Portland's ambition

With this question in mind, Kronos directly asked Qing.

"After you're discovered, will you still feel the Potion digesting?"

"What does it feel like to digest Potion?" Qing asked curiously.

To find the answer to this question, Kronos even went out of his way to describe to it the feeling of digesting the Potion.

"Master, I've always had this feeling, it's stronger when I'm looking at them, but once I'm discovered, the feeling disappears."

Kronos understood. It wasn't that the Spectator had to hide their identities; the main point was that the "Actor" weren't real Actor, but rather members of the public.

When Spectator is hidden to the side, no one notices them and therefore there is no interaction. But once they are exposed, even if it's just a glance at the "Actor," that's an interaction with the stage, and the Spectator naturally becomes an "Actor."

After understanding all this, Kronos said to Qing, "You need to learn not to be discovered. Your eyesight is too sharp; you need to get used to looking at people with your current eyes."

Qing has a habit of staring at people with the same gaze one would use when hunting, which is why it's so easy for people to feel uncomfortable.

However, it's not only in this one state; at least, it doesn't look like this when it looks at Kronos.

Qing tilted his head, indicating his confusion.

Kronos continued, "You can try observing those people the way you would observe rocks or trees. They are not your prey; don't have the intention of hunting them. You are simply observing them."

Eagles are quite intelligent, but they still lag far behind Dog of Imagination.

Kronos could tell that Qing seemed to have understood some of what he was saying, but whether she could actually do it depended on how well she adapted.

Kronos stayed at the Manor for so many days not only to allow Qingxue to observe, but also primarily to Beyonder Item.

The day after entrusting Roel with the task, Kronos released Yodsen's Marionette, entrusting him with the Beyonder Characteristic of the Fire Thief, all so that Roel could accumulate more experience.

Roel lived up to expectations, quickly crafting two Beyonder Item belonging to the Fire Thief, which he had already given to Kronos.

These two Beyonder Item are Bottle and Gloves, and their ability is very simple: theft.

Kronos didn't think much of it, so he simply put it into his Storeroom.

Roel is currently focused on crafting Beyonder Item for the Dream Stealer Sequence, which should be completed in the next day or two.

Then he will be able to give a clear answer as to whether he has the ability to process that Demigod's bone.

If he was confident, Kronos wouldn't mind waiting a few more days to get his hands on this Beyonder Item, but if he wasn't, then forget it and it was time to return to Backlund.

A day later, Roel brought an Beyonder Item to Kronos's room.

"Boss, this is an item crafted using the Beyonder Characteristic of the Dream Stealer." After saying this, he presented Kronos with a Necklace.

With such a Artisan around, Kronos was too lazy to use his own Beyonder Item for authentication, which would have been a hassle. Wouldn't that have been pointless?

So he said, "Could you introduce yourself to me?"

"I call this Necklace the Dream Thief. Its ability is mediocre, just ordinary theft, no different from the Dream Stealer's ability. The negative effects are not serious either, except that after each use, a period of memories will be stolen. The timing of the memory is random, and the length is about one or two hours."

Upon hearing this, Kronos asked, "Will it cause some degree of sluggishness?"

Roel replied, "It depends on when the memory was stolen. The further back in time, the less likely it is to cause a stagnation. If it's a recent memory, then it will."

Kronos laughed, "You don't seem to have much combat experience. This negative effect doesn't seem like a big deal, but I'm hesitant to use it in battle. This kind of overly random negative effect might just bring a 'surprise' at any time."

Hearing Kronos's words, Roel became somewhat panicked. "What should we do?"

"It's alright, just put it in the Treasury for now. If it's not suitable for use in battle, then just try to avoid using it during battles. There will always be other opportunities when it's suitable, so don't worry too much."

"Now you need to give me a clear answer: are you confident you can complete the subsequent manufacturing work?"

Looking at Kronos, Roel pondered for a long time before saying, "Perhaps I need more time."

"Based on the information you gave me, the Sequence 4 of the Marauder Pathway is called Parasite, which mainly has two abilities. One is the most traditional theft, and I am now quite confident that I can perfectly preserve this ability."

