"So, I have two choices?" Mark asked.
After his undeserving death on Earth, Mark found himself kneeling in front of three floating figures. They sat on a yellow lotus in a meditative position.
They had an outlook of a yogi, stared at him with eyes which reeked of wisdom.
He read their expression and made a humble gesture, "Hello!"
The three smiled and tapped their legs at the same time. The lotus floated down and landed opposite Mark.
"So, you are called Mark? Is that right?" One in the middle asked.
Mark nodded and took a close look at his surroundings.
"Yeah. Observing your reaction, I can assume that you already know that you have died and have accepted the fact. Don't you?" the Middle one spoke again.
Mark took a moment and asked, " Am I in hell or heaven?"
"Well, neither. You are in a special dimension." They replied.
Mark took a glance at the background and focused on them again.
One on the center had an aged outlook, of someone in his 60's as did the others, with a Short beard and silver hair covering most of their face. The only noticeable features were his green eyebrows and deep black pupils. The other two had the same features but looked different.
"So why am I here, If not for hell or heaven?" Mark spoke with respect added to his tone.
"Well, I already guessed that you aren't the type who enjoys a conversation, so I'll get to the point."
"But for your better understanding, I'll start from who we are and what we do!"
"We are from the race called Fate Whisper. And what we do, is guard and maintain Core Planet left behind by a High God who left the realm to ascend into the Void of the Unknown. As for the Earth, where you come from is one of the core planets left behind by a High God for whom which the three of us serve."
"As the Beings of Fate Whisper, normally we are responsible for the aboriginal species to maintain its predestined path in any planet left behind a High God. And that's our destiny!"
"Predestined Path?" Mark tried to pry more information.
The middle one ignored his question but continued his speech.
"We protect the realm from outside threats as well as from the inside. I can't go into detail, but the reason for your death is to create a butterfly effect and save a possible mishap from happening that could've changed or altered the species' predestined path. Do you understand?" the middle one asked.
Mark had an amused expression. He looked at the Whispers eye and spoke.
"Yes, I get it! So what happens to me now?" he replied without any hint of anger or nervousness in his voice.
"Since your fate was wiped out before reaching its end. You have repelled from the High God's Six paths Reincarnation cycle."
"In our Fate Whisper race, it is forbidden to wipe out someone's fate before reaching its end. unless we present the fate's owner with a Free Will Fate."
"And so, we pulled your Soul-Spirit from disintegrating and brought you here." Mark looked at them silently.
The three Fate Whispers looked at each other and continued.
"So now we leave two choices with you. What do you want to do? Do you want to live here? Here small communities exist with people like you living a full-filled life! They will take you in, and you can live your life happily forever without any mortal worries." The middle one said.
"So, This is basically heaven!" Mark replied.
"In a sense, you can call it heaven!" the middle one replied.
"And what's the other option?" Mark was intrigued.
"We will give you a ride to the Unbound Plane and leave your fate weave new threads, end of the story."
"I cannot reveal any details as it might alter your fate," as Mark thought of inquiring further, but the middle one shut him down.
"So, what will be your choice then, Mark?"
Mark felt nervous. Suddenly he was left with a choice concerning his fate. All the emotions contained inside screamed at him to pick his stay here. He could envision life after the Fate Whisper mentioned something about the Mortal Worries.
Mark had a high IQ on earth, so he could guess a lot more than any average person could about the life they could have here.
It's probably the wisest choice.
After all, he went through on earth. This could be a much better life only if the fate whispers didn't lie to him. Likewise, the other Fate Whisper was eying him to stay here.
The middle one opened two portals; one was small and pitch dark inside other was way smaller than the previous one but radiated a brilliant light.
Mark felt suffocated watching the light from the latter. He looked up to the three Fate Whisper announcing his decision with confidence.
"I want to stay here! which one should I choose?" Mark spoke eying the portals as the middle one didn't bother explaining which one leads to which.
"To your left, it will lead you to the Auroville tribe! A small but happy tribe. Nothing more, nothing less." Mark sighed and nodded. He walked towards the Portal; hoping for a better life.
