If not for the fact that Aemisael Seminary was under the jurisdiction of the Yalan Pontificate, and that this detestable, corpulent old man before him was the rector dispatched by the Holy See itself… Robert would have summoned a few of his brethren to secretly beat the life out of the wretch.
But it remained no more than a thought. Robert forced a smile."Uncle, I know I lack the divine gift of cultivation, yet it is not as though I ever wished it so! Talent is bestowed at birth…"
Donald cut him short, still bent over his documents, his tone cold and indifferent."Indeed, it is not your fault to be born without such a gift. Yet our Aemisael Seminary admits only those with innate divine endowment. To expel you, then, is equally without fault, is it not?"
Robert faltered, then managed a strained grin."Uncle, I confess I have caused you no small trouble these past years, but I have also rendered much service to the Seminary! Think back—two years ago, when the dormitories were to be rebuilt, was it not I who led the garrison of Moonwatch City, who toiled three full months, until the buildings were completed on time?"
To exploit his father's influence and draw benefits for the Seminary—this had been one of the reasons Robert survived here for six years.
Donald lifted his head and regarded him with a sigh."Ah, since no outsider is present, and in deference to your father, Lord Luo Xiong, I call you nephew… Very well, let me speak plainly. Robert, Aemisael Seminary is an institution of the Yalan Pontificate. Every action I take as rector must weigh the Holy See's stance. Do you understand?"
Robert nodded, unease gnawing at him as he awaited the words that would decide his fate.
Donald continued, "The statue of the Goddess was meant to be on display for but a single day. Yet after yesterday's thunderbolt shattered it, Lord Michel was enraged and vowed to pursue the truth to its end. He has altered his itinerary and intends to remain here in the Seminary until the mystery is unraveled. Now imagine—were Lord Michel to discover that I have indulged you thus far…"
Donald stopped mid-sentence, drawing a finger across his throat. The meaning was clear. Lord Michel tolerated no speck of dust in his gaze. Should he uncover any secret dealings between Donald and Robert's father, his wrath would be merciless. Thus, Donald could only act preemptively—expel Robert, and so deflect responsibility when questioned.
Having long accompanied his father, the city lord, Robert had seen enough of officialdom to grasp Donald's predicament. Yet the influence of the Yalan Pontificate within the Empire was unparalleled. To be branded expelled from a seminary under its governance would doom his prospects forever.
"Uncle…"
Sensing Robert's stubborn reluctance, Donald rose and strode to the God-gifted crystal. He pointed at it, his tone sharp."Robert, these six years I have treated you with forbearance—you know this well. I have shown you more than sufficient grace. But you! If only you could make the crystal shine, even faintly!"
When measuring divine bloodline, the brightness of the crystal was the truest standard: the greater the gift, the brighter the glow. Donald's words meant—if only Robert possessed even the slightest spark.
Robert gently pushed the crystal aside, drawing Donald's eyes back to him, and said with a smile, "Uncle, you are wary of Lord Michel? In truth… I met him yesterday, and left him with quite a favorable impression."
"What? Lord Michel already knows you?"
Donald glared furiously at him, but in the next instant his eyes froze. His gaze jerked toward the crystal Robert had just touched.
At the moment Robert's hands brushed against it, the God-gifted crystal had flared with a violent tremor—then split apart with no warning, shattering into a thousand fragments.
Robert, oblivious, was still recounting his encounter with Michel. Donald, however, had seen it with his own eyes. With a shout, he shoved Robert aside."Get back!"
Robert stumbled forward under the push, annoyance flashing in his heart—until a sharp crack resounded behind him. He stiffened, turning his head to the empty tripod, his throat suddenly parched.
All in the Seminary knew this truth: when a God-gifted crystal shatters, it signifies that an unparalleled genius has touched it—one whose divine bloodline is so formidable that it exceeds the crystal's limit of measurement.
Robert lifted his own hands in stunned disbelief. Only he had touched the crystal.
"Could it be… that I truly possess the gift to cultivate divine power?"
Donald stood rigid, nodding with difficulty. He bent his bulk to retrieve a shard of the crystal, his voice rasping dry, "Robert… your body has already begun to change in wondrous ways…"
Six years—six wasted years proving himself a failure. Yet today, the failure had become a prodigy.
Donald's astonishment yielded swiftly to urgency. The question was no longer whether Robert was gifted, but how great that gift truly was."Robert! This crystal's limit was too small—it cannot measure the heights of your talent. Someone! Bring the fourth crystal from the library!"
A thrill like warm fire raced up Robert's spine. He rejoiced at the awakening of his gift, but more—"My body has transformed! Yal was right… my body has indeed undergone metamorphosis! Yesterday was no dream—Yal truly exists! But then…"
From rapture his heart plunged into dread. "If Yal exists, why did she not answer my call this morning? Where has she gone?"
His thoughts tangled—elation at the goddess-like presence within him, vexation at her absence.
Soon, a crystal of nearly a meter's girth was brought into the rector's chamber—the fourth crystal, capable of measuring far higher gifts. Donald's eyes gleamed with hope as he beckoned Robert to test it.
Still haunted by Yal, Robert placed his left hand—the hand fused with her essence—upon the crystal.
With a sharp crack, the massive crystal burst asunder, fragments scattering across the chamber.
Donald gasped, then erupted into wild exultation. The first crystal might have been chance, but this—the larger crystal—proved Robert's talent soared beyond all reckoning. Their Seminary might soon give birth to a genius unmatched in history.
Even the loss of such a priceless relic stirred no regret in him. Instead he bellowed, "Bring me the greatest crystal—the first! Summon the vice rector, the dean of studies, the senior professors from the library—at once! I require all their counsel to determine how we shall cultivate Robert!"