"The second ability is Parasitism, which is roughly about splitting off a Worm of Time and Parasitism other people. I still need to study this ability carefully, as it will be difficult to retain it if I am not familiar with it."

"If the only Beyonder Item created in the end has the ability to steal, then it's not much different from this Dream Thief."

"Therefore, I need more time to further familiarize myself with this bone, so that I can ensure the creation of an Beyonder Item that will satisfy you."

Kronos asked directly, "Approximately how long will it take?"

Roel had clearly estimated the timeframe beforehand, so he said, "About half a month."

"Alright, if it takes that long, I can't wait for you at the Manor any longer. You can take your time. When it's finished, go find Mr. Todd and have him take you to Backlund. Then you can hand you over to me personally. Can you do that?"

Kronos really should go; the Research Center will be inaugurated in a few days, and Kronos has to attend no matter what.

The initial proposal to establish this Research Center was to enhance the Argel Family's influence, but not a single member of the Argel Family attended the opening Ritual. Wasn't that a joke?

"No problem, I will definitely deliver it to you safely after I finish it," Roel said solemnly.

After the conversation, Kronos returned directly to Backlund, where he naturally stayed at his Villa in the Saint George District.

The next day, Kronos moved back into the Research Center.

I've roughly estimated that there's nothing much going on lately, so I'm just waiting for the Research Center's opening Ritual.

At the Research Center, Kronos also saw Professor Portland.

A few days ago, Professor Portland also moved into the Research Center.

With the Research Center nearing completion, and given that it represents the biggest advantage of the reorganized Backlund Technical University, he, as its president, naturally had to pay even more attention to it.

The establishment of Research Center is not simply a matter of building the building, finishing the decoration, and putting the equipment in.

At the inauguration Ritual, there should always be some noteworthy Project to showcase in order to attract more visitors to the Research Center.

Currently, the only project being carried out at the entire Research Center is the Materials Center, and the only Project is the Kronos New Materials Project.

However, Kronos's mind was entirely focused on the Scroll, and the Project was left hanging there, with a few researchers doing experiments sporadically.

As for the other centers, they were all newly built and naturally had no staff.

The reason Professor Portland moved here was to establish a Project and then leverage his prestige to recruit several Scientists capable of leading the Research Center.

So when he heard that Kronos had moved into the Research Center, he came straight over.

"Tell me, what's the matter?" Kronos asked Portland.

"From today onwards, you need to make your Project a success. I don't care what method you use, but you must have some achievements to boast about before the inauguration Ritual."

Portland's attitude was firm, clearly indicating that this conversation was not initiated as a friendly exchange.

Kronos paused, then said, "You want to brag at the inauguration Ritual? The two of us aren't enough. There are too many Project with empty names; anyone with eyes can see through it."

That one sentence broke Portland's composure. He rolled his eyes and said, "What do you mean by bragging? I didn't ask you to commit academic fraud. I want concrete Project progress, and I know you can finish it."

Of course he knew, because the current New Materials Project was an extension of the pile of materials that Kronos had summarized back then. Portland could tell at a glance that Kronos was just slacking off, otherwise it would have been completed long ago.

Kronos waved his hand dismissively, "That's easy. But what about the others?"

"I've started a Project at the Mechanical Center, which is something I've been working on for a long time. It'll be making great strides soon. As for the other Project, I'm already selecting personnel."

"Although most of the top Scientists in the Loen Kingdom are at Backlund University, there are always some exceptions. I will try to invite them, along with their Project, to the Research Center. This way, we can quickly establish the entire Research Center."

Kronos asked curiously, "You want to Arena against your former employer?"

It's no wonder Kronos asked that question, because Backlund University has the most high-level Project in the Loen Kingdom.

With the most Scientists, sufficient financial support, and the ability for every student to become a qualified researcher, Backlund University naturally stands out from the crowd.

Portland laughed, "I acknowledge Backlund University's strength, but as a comprehensive university, it doesn't need to be so dominant in science and technology. I still believe our technical university is rightfully in that position."

Kronos is certain that Portland in the original story didn't have such grand ambitions; it was probably something the Research Center instilled in him.