The middle one looked pleased as he watched Mark choosing his stay. But something unexpected happened.
One of the Whispers, who didn't speak from the start, suddenly jumped in front of Mark and pushed him towards the direction of Brilliant light Portal.
Mark didn't feel the push but felt the time slowing down. The maniacal laugh of the Whisper who stood silent all this time prickled his ears. And the panicked expression of the other two Whispers created some doubts. He observed them all in slow motion. Trying to understand the situation, but his brain gave up thinking.
----------------------------------------
Time moves as you perceive it to be.
Mark thought while traveling through the void.
Pulled by an infinite amount of light tracing his path, his thoughts wandered for a long time, not knowing when will this end.
It did as soon as he thought.
Mark suddenly found himself standing in the center of a battlefield.
Blood and gore filled his vision.
Red clothes draped over his shoulders to the ground. He stood alone on a mountain of corpses of unknown creatures rather he couldn't identify as they were dreadfully mutilated.
"Wait, why is my chest bulging?"
"Hmm... something feels different between my legs!"
As he was into himself, sensing/feeling the difference.
A sword suddenly pierced his chest from the back. An intense feeling of pain felt coursed through his body, waking him from his stupor.
A Mouthful of blood dripped through his lips as he looked at the blade protruding on his chest in terror.
A slow and mocking laugh is what he heard before going utterly unconscious.
Followed by a loud slap on his face, Mark woke up for the second time.
**Ahh...** followed by a scream, he grabbed his chest, wanting to ease his pain.
Failing to find the wound or the pain, Mark looked up blankly.
A middle-aged man with a short trim beard looked at him as if he wants to pierce his soul.
Behind him was a woman with a tear-filled face smiling at him.
The woman spoke first.
"Thank god, you woke up. For a second, you made us think you were dead." The woman sighed in relief.
"Yeah, we were so close to burying you!" The middle-aged man wiped his unfound tears and nodded.
*Ahh* the middle-aged man shouted at the slap at his back.
Mark was confused as he didn't recognize the couple. "Who are you? Where am I?"
The woman who was smiling froze, as did the middle-aged guy. Both looked visibly worried after hearing his sentence.
A blue screen popped up, frightening him for a second.
Name: Mark Lebas Age: 16 Race: Human Skill: Merge (Tier II - Rare!) Location: Qosu Temple, Kilburgh town
He waved his hands, trying to touch the blue screen. But his hands passed through, leaving an amazed look on his face.
The couple watched his actions "Hmm... If he can perceive the blue screen means his sync with the System is complete."
The woman added, "Then why did he act crazy during the Synchronization? He called himself the Empress of the Jura Forest. And spoke nonsense for a while before falling unconscious."
"How should I know? He should be the one to answer that!" the middle-aged man stared at the ground as he thought of something.
"First, let's take him home. We could take him to the priest later." The middle-aged man nodded in acceptance and pulled Mark up.
Mark stared at the couple's back as they brought him to a fresh-looking bamboo and earthen home.
As they were going to open the door, "Mom, I think I can recall some of my memories," Mark called out the couple.
Mark's words felt like cold water splashed on their hotheads.
"Are you sure? Aren't you feeling sore all over the body?"
"No, Mom! I'm fine!." Mark slightly bowed his head.
Mark returned to his room and jumped onto his bed as he recalled some of his memories. Mark found out that he hasn't been transmigrated, rather reincarnated. His previous life memories got flooded after he got Synced to the System overwhelming the native memories. After his head cooled off a bit, his native memories came back. Well only somewhat!
The last thing he remembers is leaving with his parents to get himself synchronized with the System. Subconscious memories were with him but the hard memories were the thing, he had to recollect.
As for his Sync ceremony, his parents were excited to see which skill he would get. As it would write off his future career path.
But strangely, they never asked even until they arrived home.
Guess, they probably thought he got some trash skill and was embarrassed to say it out loud.
Leaving out the odd details, he planned the night for recollection of his native memories coz it felt jumbled. He had the strange feeling of confidence, where he can pull out the memories and get familiar with the new life.
