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Gusman Weil's stern face softened slightly, then he lightly coughed, "Hmm, as the future heir of my East Tucker Family, you must have a calm mind. Come and sit."
Aaron nodded, straightened his clothes, and walked to the desk. He took Evelyn off his shoulder and placed her in front of Gusman Weil, introducing her with a smile, "Father, this is Evelyn, my Beyonder pet."
"Mother and younger sister should have told you about her when they returned from Backlund last time."
Gusman Weil hummed, his large palm stroking Evelyn's smooth, unblemished fur, and the corners of his mouth also turned up slightly as he smiled and said, "You did very well in Backlund."
"Before, when Joseph and Reinhardt escorted that batch of Sealed Artifacts back from Backlund, they both praised your abilities to me."
Aaron was startled for a few seconds, then remembered that Reinhardt was the Sequence 4 Iron-Blooded Knight who had explored Amon's Mausoleum with him.
At the same time, he secretly muttered to himself:
"This old tool, Joseph Weil, actually praised me to Father. It seems the flattering words in the letter he sent me earlier were indeed his true feelings."
"Alas, my irresistible charm."
Not noticing Aaron's momentary daze, Gusman Weil continued with a hint of deeper meaning, "The things you did in Backlund afterwards brought fame and many benefits to my East Tucker Family."
"This has established sufficient prestige for you among the lower-ranking members of the family, laying the foundation for your future inheritance of the ducal title."
"Perhaps in a few more years, these old bones of mine can retire early."
Aaron immediately snapped out of his thoughts and said with a chuckle, "How can you be old bones? You are in your prime now, still far from retirement."
Gusman Weil smiled and shook his head, not responding to his little cub's flattery, and his tone became much more serious:
"This is the Ancestor's arrangement, and it has already been approved within the family's high-level members."
As he spoke, he scrutinized Aaron, then continued with satisfaction, "Very good, you are already Sequence 6, much faster than I expected."
Aaron showed a shy and innocent smile, "Just so-so, this speed is merely acceptable."
Gusman Weil glanced at Aaron, and only when Aaron realized something was amiss and dropped his innocent smile did he slowly speak, "I think you also have the talent of a Hunter. Perhaps you would advance faster on the Hunter Pathway."
Aaron coughed lightly, feeling that these words sounded somewhat familiar, as if someone had said something similar to him recently.
Evelyn, being stroked, looked at Aaron, who was busy talking and ignoring her, and felt the pressure from the divinity on the hand stroking her. She felt incredibly wronged.
She remembered how majestic she was when she commanded all cats in Backlund. Now, she could only pretend to be cute and adorable, which was truly a lack of cat rights.
Not dwelling on the topic, Gusman Weil pondered for a moment before speaking, "Although I am not of the Arbiter Pathway, I have communicated with the family's Imperative Mage. Hmm, her name is Mashiana Weil."
"Her? A female Imperative Mage."
Aaron was not surprised by this. After all, with the Beyonder Pathways controlled by the East Tucker Family, a female who wished to become a demigod could only follow the Justiciar Pathway or the Black Emperor Pathway.
"Originally, Mashiana, knowing you would be returning soon, wanted to speak with you personally, but there was a problem with the Loen Kingdom's colony in the southwestern tip of the Southern Continent."
"The local resistance forces, secretly funded by the Feysac Empire, caused considerable losses to Loen. The King dispatched her to lead a fleet to quell the rebellion, and it is said that the Rose School of Thought also had a hand in it."
"That colonial area is surrounded by the Feysac colonial area, the Intis colonial area, and the undeveloped West Balam native area. It is far from Loen's other colonial areas in the Southern Continent, a sort of exclave, and the situation is extremely complex."
"Hmph, they say it's an opportunity to earn merits, but I'm afraid only such thankless tasks fall to us."
"If a demigod of my East Tucker Family were to fall there, perhaps that would truly please the King."
Aaron frowned slightly as he listened. Gusman Weil also realized he had said too much and quickly reined in the conversation, returning to the previous topic, "Before Mashiana left, she also entrusted me with some things to tell you."
"In her understanding, the Sequence advancement of the Arbiter Pathway embodies the process of gradually evolving from an agent of order to a formulator of order."
"At your current Sequence level, you should already be able to vaguely perceive this."
Aaron gathered his thoughts, nodded, and confirmed some of his previous conjectures.
