-
"Hey! Adel, look at him! That idiot servant who chose to seek Katrina despite Damon's repeated assertions that she is his!"
"Didn't Damon say he'd get rid of him today? What happened? How on earth is he still alive?"
"Take a look at his neck! He's had a scar! That clearly showed that he had been assassinated, but something had happened! Is it possible that he killed the assassin?"
"It isn't possible! He isn't even on the first step, but the assassin must be at least be through the first! With such a large difference, even I wouldn't dare to think about winning, let alone Adel!"
"So, how come he's still alive? Let's go talk to him! And have a look! Katrina is with him! It's clear that something happened!"
The servants exchanged glances as they noticed Adel pass through the clan with a scar on his neck and a tranquil expression, as if the wound had had no effect on him.
"Hey, Adel, you bastard! How did you manage to escape Damon's assassination attempt?"
A gathering of servants obstructed his route, causing his steps to come to a standstill.
The acts of the servants immediately drew the notice of people around them, so they became the focus of attention.
"Why do you believe I should respond? And, big sister Katrina, could you arrange it so they don't bother us anymore?" Adel inquired, not worried by their query, but more irritated at how they would worry him with such little things.
"Sure..." She took a look around before continuing, "... Now either scram or I'll have to push myself to do some more severe measures I would rather not do." Katrina returned their look with a focused stare filled with murderous intent.
Her terrifying killing intent—which appeared sharp enough to materialize on the outside but lacked something—froze the servants on the way and caused them to shudder uncontrollably, almost as if they were looking at a starving beast on the edge of jumping towards them.
'On the verge of manifestation? But it's nothing compared to what I'll be able to do once I regain my strength.
But I shouldn't say that since I'm not what I used to be, so I should rely on her for a while until I reach the mid stage of the first step. It shouldn't take too long' Adel sighed slightly as he compared his killing intent to hers. Her murderous purpose was not even five percent that of his.
He was just ranting about his own lack of power, since he hadn't felt this helpless in a long time. After all, he had been a cultivator for eighty years, whereas she had only been sixteen. So having that much killing intent was already amazing.
"Hmph. A bunch of fools. " Katrina snorted coldly and continued walking, disregarding the frightened looks from the other servants...
They had forgotten that Katrina would not spare them—mere servants—a look. They almost slapped their cheeks when they realized how dumb their actions were. They would have been dead by now if she had been in a worse mood. Of course, such thoughts were running through the minds of all the servants present.
-
Adel and Katrina were met by another normal man in front of the entrance of his room when they arrived at his living quarters on the outer court (where the servants' homes were).
"You... Adel, you're alive?" When the young guy noticed Adel and Katrina approaching towards his location from a distance, he immediately thought he was seeing a ghost. But now that he was there in front of him, he couldn't possibly be a ghost.
Adel knew this young man from past 'Adel' memories. Ailbe was a fellow servant.
This servant, Ailbe, on the other hand, was, as he had thought, a guy he would never remember after leaving the clan...
"Don't disturb us, I'm bringing the items in there with Adel." Katrina entered the home without saying any more.
-
They immediately quit the clan after obtaining everything...
-
Several hours later,
Katrina and Adel made their way into a forest that was pretty far from the kingdom.
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They then slept for a little before deciding to go on their trip...
A few minutes later, Katrina could be noticed placing an array so swiftly that she appeared to be running around.
Faint threads of energy could be seen being shot into the air, causing different inscriptions to fly...
But Adel wasn't surprised because he had previously speculated on many more possibilities for her prowess and how many things she could accomplish.
'So she's also excellent at arrays, huh? Alchemy is another possibility, also blacksmithing... I guess I won't know unless I accompany her. That implies her family's power or influence isn't insignificant in whatever kingdom it may be...' Adel sighed and shook his head, clearing his mind of useless ideas.
The surroundings flashed and they transferred into a forest far distant from their former position as soon as they entered the array.
Adel, on the other hand, didn't forget his part, as he appeared astonished when they arrived...
"Senior sister Katrina... Wouldn't that be too expensive for us to utilize merely to teleport here?" Adel still had a stunned expression on his face, with a hint of fear on his countenance, yet he was inwardly contemplative, 'Even on Earth, they're rather expensive, so her family must be either wealthy or confident in my abilities for her to utilize the teleportation array without hesitation.'
"No, it's not a problem. Though it's pricey, don't worry since I usually bring one with me when I return to the family compound." She added, smiling, as they continued walking in a specific course...
-
Several hours later,
Poyskirch, the capital city of the kingdom Perorceos, was a thriving metropolis teeming with merchants and people.
Two young teens were heading in a certain route on a road that seemed to be bustling with activity.
These teenagers were naturally Katrina and Adel.
"So you're saying your family compound is in this kingdom, correct? Then , can you tell me beforehand everything I need to know before I come in?" Adel inquired, his face tense, but he was thinking about his current situation inwardly.
'So, based on what I've sensed, there appear to be four powerhouses at the end stage of the third step, while the others who were governing with them were at the mid stage of the third step.