As he thought, a crack appeared on mid-air and threw poop on his plans.
Looking at the space crack, it felt like the very reality itself is going to break.
But something strange happened. The Crack enlargened enough and spat out a shiny golden book at his chest. And the crack disappeared in the next instance.
"What the hell?" Mark carefully picked the book like some dirty old sock. After confirming it was harmless, he picked it open.
A text popped up on the blank first page.
Name: Agatha Mark Lebas
Age: 126 16
Blood: Vampire Human(50%) Vampire(50%) Processing
Talent: Blood Synthesis, Blood Trace new
Mark felt his blood rushing through his brain. A sudden jerk of dizziness hit him. It took a minute before he could process anything. Suddenly his sense of smell and vision changed dramatically. Even the sensitivity of his skin felt like it increased to some extent.
Mark wasn't a dull-minded person so he quickly tied the knots together. It must be because of his first failed reincarnation, he remembered. As a woman, her name is probably Agatha then. The Vampire blood must be from her. Mark thought out loud.
"Hmm... 126 years old. Wow."
*Knock* *Knock*
"Yes, coming!" Mark went in a rush to hide the book, but like it understood Mark's intentions, it disappeared.
Just then a notification from System rang inside his mind.
The door opened leaving the couple watching Mark's figure staring at the air.
"Okay, now the blue screens aren't gonna disappear anytime soon. Come on and have dinner, before your uncle arrives. He doesn't like your lazy attitude, so try and keep your spirits high." Mark pushed the notification off for another time. Samantha was worried about her son's nonchalant attitude that it would again piss off her elder brother.
Mark's memories juggled as a Stern face popped up in his mind. He vaguely remembered the strict uncle that occasionally picks on his behavior and always had that disappointed face whenever he sees him.
According to his memories, his mom came from a wealthy merchant family. Not powerfully rich but runs successful businesses over multiple cities.
The story is quite a cliche- his mother got pregnant and eloped with his father( a laborer at the factory), so not so surprisingly, her entire family hates me and my father to core. The only Exception, my uncle, who now runs the family visits our family once in a while.
Mark left the room and followed them to the living room. Food was already prepared and neatly arranged on the dining table. His family wasn't rich enough to buy a dining table but were gifts from his uncle. As he found sitting on the floor for every visit to be annoying and uncomfortable.
So, he bought a sofa, a dining table, and beds, including his.
That doesn't mean his family was in poverty. By his father's earnings, they are an average middle-class family.
Owning a home classifies as a middle-class family where most people live in tents or makeshift homes (Slums) because they can't afford a plot of land. And talking about furniture, they are considered a luxury.
Looking at the dishes, Mark knew his mother must've gone all out.
"Hello, Mark! I heard from your mother. Is everything fine now?" a neighboring aunty came from the kitchen and asked.
"Yes, I'm fine! Sorry for worrying you!" Mark is familiar with this person since his mother calls her frequently whenever there's extra work in the kitchen.
Mark has a good impression of the lady, even though he knew this neighbor probably wants to marry off her daughter to him. As the only family on the street to have furniture, this is nothing new.
Living in a country where cutting trees itself cost you taxes since it's on government lands. Mark can understand the plight of people.
Mark's Mother sent off the neighbor with some dishes in tow.
In half an hour, his uncle arrived on a (steam engine) carriage bearing some fruits.
Under the watchful gaze of the neighbors, Mark's Mom pulled his uncle inside. As Mark's dad went to shoo off the neighboring kids who jumped onto the carriage.
Even though his uncle doesn't mind, his dad willfully takes the job. No one stops him since everyone knows that he enjoys being in the spotlight.
With his father standing outside as a watchman, he and his mother sat together with his uncle. His uncle gave him a nod and started conversing with his mother. Mostly the stuff happened at his sync ceremony.
Mark ate silently like the chat wasn't about him.
His uncle victor turned his gaze over and asked, "So, What skill did you get?"
Mark looked up, his uncle had the usual indifferent gaze, and his Mother's worrying gaze reside over him.
Mark usually felt suffocated by his uncle's gaze, but the current him met the gaze unfazed and replied.