Low-Sequence Arbitrators, Sheriffs, and even Interrogators, who have gradually been classified as Mid-Sequence since the Fifth Epoch, can be said to be merely agents of order.
However, the Beyonder abilities of Sequence 6 Judge are essentially about establishing new rules within a certain area. Things within that area must act in accordance with these rules, and if they violate them, they will be bound by the rules.
From Judge onwards, one gradually touches upon the formulator of order or rules. The various abilities of subsequent Sequences are all based on the various imperatives obtained at the Judge stage.
Looking at the thoughtful Aaron, Gusman Weil gave him some time to think before continuing, "Therefore, starting from Judge, the advancement ritual of the Arbiter Pathway begins to gradually connect with the established order and formulated rules. The higher the Sequence, the tighter the connection."
"Based on her understanding of Imperative Mage and the advancement ritual, Mashiana speculates that subsequent advancements to Sequence 3 and even Angel level will require establishing an area, similar to a territory, that already has its own order and fully formulated rules."
"These will take a considerable amount of time to establish, so you must not rush for quick success. This is the foundation for your future advancement to higher Sequences."
"It can be considered as early acting for the potion and early preparation for the ritual. Although the advancement speed will slow down in the short term, it will help your advancement to demigod and even higher levels."
"These are also the Ancestor's intentions. As for the subsequent potion formulas and rituals that the family lacks, the Ancestor said that He would solve them."
Aaron had been listening attentively, as this was advice from a high-Sequence powerhouse of his own Pathway, until he heard the last sentence, at which point he couldn't help but curl his lips.
"The Ancestor will solve it for me? If He could solve it, He would have already solved it. The family's Imperative Mage, who is stuck at Sequence 4, would have already advanced to Sequence 3."
"In the end, I'll probably still have to rely on opening the treasure left by the Night Emperor."
Looking at Aaron, who was listening attentively, Gusman Weil softened his tone and said with a smile, "As for the situation in the area of the Southern Continent you are going to, while it is complex, the family will provide you with the greatest possible support. This is also your final test to inherit the title of Duke of East Tucker."
"I believe you will not disappoint the family's expectations, right?"
Aaron was stunned for a few seconds. After a moment of silence, he nodded firmly.
He glanced at the clock on the wall; it was almost midnight. Aaron planned to return to his room to rest first, then discuss his experiences in Backlund with his father tomorrow, and surprise his Mother and sister.
Just as he was about to bid farewell, he heard his father say, "Ancestor Varna previously issued a secret order for you to come to him as soon as you return. You don't need to prepare anything else; just hold that token, and you can pass through unhindered."
"You have been here for a long time. You can go in a moment."
"Don't bring your pet. I'll have a servant prepare a special room for it."
Aaron froze for a moment, suddenly remembering that he still had a cat. He exchanged a somewhat guilty glance with Evelyn's resentful little eyes, then nodded.
Just as he was about to use Spirit World Travel to go to Ancestral Tower where Ancestor Varna was, he was interrupted by Gusman Weil. Aaron turned his head in confusion, only to see him speak with a serious expression:
"There's one more thing I need to remind you: the Southern Continent you are going to is different from the Northern Continent."
"Although the Seven Churches jointly eradicated the Death pathway Church in the Southern Continent after the fall of the Death pathway at the end of the Fourth Epoch."
"However, their remnants are still not to be underestimated. They have resurfaced and formed the Numinous Episcopate, with no lack of Angels and Saints among them."
"They are all high-Sequence powerhouses of the Death pathway, and this mask of yours also contains a Sequence 4 Undying Beyonder characteristic."
"Although it has been Sealed by the Ancestor, under the almost mystical influence of the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence, no one can guarantee whether you will encounter high-Sequence powerhouses of the Death pathway or strange Spirit World creatures formed after the Death pathway's fall when you traverse the Spirit World in the Southern Continent."
"And you are not a Beyonder of the Death pathway, and your control over the Spirit World is limited to this Mystical Item. Once you encounter them in the Spirit World, you will be in great danger."
Looking at the somewhat stunned Aaron, Gusman Weil lightly coughed and continued, "This is just a reminder, not to make you give up using it. I just hope you are mentally prepared in advance, as these things are only possibilities."
