The future
After the Butler left, Kronos pondered his next steps.
He will definitely go back to Midseashire. He misses his family a bit. According to the current procedure, it will probably take two or three months to digest the Scroll Professor's Potion.
The timing is perfect; it should coincide well with the family asset relocation. I can then travel back to Midseashire on the Steam Train, spend some time with my family there, and incidentally advance to Sequence 5.
So what happens next?
Is it in Midseashire?
This position isn't described much in the original work, and there might be some opportunities involved, but I just don't know if I'll be able to come across it.
What if we go back to Backlund?
Kronos has been in Backlund for quite some time now, and while the city is indeed much more comfortable than other cities, it hasn't been particularly beneficial for Kronos advancement in strength.
His period of growth was different from Klein's; it was the calm before the storm, when nothing was likely to happen.
Unlike Klein, who always seems to encounter major events and then reap some benefits from them.
The Time Stone is certainly no less powerful than the Sefirah Castle, but Klein was protected by the Evernight Goddess upon his Descent, with food practically delivered to his mouth, a treatment that Kronos didn't receive.
Therefore, if Kronos wanted to grow quickly, he had no choice but to find his own way to make a living.
Perhaps the sea suits him better.
I've already got my ticket to the Ghost Empire of Trunsoest, so I'll have to go check it out.
The blood of Gregrace, the Ancestor of the Phoenix, awaits Kronos's collection.
Amyrius's friendship has likely been secured, and the convenience of the Sonia Sea has also been obtained.
The most important thing is the Potion Formula of the Mysticologist, which are only known to be in the possession of Bernadette and the Moses Ascetic Order.
Finding Bernadette is quite difficult, but finding members of the Moses Ascetic Order is a different story.
Kronos didn't know if the Moses Ascetic Order harbor resentment towards the Argel Family, after all, their Ancestor Abel had fled after becoming Demigod and even the leader of the Moses Ascetic Order, stealing an entire vial of Elf Blood.
Thanks to the protection of the God of Steam and Machinery, the Moses Ascetic Order never caused them any trouble.
But Kronos knew that if he went to Cattleya, one of the ten Pillar of the Moses Ascetic Order, she would definitely not turn against him.
They might even try to get themselves into the Dawn of Elements, not for any other reason than to curry favor with Bernadette.
Therefore, if Kronos finds "Admiral of Stars" Cattleya at sea, the chances of exchanging her for the Mysticologist Potion recipe are quite high.
In conclusion, after becoming Astronomer, perhaps taking another trip to the sea would be the best option.
However, this time is different from the last. Kronos will definitely not be tortured and humiliated again. He will definitely make a name for himself first.
Now that he had made up his mind, what Kronos needed to do was continue making his Scroll and try to digest the Potion as soon as possible.
As time went by, the construction of the Research Center building gradually came to an end.
Kronos moved back from the Villa to the research lab in the Materials Center where he had previously worked.
We moved away before because the noise from the construction was too loud, but it's much better now.
After all, there were no drills or similar equipment in this era, and renovations weren't that noisy.
The main reason he was willing to move back was because many students were doing "internships" here.
Occasionally helping to teach these students would also benefit Kronos himself.
Although I wasn't teaching occult knowledge, it was still in line with my role as a professor, so it did have a slight effect on the digestion of Potion; every little bit helps.
Besides, I am, after all, an Associate Professor at Backlund Technical College. I can't just slack off every day. Even if the school leaders and professors have no objections, the students will gossip, and in the end, it will affect Portland's reputation.
It's just a change of residence anyway. Kronos's research lab is very luxurious and comfortable to live in.
There was basically no impact on Kronos; it was just that he ran in a different spot in the morning.
On the very first morning after moving in, Kronos completed his second Sequence 5 Skill Scroll – "Punishment".
This skill allows you to inflict Punishment on enemies through the Ancient Hermes. It effectively combines the Sequence 6 Judge's "Prohibition," "Imprisonment," "Confinement," "Exile," "Whipping," and "Death" into one.
With the completion of this Scroll, Kronos ' Potion process took another significant step forward.
Therefore, Kronos began research into the Black Emperor Pathway.
On this day, a student came to Kronos, saying that three church officials had arrived and specifically asked to see him.
Kronos knew that this was probably about moving into the Scientific Research Base. Just two days ago, Portland had specifically come to talk to Kronos and entrusted Kronos with this matter.
