The [Scholar] Pioneers

"Where's Uncle Billy?"

Lin Ke turned and asked casually.

John immediately remembered Steward Billy, who was whipping those servants, and shuddered. "Steward Billy... should be busy, I think?"

Walking ahead, Lin Ke missed John's expression and continued asking, "Busy with what? Afternoon tea just ended. Is he preparing dinner? In the kitchen?"

John nodded, then hurriedly shook his head.

He had sworn never to deceive his young master. "I... I'll go find Steward Billy. Young master, go wait for me in the room!"

Lin Ke had no objection. "All right, I'll wait for you both on the third floor."

The castle had five floors. Only he and his father could enter the fifth floor, which housed his father's study and bedroom.

The fourth floor was where he, his mother, the first madam, and the other family members lived.

The third floor held shared spaces such as reception rooms and the dining room.

The second floor contained guest rooms and quarters for some of the servants.

The lowest floor consisted of the guards' and slaves' quarters.

Underground, there were also dungeons, wine cellars, and the like.

The castle was circular from the outside, built around a central stone pillar. A staircase wide enough for four people to walk abreast wound around the pillar, connecting to passages on every floor.

Those passages connected the rooms, and every room had an exterior balcony or vent.

Beyond the walls of the rooms stood the crossbow towers.

The castle's overall layout was not complicated.

And now, Lin Ke was heading for the dining room on the third floor.

He could eat after talking to Billy, saving himself another trip.

He had to admit that life here over the years had made him lazy.

"Yes, young master! I'll go find Steward Billy right away!" John hurried downstairs.

Lin Ke smiled. That was just how John was: a little dim and always in a rush.

He, on the other hand, took his time walking downstairs.

The castle's interior should have been dark, but lit oil lamps stood everywhere, so it wasn't dim at all.

When he reached the dining room, however, he found Steward Billy already waiting for him.

"Young master, you're here." Steward Billy bowed slightly and elegantly. He seemed to have just been busy and was a little out of breath.

"Uncle Billy."

Lin Ke nodded, stepped forward, and took Billy's hand, pulling him into the dining room. "Come on, come on! I want to ask you something."

He had very little strength, yet he pulled Billy along with ease.

Billy was controlling his movements so Lin Ke could feel that he was pulling someone along, rather than being outpaced, without having to pull too hard.

The two entered the dining room. Lin Ke picked a seat at random and sat down, then asked Billy to sit opposite him.

This time, though, no matter how hard he pressed down on Billy, Billy would not sit.

"Uncle Billy!" Lin Ke widened his eyes. "I order you to sit down!"

He had always thought of Steward Billy as his uncle.

He knew perfectly well that Steward Billy had often protected him in secret when he was younger.

If there was anyone in this castle besides his mother whom he could trust, it had to be Steward Billy. Even John fell a little short.

"Young master, I'm fine standing." Steward Billy smiled kindly. "Did you want to ask me about class holders?"

Sure enough, the mention of class holders immediately diverted Lin Ke's attention.

"Yes, yes, Uncle Billy! What are class holders? Why haven't I heard you mention them before?" Lin Ke didn't need to pretend to be innocent and cute around Billy. After all, Billy might well have been the person in this castle who understood him best.

Billy smiled. Naturally, he could tell from Lin Ke's relaxed expression that the boy trusted him completely.

His voice grew even gentler as he began speaking as though telling a story:

"The master-your father-is a great class holder himself... Class holders truly are the most powerful beings in the world. Even the mighty gods have to yield before them."

Billy treated Lin Ke entirely as a child eager for a story, as though he were his own nephew.

Lin Ke nodded at this and asked directly, "Then how can I become a class holder?"

Billy seemed to have anticipated the question. "Young master, you too will become a great class holder one day. And your first step toward the Glory of Azan will come on your sixth birthday."

As he spoke, Billy seemed to grow a little wistful. "Then you'll awaken your bloodline, choose a suitable class based on it, and become a great class holder."

Awaken my bloodline, choose a suitable class, and become a class holder!

So that was the process...

But...

Lin Ke asked again, "What exactly is a class holder, Uncle Billy? I mean... is 'class holder' the name for a cultivation method?"

"Oh? You even know about cultivation methods, young master?"

Billy's eyes held a smile. "You could call it a collective term, a term for a certain group of people... There's still an hour until dinner. Would you like to hear about class holders and the legend of their origins, young master?"

Lin Ke nodded eagerly.

There was a legend, too?! Absolutely!

Besides, although legends like these seemed like mere legends, they might not actually be legends at all, but historical accounts passed down by word of mouth.

"Long ago, this world was ruled by the gods. They were greedy and petty, yet powerful and arrogant beyond measure." Billy's tone was full of disdain as he continued:

"Then a man named Andrew appeared. Following a large group of mages and warriors, he founded the class system..."

"Wait... m-mages and warriors?" Lin Ke asked, his eyes wide. "Andrew? The Andrew from Andrew's Leg?"

Andrew's Leg. Interesting.

"Yes. More precisely, the oldest classes, [Mage] and [Warrior]. They were ancient indeed, dating back to before the gods were born."

Billy smiled, a look of yearning filling his eyes as he continued, "As for Andrew's Leg, they say Lord Andrew was a little short. Well... Lord Andrew and those pioneers built upon the [Mage] and [Warrior] classes to establish the great class system, and ultimately swept those parasites onto the rubbish heap of history. You know what parasites are, don't you, young master?"

Lin Ke nodded to show that he understood.

It wasn't hard to guess that "parasites" was probably a term specifically referring to the gods, just as he had used "bastard" and "son" in his past life to refer to his bunkmate above him.

Of course, Uncle Billy probably didn't know whether the gods were powerful either.

After all, judging by the novels Lin Ke had read in his previous life, gods were often forces to be reckoned with.

And besides...

There was that so-called King of the Gods, Zernital, whom he had previously talked to death.

That God King had been so weakened that he could no longer even kill a child like Lin Ke, yet merely announcing his name had still triggered supernatural phenomena.

That was no ordinary ability.

And... he certainly remembered those "curses."

Lin Ke continued listening, gaining some respect for Andrew along the way. After all, he had ushered in a new age, and his was a name the King of the Gods had not forgotten even at death.

"...Back then, the first class Mr. Andrew and the others established was [Scholar], which they created based on [Mage]..."

"[Scholar], the origin of everything!"

Steward Billy continued his story. "The [Scholar] class was best suited to uncovering the mysteries of the world. Using it as their foundation, they researched, explored, and created countless classes..."

"Such as [Arcane Scholar], [Mind Catcher], [Shield Warrior], [Thunderclap Warrior], and [Tidewalker]..."

"Countless pioneers built upon the work of countless pioneers, giving rise to countless more pioneers, until it all developed into this flourishing continent we have today..."

"The Nasengge Continent!"