Aaron looked at the Death Mask in his hand and immediately felt a headache. It seemed he either had to ask the Ancestor if there was a solution, or find a way to get a Traveler Beyonder characteristic to create a Mystical Item.
Sighing, he bowed to his father, then activated Spirit World Travel. Ancestral Tower was within the East Tucker Duke's Manor, so no special Spirit World coordinates were needed.
-----------------
West Balam, Northern Province, Kukova City, with the blood moon hanging high.
Checker Ward followed Bishop Montella, who was dressed in typical Southern Continent attire, through the core area of Kukova City, Joyful Feather Square.
They were heading to their destination, Mesanyes's General's Mansion, which was located there, next to a downward-sloping Death pathway Church.
Checker Ward held a fruit locally called "Dalawa" in his hand, and sighed in his heart as he looked at the dark night.
Perhaps it was due to his efforts, or perhaps he truly had a talent for learning. In the assessment presided over by Bishop Montella last week, Checker Ward miraculously passed by the skin of his teeth.
Checker Ward still remembered the look of relief on Bishop Montella's face at the time. His usual strictness was completely gone, and the age spots and wrinkles on his face seemed to exude warmth.
Hmm, truly impressive.
However, Checker Ward was also very happy, not because he passed the exam, but because according to previous practice, passing the exam would come with a substantial bonus.
Just as Checker Ward was still wondering if this money would be enough to buy the Sequence 6 Conspirer potion formula from the Chaos Council.
Bishop Montella, whose face had become very kind and amiable, told Checker Ward, in a tone that implied "you've hit the jackpot," what he himself considered to be very unfortunate news:
The reward for passing this assessment was to go on a secret mission with Bishop Montella. In other words, there was no bonus.
Checker Ward almost forgot how he walked out of Bishop Montella's room at the time, and he certainly didn't want to remember it.
However, perhaps as compensation, he was given a full three-day holiday. Three whole days without studying! This slightly alleviated his discomfort until Bishop Montella found him this evening and told him to first go to Mesanyes's General's Mansion.
Checker Ward gathered his thoughts, took a hearty slurp of the "Dalawa" in his hand, drinking it all down. He exhaled comfortably, feeling the sour-sweet, extremely refreshing taste.
The first time he drank this stuff, perhaps due to not being used to the local conditions, Checker Ward really didn't think it tasted good, preferring a beer. But later, he couldn't escape the "true fragrance theorem."
After throwing the empty shell into the trash can, he quickly caught up with Bishop Montella in front.
As a noble former intis noble, even though he had lived in this city for a week or two, Checker Ward still felt a sense of incongruity and incompatibility when walking through it.
After all, foreigners were so few here, almost only seen frequently around the Celebration Square where the major consulates were located. In other places, most of the people coming and going were local Balam people.
They had brownish skin, black curly hair, and soft facial features. In the eyes of many Northern Continent people, among the same gender, there was only a distinction of height, weight, and build, looking quite similar.
And these local people, regardless of gender, liked to smoke East Balam tobacco, which was made by directly wrapping dried tobacco leaves with herbs.
Even though it was late at night, as he walked along, Checker Ward still occasionally saw local residents by the roadside or outside doors, exhaling smoke.
This tobacco was really not good, too choking… Checker Ward muttered silently.
Because of the "Dalawa True Fragrance Theorem" earlier, he had specifically tried the local East Balam tobacco, and the result was obvious: this tobacco was not favored by the "true fragrance theorem."
While Checker Ward was lost in thought, Bishop Montella had already led him to the General's Mansion.
Bishop Montella lightly coughed. Checker Ward quickly came to his senses and, as previously instructed, stepped forward to find the guard on duty and requested to see a man named Haggis.
Based on his obviously non-native appearance and Gentlemanly attire, the guard did not refuse or make things difficult for him. One of them went inside and called out a man under thirty.
This man's features and skin color were standard Balam, but his slightly curly black hair was pulled very straight and neatly combed back, seemingly imitating the upper-class figures of the Northern Continent countries.
He wore a white shirt, a black vest, and a very formal tie. As soon as he saw Bishop Montella, his eyes lit up. Without saying much, he welcomed the two into the mansion.
Bishop Montella smiled and nodded, walking in front. Checker Ward followed honestly and silently, while muttering in his heart:
"Say more, make more mistakes; say less, make fewer mistakes; say nothing, make no mistakes…"
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