Actually, there's nothing difficult about it; it's just a matter of arranging a few rooms for these church teams.
But everyone knows that the possibility of conflict between the three churches is close to 100%, and such conflict has never stopped.
Kronos is also troubled by this, but there's nothing he can do. Portland doesn't want to get involved in these matters at all, and Mr. Kask is still caught in the vortex of the Church of Steam and Machinery's retaliation.
The Royal Family intervened and secured Kask's Member of Parliament seat, but he'll have to earn the Secretary-General through his own merit.
Unable to retaliate against the Church of Steam and Machinery the Member of Parliament, they now sought to remove his position as a member of the Higher Education Committee.
So Kask is now fighting a do-or-die battle; if he can't secure the position of Secretary-General, he'll most likely lose his seat on the board as well.
Therefore, Kronos even agreed to speak with Duke Negan when the time came to a critical moment.
Therefore, the only person suitable to receive these three church members is Kronos.
After he went downstairs, he saw the three people at the door, one of whom was an acquaintance— Captain Ikanser.
As soon as Ikanser saw Kronos, he burst into laughter and rushed over, giving him a very warm hug.
"Hahaha, brothers of Kronos, it's been a long time!"
Her tone was clearly insincere, but in order to spite the other two, Ikanser didn't hesitate to say it.
As for the other two, one is Soest — the Nighthawks Watchman's Deacon and the Captain of the Red Gloves, who appeared in the original work and is the Captain Leonard's Red Gloves Squad.
The second person, Roy Welling, was also a Mandated Punishers from the Holy Wind Church.
Ikanser completely ignored the unpleasant looks on the two men's faces and arrogantly introduced them to Kronos. In Ikanser's view, since Kronos made the decision, the position of the Church of Steam and Machinery was secure.
Kronos was also in a bit of a dilemma. If it were someone else sent, he could pretend not to know them and simply enforce the law impartially.
But it was Ikanser who came. People like him who get things done don't care about saving face; getting what they want is the most important thing. So it was no use for Kronos to pretend he didn't know him.
But that won't do; Kronos still wants to maintain good relations with the Church of Evernight and the Church of Storms.
Both of these are very useful.
If one day I'm desperate and have nowhere else to turn, then I'll have no choice but to cling to the Evernight Goddess. This goddess is indeed very strong and intelligent.
Because Kronos knew a lot of things in advance, he would try to avoid Amon and Adam. As for the Outer Deity and the True Creator, he would keep them even further away. So now, the only thing that could threaten his safety was the Church of Steam and Machinery.
If it really comes to that, Kronos won't have many options left, except for the Evernight Goddess.
However, to gain genuine respect, one would at least need to reach the level of Demigod.
As for the Church of Storms, this church has had the greatest influence on the Loen Kingdom.
If they could gain the friendship of the Church of Storms, then they would have secured the friendship of two-thirds of the nobles and two-thirds of the army of the entire Loen Kingdom.
Moreover, there's a foolproof spell in Lord of the Mysteries that Kronos might need sometime—"Leodero."
This Tyrant has a truly violent temper; whoever calls his name will be struck down. Klein has used this tactic to get out of trouble several times.
Each time, the Lord of Storms failed to harm Klein by mistake, and Kronos refused to believe it was a coincidence.
The Lord of Storms ultimately bet on Klein, so this precise control must have been His own.
So what if one day, Kronos is forced into a corner, for example, when Horamick is hunting him down?
He had no choice but to shout "Leodero!" At that moment, the Lord of Storms looked around and saw that one was the Archbishop of the Church of Steam and Machinery and the other was a friend of his own church who had helped him a lot. So, who do you think he would strike down?
However, if the Lord of Storms faces a choice: 1. The Archbishop of the Church of Steam and Machinery, 2. A friend of the Church of Steam and Machinery.
I don't know what the Lord of Storms' attitude is, but if it were me, I would just chop them both to death.
Therefore, it's essential to maintain good relationships, whether it's the Church of Evernight or the Church of Storms.
However, the Church of Steam and Machinery cannot afford to completely sever ties, otherwise their own family will suffer the consequences.
In just a short time, Kronos had thought of so many things.
Having figured all this out, Kronos decided that a fair solution still needed to be devised, but the blame had to be shifted elsewhere and he absolutely couldn't take it upon himself.
However, such a plan cannot be devised without preparation, so it is necessary to delay the process.
So Kronos spoke up, "Three deacons, would you like to see the rooms we have prepared?"