Recruitment

Since the "Presence" formula was unusable, he would try the next one.

The Great Chongxu Treasure Seal, which represented the "Soldier" formula, symbolized energy-the vitality that prolonged life and restored youth. This was why Gner's fatigue vanished after meditation.

The process was the same as for "Presence," except that the word ringing in his ears was "Soldier," and that was also the word he visualized in his mind.

Kronos experienced the sensation Gner had described: warmth seeped inward through his pores, and then his fatigue disappeared.

Again, he could only meditate for around ten minutes before it stopped working, so Kronos proceeded through the remaining seals one by one.

The "Battle" formula, the Outer Circle Mystic Seal, made one feel fearless.

The "Self" formula, the Inner Eight-Character Seal, granted free control over one's body.

The "All" formula, the Unbinding Seal, sensed danger.

The "Formation" formula, the Myriad Gods Seal, discerned an enemy's thoughts.

The "Array" formula, the Eight Trigrams Seal, brought harmony with one's surroundings.

The "Forward" formula, the Treasure Gourd Seal, purified one's spiritual heart.

The "Movement" formula, the Sun and Moon Seal, enhanced one's abilities.

He had to admit that the Celestial Worthy's contingencies were terrifying, but his hand seals were also incredibly tempting. After going through the whole set, Kronos felt as though he was covered in buffs from head to toe, and the effects of his meditation far surpassed what they had been before.

If the Celestial Worthy had invented these hand seals, he had most likely done so to resist the Original Creator awakening within him. Otherwise, there were hardly any opponents who would have required him to use them.

Practicing them would not merely improve Kronos's condition by a whole level. He believed they would also reduce his chances of losing control to almost nothing, and after he became a demigod or an angel, they would help him resist the divinity within him.

As for whether the Celestial Worthy had hidden any contingencies in them, he could only pray for the Time Stone's protection. After all, he kept Concealment of Time active constantly, and could only hope it would protect him. The Nine Secret Hand Seals were simply too tempting to refuse.

For now, he would keep these irresistible hand seals to himself. Since Gner did not understand the characters, the only visualization object he could choose was himself. Kronos understood them, so he could visualize the nine characters. But if he let Klein try, Klein might actually visualize an old man in Daoist robes. Even the thought was frightening.

After finishing his visualization, Kronos lay quietly on his bed. The fear he had experienced that day had suddenly made him realize he was still far too weak. He could digest his potion step by step, but he also needed to put some of his other plans on the agenda. Otherwise, by the time he truly needed them, it would be too late.

In that regard, Kronos could only rely on the original novel. It was not that he needed to settle on a goal right now, but he at least needed to go through the plot once, plan ahead, and act early.

With his current memory, Kronos could even recall the Nine Secret Hand Seals, so naturally he had not forgotten the original plot. But there was no rush. He might spend half a month at the Navy Base, giving him time to review it gradually.

Amid his tangled thoughts, Kronos drifted off to sleep.

Everything proceeded as usual the next day. He got up in the morning and sparred with Gner, improving his fighting ability while learning techniques for lethal combat. After breakfast, he entered the research institute and worked hard at studying mechanical engineering.

There was just one extra task in the evenings: slowly reconstructing the plot of Lord of the Mysteries from memory, to see which opportunities he could position himself to take.

Under the lamplight, Kronos sat at his desk, writing furiously. Anyone who could have seen his notebook would have been astonished, because he was writing in Emperor Roselle's script.

Kronos was not rewriting the novel, merely reviewing the course of its plot bit by bit. Nor was he foolish enough to keep these plot notes. He burned each page as soon as he finished it, writing only to review the story and reinforce his memory.

The more he reviewed, the more he realized how many opportunities belonged exclusively to Klein. None would be easy to snatch away. Hindering Mr. Fool's growth would be a minor concern compared with the trouble they would face if he ultimately failed to defeat Amon.

The remaining opportunities were either minor ones, many of which were hardly worth mentioning to a marquis's family with over a thousand years of history, or dangerous situations Kronos could not currently interfere in. Fortunately, he still had time.

After finishing that day's notes, Kronos tore out the page, lit it, and tossed it into a copper basin. He watched the entire sheet turn to ash, then poured in water to destroy every trace.

A week later.

"Gner, we've known each other for a while now. Would you consider working for me?" Kronos had known Gner for some time and felt it was time to raise the subject.

People said Gner was a soldier with brains, and he had long since noticed that the marquis's heir had been making a point of befriending him.

Gner hesitated. "Power struggles are too terrifying. I don't want to get dragged into them again."