Oh, and there seemed to be someone who was close to the fourth step but yet very far away from it—which implies he's a half-step into the fourth step. It seems that he is the imperial family's powerhouse...
Interesting... There seems to be a powerhouse at the end-stage of the fifth step, which is with a little girl as old as this body (16)...
Anyway, that means that Katrina's family is almost as important in this country as the imperial family... I assume I'll stay here till I get to the fourth stage and can explore elsewhere...
Hmm... Wait a minute. How did I know that? Isn't my link to the routes still incomplete?'
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he checked his connection, only to discover that his connection to the soul cultivation pathway had begun, so he regenerated a small portion of his soul energy, enough to scan the kingdom.
He continued to contemplate, shaking his head:
'First and foremost, I should listen to her to learn more about the kingdo...'
This kingdom also possesses considerably thicker Nao energy than previously, meaning that there was some barrier that prevented the three primordial energies from moving from one place to another...'
Even though he became weak in his present form, no one below the seventh step could detect his soul energy after he examined them, which is impossible in this plane, and even then, it would be difficult due to the perfect fusion of his soul with the previous body bearer.
But, unbeknownst to him, his pendant had another purpose, one unknown even to the soul that inhabited his body...
It was constantly utilizing Nao from his soul and surroundings to make his body's foundation even firmer for when he truly begins cultivating. Thereby, this gives him a firmer connection with the pathways of the three cultivation systems, and sending him to a special space inside his mind due to his bloodline to cultivate with more energies...
Of all, if his cultivation method was generally taking energy from the surrounding...
-
A loud yell abruptly jolted him out of his reverie...
"Hey! Adel! Are you paying attention?" Katrina worriedly stared at Adel, believing there was something wrong with him for not speaking for the short minutes she'd been speaking...
"Yeah, just continue talking." Said Adel as he reassured her, remembering what she had said...
"The present king-Ulfric Schitz-rules the kingdom.He 's reigned the Perorceos Kingdom for 30 years, however he didn't marry a queen or concubine until 13 years after his coronation.
Despite that, he seems to have simply focused on developing the body's cultivation system.
His current step is unclear since he uses a technique that conceals his cultivation.
The majority of the heirs are 17 years old, with some being 16 years old.
The king has not chosen on a crown prince, yet several princes are gathering followers, as some rumors claim that the king will pick on a crown prince based on his behavior during the following two years.
You should also be aware that there are four family compounds with the same authority as the imperial family, or clans as they are known here. Forst, Taube, Protz, and Klein are their names. Because my clan name is Klein, my full name is Katrina Klein.
My family has a few successors vying for the patriarchal role. There may be matriarchs as well, albeit this is an uncommon occurrence because just six matriarchs have controlled our tribe in its vast history, which spans more than tens of thousands of years." Katrina then came to a halt as she waited for him to process everything.
"In addition, my family was always trying to organize some type of political marriage in attempt to push me to marry into some sort of sect or clan.
Or some young master from another sect wooing me to force his way through to the patriach position in his clan, but I've always claimed that I've been waiting for the guy with whom I'm going to spend the rest of my life." Katrina then winked at Adel, an affectionate look on her face, though Adel pretended to be unaware of her approach.
Adel, on the other hand, was dumbfounded when she realized how much she liked him.
'So it's an issue if I personally rise through their echelons. They'll most certainly support me as her spouse because of my talents, which I don't know how high they are, making me the patriarch of their clan.
But I'm not sure how she knows about my talents, because I'm quite sure it's not something even a one-star country can see...' He shook his head inwardly, clearing his mind before recalling something.
"Ah, according to the novels I've read, if I go to their clan, the other heirs would undoubtedly try all in their power to suppress me, thinking I'm aiming for the patriach position...
But this is real life, and I shouldn't make it sound like a novel.
Nevertheless. While I could do her a favor and make her a matriach at her clan, she would most likely accept to be my wife if they fully supported me, making me the patriarch, which I don't want.' Adel then shook his head as he considered a strategy that might benefit him in cultivation in the present kingdom.
Despite knowing that basing his life on novels was wrong, he found himself in circumstances that reminded him of some of the novels he'd read in the past. As such , he avoided circumstances that were comparable to the cliche narratives of the novels, leading him to question whether his life was just a book that others would read. He, however, shook his head as he sought to get that concept from his mind, because it couldn't be possible for all the realistic life he'd lived before to be nothing more than a few words... right?
-
Adel's soul has returned...
'Hmm, that's interesting...'
He'll be here for a while until he reaches the fourth stage. So, assuming all goes as planned, I'll probe the reason for the three creatures' acts in creating this plane...' The figure thought, with a look on its face that showed curiosity...
{
Author's Note:
From this chap onwards, if there is a misspelling of Katrina, or if there is mention of Vermin rather than Katrina.
Then it's Katrina, as I changed her name from the original Vermin from my previous novel to Katrina...
Also, please comment if there's a misspelling. English is the third language in my country, so I'm trying my best to constantly improve in my writing.}