"Merge! A Tier 2 skill!"
"Well, tier 2 is... wait, what?" his mother's shout quickly brought in his dad from outside.
Usually, tier 2 skills aren't rare, but most people including his parents only have tier 1 skills. Only his uncle on that side of the family has Tier 2 skills. Where in Mark's case, his skill is labeled as Tier 2 "Rare" The grade labels as Inferior (1), Common (2), Uncommon (3), Rare (4).
{AN: There is no epic or legendary skill for your information.}
So, in theory, a skill is valued from the cumulative points of tiers and grades.
So a Tier 1 "Inferior" skill is valued as = Tier 1 (1) + Inferior (1) = "2"
Where Mark's Merge Skill is Tier 2 "Rare" = Tier 2 (2) + Rare (4) = "6"
Mark's Uncle's family was wealthy because his grandfather had a skill value of 5, the highest in the family. Even his Uncle's Skill value is at 4 (Tier 2 "Common").
"What grade is it?" the question was asked by his uncle, without his usual demeanor.
Mark thought of saying "Rare", but he held the thought. Tier 2 "Rare is valued as same as any Tier 5 "Inferior". Usually, they work for the government or choose the Essense cultivator path.
Essense cultivators are the overlords of this World. The usual prerequisite is that anyone valued at least 6 points is qualified to choose this path. They live a different life from the mortals. Where the world might seem calm but the dangers hidden beneath exceeds their imagination.
As powerful as the profession may seem, the danger is equally higher. So Mark planned to lie.
"It's common!" A rare smile blossomed on his uncle's face. But his parents couldn't process the sudden Jackpot situation. They believed their son to have Skill valued the same as them or even lower. But the reality gave them a pleasant smack on their face.
Their son Mark is valued as same as his uncle. "Wait, that means her returning to the family might be possible?" Samantha thought. Mark saw a gleeful smile on his father's face.
"Your Grandparents would be proud of you!" Victor smiled at Mark.
"Hmm...!" Mark wanted to give a sarcastic reply but held himself. His memories have nothing but hate for his never-seen grandparents. Not from his father's side since they are dead.
But current Mark isn't the one to act on his feelings. He thought about his future profession succeeding through mooching off his grandfather. So why bother.
Yes, essence cultivation is the obvious one for him. Since he doesn't want his life on earth to continue here.
Mark wants to stand in a position where no one steps on his head.
His uncle thought for a second and pulled out a Gold coin and a copper coin. And placed it near him.
"Show me your skill!" Mark smiled while Samantha had a frown on her face. She glared at her brother for not believing her son.
Mark picked both up.
ITEMS:
GOLD, COPPER
Do you want to Merge? YES / NO
A blue screen popped. Mark rejoiced over the convenience of the skill for identifying the items.
He placed it on his palms as a glow surfaced on the items. As if someone melted the metals, the coins turned into liquid and spun in a circle. Slowly formed into a dark yellow sphere, the metals solidified into one.
Victor nodded and picked up the metal, hoping to find it hot, but it was surprisingly cold.
"Dark yellow without inconsistency, definitely not Inferior,
Workability with metals, definitely not Common,
Shape transformation, definitely not Uncommon."
"Mark, since when did you start growing hairs on your balls?" Victor's words caused Mark to sweat subconsciously. He never would've guessed that his uncle would identify his Grade with a single glance. He felt like a child in front of him.
Samantha just stared at Mark as if she's seen a ghost. While his Father Greg was oblivious to what victor's words mean.
After chatting with the family, Mark and his family sent off his uncle to a nearby inn since the house doesn't have any extra room.
Mark feeling stuffed, jumped onto his bed and thought about words said by his uncle.
He subconsciously pulled out the Grimoire from his previous reincarnation. He was able to pull out some memories from the Agatha character and knew what this book meant.
This is the same as the System from his current universe, but a medieval concept. People call the skill, talents. As for blue screens, they bind a book. People there call it Grimoire. But the strange thing that, why is this book/Grimoire followed him to a different universe. Shouldn't it disappear with the corpse back there? It is as if he pulled it here with his reincarnation. But the way it appeared and not appearing during the early days created some doubts. But Mark backpedaled his thoughts and pulled open the Grimoire.