He meant it. Before leaving for the Southern Continent, the general who had protected him had offered to transfer him back, but he had refused.

He might have brains, but the games nobles and those in power played were too frightening. Intelligence alone was not enough to understand them. One day, he might die without even knowing what had killed him.

"Hahahaha..." At those words, Kronos burst out laughing.

His laughter left Gner a little embarrassed. "What are you laughing at? I'm serious. You're a marquis's heir, so no one will go straight for the kill against you. But I'm not. If something goes wrong, I might be done for without even understanding what happened!"

"No, no, you've misunderstood. We're not talking about the same thing." Kronos stopped laughing and grew serious.

"The Argel Family has held its marquisate since the kingdom's founding, but over three hundred years ago, our family withdrew precisely because of a power struggle. No one understands the dangers of power better than we do."

"So we have no intention of meddling in those things again. I value some of your other talents, and that's why I want to recruit you. You've misunderstood."

After hearing Kronos's explanation, Gner grew interested instead. "What talents do you see in me?"

"How much do you know about Beyonders?" Kronos asked in return.

"Not much, really. Back when I was still in the Army, I met a few Beyonders from the Church of the Evernight Goddess. After I came here, I never had any further contact with them."

Kronos could understand that. The kingdom's armed forces each had their own leanings. The navy had the closest relationship with the Church of Storms, because the Sailor Pathway was extremely powerful in combat at sea.

But the Church of the Evernight Goddess also wanted influence within the military, so it had to settle for the next-best option and choose the Army.

Gner had been a promising prospect back then, so naturally people had approached him. But after he was "exiled," they had simply given up on him.

"Then do you know about the Warrior Pathway?" Kronos continued.

By this point, Gner was getting impatient. He rolled his eyes. "Just say what you want to say. Stop keeping me in suspense."

Well, that attitude was very much like Gner. Kronos continued.

"The Warrior Pathway is the Church of the God of Combat's pathway. Sequence 9 is called Warrior, Sequence 8 is called Pugilist, and Sequence 7 is called Weapon Master. Do you understand now?"

Gner's eyes lit up as he listened. "That sounds perfect for me!"

Kronos continued, "It's more than just suitable. You have a chance to advance quickly."

"Then what do you need me to do?" By now, Gner had been persuaded.

Kronos was equally direct. "In the short term, I'll be traveling aboard a merchant ship in May to explore the seas and the Southern Continent. You'll come along and protect me. In the long term, while you're still weak, you'll stay by my side and help me with certain tasks. Once you become strong, we can be natural allies."

Gner sank into thought. Kronos did not mind and simply continued his training.

Over ten minutes later, a voice came from Gner's direction. "I accept."

From that day onward, Gner changed.

He had previously been a heavy drinker and utterly dispirited. Afterward, although he still drank, he kept the amount well under control. He began actively getting his body back into shape and took everything he did seriously.

The clearest difference was in his morning sparring sessions with Kronos. Kronos had thought he had already learned all of Gner's skills, but once Gner got serious, the gap between them returned to what it had been at the beginning.

Gner also began taking the initiative to teach Kronos his skills-not just unarmed combat, but techniques with daggers and combat blades as well.

In fact, Kronos's potion had stopped digesting. He knew that what he needed now was real combat, but he could not bear to pass up Gner's knowledge. In the end, he decided to stay at the Navy Base for another week.

There was still over a month until May, which should leave enough time to digest the potion. If he could not advance before setting sail, Kronos would not be able to go.

That was not merely because his family needed a church of the Church of Steam and Machinery to advance. The main reason was the gaze of the Outer Deities beyond the stars. At present, Kronos could maintain Concealment of Time for a month, but a month was nowhere near enough for a round trip to the Southern Continent.

When he could no longer maintain it, the moment Concealment of Time ended, Kronos would be corrupted. Whether he went mad immediately or gave birth to a child first and then went mad would be beyond his control.

As it happened, he had not finished reviewing the plot. He could use this week to finish, then begin putting his plans into motion one after another when he returned to Backlund. He needed to have something firmly in hand.

On the very day Gner accepted his offer, Kronos sent someone to deliver a letter to Marquis Argyle.

Marquis Argyle was equally decisive and efficient. Three days later, when Professor Portland came to the Navy Base, he brought the marquis's reply and a potion.

From the letter, Kronos learned that before leaving for the Southern Continent, that Army general had already struck a deal with the Levett Family, relinquishing some benefits in exchange for Gner's freedom. Unfortunately, he had never returned from the Southern Continent.