"What a monster." Even Jarek had to admit that the Dao Empress was formidable after listening to her tales from Brynhild.
Brynhild then shook her head and made an expression as if pitying someone and said, "Those from Dolathra were incredibly foolish. If they had just shown some form of goodwill towards her, instead of trying to use her, then things might have turned out differently. Sometimes I fail to see how humans can be so smart and at the same time so foolish. It really is a mystery."
Jarek just remained silent. 'That's just how humans are. Human greed has always been the catalyst for human growth and its downfall.'
At times, desire has been what has pushed the human race forward on Earth.
Innovations are born from a desire for improvement.
However, the opposite is true: excessive greed is often the cause of one's end.
How many people in history have fallen because they succumbed to their greed?
An uncountable number of them, done in by excessive desire.
Now that his deal with Brynhild had been established, Jarek turned to face Astrid, who, upon noticing Jarek's gaze was directed at her, finally spoke.
"I had originally thought that I would be the first person between the two of us to reach out to you," Astrid then turned to look at Brynhild as she continued, "but as expected, someone beat me to it."
Brynhild just smiled lightly at her words.
"After hearing about the terms Brynhild has proposed, I would like to make a similar deal with you. You will owe me five favors, and in return, I will lend you an #$%@&*~! weapon." Astrid paused before she added, "But I would suggest you only use it in emergencies."
However, she soon noticed that Jarek had a frown on his face, something which surprised her.
It was only when Brynhild whispered into her ear that Astrid realized the seriousness of the matter.
She turned to face Jarek with an apologetic look. "I apologize for that. I didn't mean to..."
But Jarek raised his hand, motioning her to stop. "It's okay. You didn't do it on purpose. Besides, I had prepared a countermeasure in case this situation ever happened in the future."
At his words, both Astrid and Brynhild were relieved.
They were worried that they had created a setback for their own investment.
The karmic burden that would have manifested this time would have been enormous, but thanks to his foresight, Jarek had created an ability dedicated to preventing such situations in the first place.
However, Astrid still felt guilty and insisted on apologizing. "Even so, because of my mistake, I nearly affected your future cultivation path. For that, I apologize. Consider this as my apology."
She took out a storage bag and handed it to Jarek.
"What is this?" Jarek asked as he held the bag.
"Those are medium-grade spirit stones. Once you visit an Inner City, you'll find this to be the currency used there. Low-grade spirit stones are of too little value there."
Faced with Astrid's sincere apology, he couldn't help but take a second look at her, and he smiled lightly. "Then I will accept your apology."
Her actions had left a good impression on Jarek's eyes.
Even though she had a valid reason for her actions, she still apologized.
Astrid couldn't be blamed for her error, as she never had to worry about those she talked to suffering karmic burdens.
After all, she had never spoken to a commoner aside from Jarek.
Those she talked to were of high status, who had no risk of being burdened by karma.
"What kind of weapon is it that you want to lend me?"
"It's a weapon that corresponds to the highest level of cultivation known throughout the World. It is a weapon wielded by those at the third phase of cultivation."
'Wouldn't I be nearly invincible while at the same phase with such a weapon?'
"Alright, I accept your deal."
Astrid then handed Jarek another storage bag, presumably with the weapon inside.
Brynhild also handed him a storage bag before they turned to leave.
Once they had left, Jarek was left alone in the room as he pondered on the information he had received tonight.
'Supreme Dao Empress...This world is more fascinating than I thought. I'll soon have to leave this place, so let's make the best use of this time that I have left.'
Arvenca Town was too small, and it couldn't keep him tied to it.
He now understood why he had never seen a student visit the town even once.
It is because they naturally looked down on it when they compared it to their homes.
And he himself had started to picture it the same way, after hearing about the world outside Arvenca, outside Outer Valdoria.
Brynhild's future assistance will be particularly important.
'Though it seems I'll have to hold off on taking revenge against the academy for a while because of the Order.'
Fortunately, Brynhild was kind enough to at least share some more information on the powers that rule this world.
The next day, while Jarek was walking to his class, he heard a conversation among Master Grade students.
"Did you hear that the mayor of Arvenca was killed in his own home the day before yesterday?"
"Really?"
"Yes, and apparently, this was the work of a single person. He just barged into the mansion and slaughtered every Grandmaster, before moving to finish the mayor off."
"Has he been identified?"
"No, he concealed himself with a special cloak, making it impossible to identify him."
As he was on the move, he pondered inwardly, 'Where did the documents vanish off to?'
Logic dictated that they should have been in Jurgen's possession, but strangely, they weren't.
Thinking about the deal he had made with Brynhild yesterday, he thought, 'Should I ask her? She might know a thing or two about my origins.'
But he soon dismissed this thought. 'No, I should try to find another way first. I am sure the academy has done some investigation on me. Maybe I can find something useful at the right opportunity.'