Same page popped up.
Name: Mark Lebas
Age: 16
Blood: Half-Human x Half-Vampire
Talent: Blood Synthesis, Blood trace
But, now the strikethrough words vanished. Meaning the book belonged to him now.
Mark studied the talent section, where there was neither tier nor grade.
He suddenly remembered the notification from the system.
The notification popped up under his will.
New Blood found!
Processing...
Finding similarities with half-blood Dhampir bloodline.
Error...
Assimilation levels and potential levels don't match.
Result. The user isn't a half-blood.
Error. Recalculating...
Result. Even though the user's blood shares similarities with half-blood human*vampire. The system cannot term the user as Half blood.
The user is now marked as Pureblood Dhampir.
First, of the race, the user is now the Progenitor of the race, PUREBLOOD DHAMPIR.
Processing, Progenitor's Authorization successful.
Progenitor's Access is now open.
Wait, what just happened? Mark was confused with the notification. So he's not human anymore.
"Whatever" Mark pushed it off like he didn't care. For now, the most important thing is to work out his skills.
As Mark was studying the Grimoire, an unknown battle was taking place in the void above his dimension. Between a book and an unknown entity.
Mark opened the blue screen and the Grimoire page side by side. His eyes rested on the Talent tab. He still doesn't have any clue on how his talent "Blood Synthesis" works.
Name: Mark Lebas
Age: 16
Blood: Half-Human x Half-Vampire
Talent: Blood Synthesis, Blood trace
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Name:
Mark Lebas Age:
16 Race:
PureBlood Dhampir
Skill:
Merge Tier 2 "Rare"
But unlike the System, his book doesn't give him the details about how his talent system works. Like a mystery, he has to solve it.
Mark closed his eyes and made a bet on his high IQ.
Rather than guessing, Mark decided to do some tests.
The time wasn't off for the town to shut down. So, Mark grabbed a coat and jumped off the window. He didn't bother explaining, felt better off leaving unnoticed.
His plan was to go to the butcher's house, where the butcher has many Tier 0 and some Tier 1 beasts.
Many neighbour knew him, so he had to stop by and say hi. He received some shy glances from the girls, the previous him would've winked, but the current him wasn't that social.
On his way, Mark observed the dark sky. Strangely, it felt familiar but very different from Earth's at the same time.
With his general knowledge, he could guess that this world is many times larger than the Earth. As for the satellites, there are 1843. Too many, way too many. With that many natural satellites, his path wasn't dark, nor did he felt the need for street lamps. There are even local myths of people living on those moons.
He arrived in front of a tall two-story home. The lower one was the store and the above where the butcher Neil lives.
He knocked on the door.
"Coming!" A shout came from the inside.
Shortly, a beefy teen double the size of Mark arrived at the front.
"Hey, Mark! What do you want?" Mark squinted his nose at the rancid smell emanating from the teen's body.
"Hi, Scout! I here to visit your father, is he here?" Mark got to the point without wasting any time.
"Yes, come in!" Mark taking a deep breath, followed inside.
The room floor was made from grass straws. And insects randomly roamed everywhere.
He looked to the right, finding Scout's dad climbing down the ladder.
He saw Mark and waved at him, "Hey, Mark! I heard your voice! What's up?"
"Nothing, I just got myself synced today. And my excitement is keeping me from falling asleep. So I asked myself, why waste time? And why not explore the skill to its best."
"Hahaha... I'm so proud of you! Sigh, if only my Fat offspring had some of your enthusiasm. I would eat myself to death." Mark smiled and saw Scout glaring at him, so he added, "Uncle, you shouldn't underestimate Scout. I see a shadow of Essence cultivator within him." As he said, a smile blossomed on Scout's face.
"Hmph, even if he cultivated Essence. It would be the Essence of Fart. Hahaha..."
Scout glared again at Mark.
But this time, Mark chose to ignore and brought back the subject.
"Uncle, I wish to see where you store the leftover blood from the butchered meat."
