemingly agree reluctantly to close the deal at that price.

While the Lawyer drew up the contract, the man named Karon paced over to the storage room door.

Abner and Xio immediately grew tense. After thinking for a moment, Abner took out an iron mask from his pocket and put it on. He had originally prepared it for attending Beyonder gatherings at night.

Xio was even more straightforward, grabbing a handful of dirt and smearing it over her face.

Their thoughts were surprisingly aligned. If they were discovered, they would immediately cover their faces and rush out. As long as they were not caught on the spot, anything could be explained away.

Yet strangely, Mr. Karon paced back and forth outside the storage room several times but never opened the door. Instead, he muttered to himself in confusion, "Why do I keep feeling like something is missing here?"

Separated by the door, Abner and Xio clearly heard those words. They exchanged startled glances and saw the same three words in each other's eyes: Something's wrong!

This was far more terrifying than Mr. Karon simply opening the door! It meant there was an extraordinary power in this house that they did not know about! And the unknown was the most terrifying thing of all...

After the group viewing the manor left, Abner and Xio did not dare linger any longer. They wanted to leave the abandoned manor as quickly as possible.

Just as Abner was about to step outside, his Spirituality suddenly stirred. He instinctively turned back and saw a line of Hermes Script that had somehow formed upon the window glass: Do not be afraid. Kaspars has mentioned you to me.

The words rippled like water and vanished in an instant. If Abner's memory and observation skills had not greatly surpassed those of ordinary people, he might have thought he was seeing things.

Kaspars? Since when did he know someone so formidable? No, he really did know someone like that in the original story—Miss Sharron of the Rose School's Temperance Faction... Had they met this early?

Though that was what he thought, Abner did not slow down. He could not simply believe whatever that person said. It would be best to find Kaspars and verify whether it was true.

"There happens to be a Beyonder gathering hosted by the teacher behind Bravehearts Bar today. I can ask him on the way."

By the time Abner thought this, he and Xio had already run in one breath to an area more than a mile away from the manor.

Only then did Xio slow down. Still shaken, she asked, "What was that? I didn't even sense anything!" She had not seen the writing on the glass, but her intuition told her that something immensely terrifying was inside that living room.

"Maybe a Wraith..." Abner was not certain either. He could only say that it was highly likely.

"A Wraith? Is that the name of a Sequence?" Xio now trusted Abner somewhat blindly and felt that he knew everything.

"It's Sequence 5 of the Chained Pathway."

"Sequence 5..." Xio swallowed with difficulty. Fear lingered in her heart, and she did not dare say another word. For a powerhouse like that, killing two Sequence 9 Beyonders would not be much harder than crushing two ants.

After the two returned to the city in silence, Xio continued serving as an Arbiter in the East Borough, bringing justice to the lower-class people. Abner, meanwhile, returned to Detective Isengard's home, intending to study hard all afternoon to ease the frustration born from his own weakness.

The earlier experience had once again made him deeply feel how little control he had over life and death. Even if that Vengeful Spirit lady had meant no harm, he still disliked that feeling. It was the feeling of being so weak that even resistance was impossible.

But the moment he pushed open the door to his teacher's house, Abner saw Jane sitting uneasily in the living room.

Seeing him enter, Detective Isengard said with a cheerful smile, "You're back. Miss Grant has been waiting for you for an hour."

After greeting his teacher, Abner looked at Jane and asked in confusion, "Jane, why are you here?"

Jane stood and hurried over to Abner. Somewhat embarrassed, she said, "I... I have something I want to ask you to help me with!"

This girl had always been carefree. In his memories, he had never seen her act so bashfully... To be honest, her behavior even made Abner's scalp tingle.

When he saw Jane sneak a glance at Detective Isengard before quickly turning away, he immediately understood her concern. After excusing himself to his teacher, he brought her to the room where he lived.

Sure enough, the moment they entered, Jane impatiently grabbed Abner and said anxiously, "Abner, I want to ask you to investigate my father!"

"Investigate Mr. Grant? What happened to him?" Abner frowned at her words.

"He's been sneaking out at night these past few days. I suspect he has a mistress... I don't dare tell my mother, so I had no choice but to ask you to help me find out the truth."