"That, we usually throw it away. Scout, did you drain the leftover blood from yesterday's meat."
Mark looked at Scout, who started flustering a bit, "No, dad. I was going to, but Mark called me."
"Hmph, as usual. Just take Mark to the blood barrel, and after he's finished with his business, drain the blood barrel. Or I will drain yours." Scout's dad returned upstairs, leaving both of them.
"Come with me!" Scout ordered Mark.
Mark, filled with excitement, followed Scout.
There was a barrel of pungent blood filled to the brim. On his left, a group of fire chickens clustered inside a cage. He guessed which beast the blood came from.
"Hmph! Enjoy your meal. And if you could drain the blood in that hole before leaving. Bye!" Scout left, leaving Mark to himself.
"Finally!" Mark thought and went near the barrel. He didn't mind the pungent smell from his excitement.
Mark closed the door and summoned the book.
With his right hand forward, he willed his talent. Seconds passed, soon a minute, but nothing happened.
Mark started to doubt his theory. Even after ten minutes, nothing happened.
"Wait, am I doing this right?" Mark thought.
Soon, Mark was hit with frustration.
"Does this book even work? Or was it a sham all along." Mark thought out loud. He was annoyed at how this book does nothing else but showing his stats. But the reincarnator inside him held the thought.
The book floating in the air shook a little, but Mark didn't notice.
Essence is present within every living creature, especially in the blood. And that's what he was taught at school.
"Wait, is it because the blood is not fresh." Mark thought.
His eyes soon darted towards the red flamingo chicken that was caged separately from other chickens. At a glance, Mark confirmed that it was a tier 1 beast.
"Uncle, can you come inside a minute?" Mark shouted.
Scout's dad soon entered the room with a frown, "What is it, Mark? Everything okay?" he asked.
"Yes, It just that chicken. Is it a tier 1 beast?" Mark asked.
"Yes, that a red flamingo chicken. You probably ate its mate during your family dinner. Why do you ask?"
"I hope whether I could butcher the flamingo chicken with own my hands." As soon as he said, Scout's dad started looking at him weirdly.
Mark didn't want to be looked, as a freak, so he added, "Don't mistake me, Uncle! It's for my Skill. No other reasons."
"It cost 1 silver. Do you have any money?" One Silver is a monthly wage for most in the neighborhood. Most wouldn't have it lying inside their pockets. So Scout's dad was doubtful.
Thankfully, earlier this morning, Mark's Mom gave him a silver. As a gift for getting Synced. Mark stuffed it in his pocket and just remembered.
"Yes, here!" Mark handed the money and waited for the butcher to release the chicken.
"How do you want it?" the butcher asked.
"Lay it on the table." It was already tied, so Mark wasn't afraid. Slightly got nervous since it's his first time butchering an animal.
As the butcher laid down the meter tall flamingo chicken. Mark aimed the butcher's knife at its neck and swung hard after a moment of stillness.
Fresh blood squirted out. Painting his face, but Mark wasn't in the mood to wipe it off. As he was busy staring at something else.
"Essence Found: Tier 1 Common"
"Do you want to Synthesize?"
Mark felt shaken for a moment.
The words caused a stir in his mind. Usually, an Essence stone drops after killing a magical beast, and the drop rate is 1 in 10,000, meaning only one in the ten thousand beasts would have a chance of dropping an Essence stone.
But Mark just now killed a chicken and already obtained an Essence stone, nearly.
The notification didn't project before his eyes but rang inside his mind. He threw the butcher outside and summoned his book.
Looking at the words same as his notification, he clicked on yes.
Soon, a dim light glowed on the corpse of Red Flamingo chicken. The light concentrated on one spot and formed into a sphere of light.
After sucking all of the glow from the corpse, the sphere of light floated towards Mark's Grimoire.
As soon as it touched the book, the grimoire absorbed the light like a sponge sucking water.
A new text popped up,
"Congratulations, your first Essence has been successfully Synthesized!"
Item: Essence of the Red Flamingo Chicken {Tier 0, Common}
An Essence formed from stealing and refining the life force of a dying innocent beast.
Attribute: Speed
Affinity: None
Ability: Increase in 2% speed and adds a minor boost to agility.
Effect: 5% increase in Ability for every Tier, the User level-ups.
[Note: Effect only lasts until Mortal "Tier 3"]
Two notifications instantly appeared before his eyes.
Mark made a wry smile after reading the text on the blue screen. Stealing and refining the life force of an Innocent beast, the System refers to his talent as stealing and refining.
"An Essence has been found! Do the User wants to absorb the Essence and Unlock the Profession "Essence Cultivator"?"
Mark gave no thought and clicked no on the blue screen. He doesn't want to start his cultivation journey with an Essence of a chicken.
He thought it was better to sell it for money. He remembered how rare essence crystals are. And even a random Tier 1 common Stone in the market would sell for at least a gold coin.
Many are willing to spend a gold coin just for the sake of cultivating Essence. It might not mean anything for an Essence cultivator, but for the general people, it means everything. And the benefit outweighs the risks.
Mark wanted to perform another trial, but the butcher simply doesn't have any other Tier 1 beasts.
He simply pocketed the newly formed Essence stone into his pockets and walked away.
The next day, his uncle Victor arrived and said, "Mark, do you want to come with me to the capital?"
Samantha's face glowed instantly, "Wait, really? Are you going to accept him to the family?"
"Yes, I believe our Father would be happy to see a future Essence cultivator joining the family!" Victor said.
Victor's family business hasn't been doing great since his sister Samantha left the family. A new competitor, the Coldflower family with an Essence Cultivator backing, took most of the market to themselves. The only reason their business is because Victor's Mother is childhood friends with the Coldflower family's head.
And they are surviving with a measly Market share, enough to barely stay as a business giant.
Unless his Bellet family produces an Essence cultivator themselves, the wish of regaining their status will forever be a dream.
So, Victor Bellet chose to put his faith in Mark. Hoping that he does the undoable.
He doesn't need to reach the Mortal Tier in Essence cultivation just by becoming Apprentice Essence Cultivator will benefit the family by reducing its taxes to the government by 90%. It will shift a heavy load off his family and make leeway for the chance of browsing new markets.
He doesn't have high hopes for his nephew since he knows his nephew's character. Just the status he can give is enough. But Victor never could've thought that one day hundreds of countries would lick his feet for a favor.
"But, what about my parents?" Mark called out his uncle, who was busy thinking something.
"First, let check whether your Grandparents accept you into the family. They were broken when your mother eloped with your father. The hate they have for your father is hard as ice. And only you might be able to break it.
"So, it is best for you to come first. I have sent a letter, so your Grandparents might have ample time to steer their hearts. And then we could slowly talk about taking your parents in." Mark looked at his father, who had a wry smile on his face.
It's evident from the conversation how much hatred his grandparents have for his father.
His predecessor didn't bother to ask his parents' story, and the current him is curious. But seeing his parent's grimace, he knew this wasn't a good time to ask.
Mark then sat on and chatted with his uncle as he explained most of the stuff about the capital.
Samantha went to Mark's room and started packing his stuff.
After an hour, Mark stood outside the door, giving a hug to his mother. Samantha looked tearful as if she was going to cry any moment.
Mark's father looked sad. Mark knew that his father blamed himself for making his son separate from his mother. Since the culture in this world follows the joint family system.
Mark saying goodbye to his father, followed Victor to the Steam Engine cart.
To his surprise, everyone in his neighborhood stood outside to send him off.
Mark looked at the neighbors who occasionally talk to him and the neighbor aunty crying as if her own son was leaving her. And the butcher and his son came by and delivered smoked meat of the red flamingo chicken. He felt something churning inside his chest. Something he never felt on Earth, a feeling of being loved.
Victor, as if sensing what Mark's feeling showed a rare smile. He urged Mark to send his goodbye to the people outside and board the cart.
Mark jumped onto the cart and waved goodbye to everyone. While unconsciously shedding some tears.
At that moment, Mark felt incredibly lucky. But fate sometimes has entirely different in store for the people who feel incredibly lucky.