"What did you say? You're about to finish digesting the 'Hunter' potion?"
Amelia looked at Lex in surprise, exclaiming, "Is that true? Goodness, how long has it been since you took the potion?"
Lex had long been prepared for this. He scratched his hair, "I'm surprised too."
"After I became a Hunter, I wanted to understand the meaning of Hunter more, so I went to find Mr. Leon. I learned a lot from him, and I often went hunting with him."
"I don't know if it's because of this, but the potion digested exceptionally quickly."
Lex hinted subtly, "Every time I hunted, I forgot my original identity. In that process, I was like a Hunter, a true Hunter."
Amelia's eyes flashed with surprise again, then she said solemnly, "I understand. Go see your father first and explain this to him. He will make arrangements for you."
"After you've seen him, come find me in the house. You know which room it is."
Lex nodded and returned to the villa.
He found Bison in the study.
"Father."
Lex directly explained his purpose.
Bison put down the newspaper in his hand and laughed heartily, "As expected of my son, you're promoting so quickly. Very good, quite excellent."
If it were before, Lex would probably have been happy to receive his praise. As for now, a smile bloomed on his face, but his heart was calm.
"It's like this, your mother told me that for your next stage of potion, you need to seek it in Tingen City."
Bison stopped smiling and said seriously.
Tingen?
I just wanted to go there.
This is truly excellent. I can seek the potion and meet my fellow townsmen at the same time.
Lex suppressed his inner excitement and listened to Bison continue.
"In Tingen City, I have a few friends. It's a good opportunity for you to visit them on my behalf."
Bison lowered his voice, his pupils slightly dilated, and said, "Son, our business empire is about to officially expand."
"I will deposit 5000 pounds into your account at the Backlund Bank. This money will be used for your trip to Tingen. Use it as you see fit: for bribing, investing, paving the way, anything."
"Just use it to smash open a path for us to Backlund!"
At this moment, Lex could fully feel the ambition of the man before him. He knew that Backlund was just a Aliases.
The true path in Bison's heart was called politics.
The end of that path was the center of power in the Loen Kingdom.
"Additionally."
Bison smiled mysteriously, "I have a gift for you."
"Your annuity."
"Your original annuity was 3000 pounds. Now, I'm raising it to 5000 pounds."
"This is a reward for your outstanding performance recently. And this money, along with the operating funds, will be deposited into your bank account. You can fully dispose of this money."
"And I believe you will use this money correctly."
Two sums of 5000 pounds, which means, when I arrive in Tingen, I will have up to ten thousand pounds at my disposal!
Lex's breathing slightly deepened, then he nodded gently, "Thank you, Father."
Bison leaned back slightly and said with a light chuckle, "Go. I'll tell you later which friends to visit."
After Lex left, the Baron's lips curled upwards, "Perform well, son. 5000 pounds is no small sum. It's enough to make a low-sequence Beyonder work for me, and enough for a mid-to-high sequence powerhouse to act once or twice."
"I hope the investment I've made in you won't be a loss."
In the small room where they studied mysticism, Lex saw his mother, Amelia, placing an exquisite metal box on the table. Seeing Lex, she waved her hand and said gently.
"Close the door."
After the door was closed, Amelia gently patted the box and said, "Before I give you these gifts, I have something to tell you."
"Lex, you are very clever. By contacting Leon, you understood the meaning of Hunter. And by actively engaging in Hunter activities, you unconsciously Playacted the role of a 'Hunter' over and over again, which allowed you to quickly digest the current stage of the potion."
Acting.
Mother knows about the 'Acting Method'.
Lex allowed himself to show a perfectly timed expression of 'surprise', "Acting? Mom, why do you say I'm Acting?"
Amelia smiled and explained, "Acting, to be precise, is 'Acting'. By Acting the role represented by the potion's name, you can speed up the digestion of the potion and resist the risk of losing control."
"This method is known to very few, even among Beyonders. My original plan was to let you adapt for a while before telling you."
"I didn't expect you to figure it out on your own."
"But Lex, you must remember, you must always remember one thing. No matter what role you Playact, you can only be you, you must be you."
"You must remember that you are only Acting. You must always maintain your 'self', otherwise, you will get lost, or even be assimilated by the residual influences within the potion, ultimately leading to loss of control."
Lex broke out in a cold sweat; this time it wasn't an act. He only knew about 'Acting' but didn't realize that 'Acting' also had problems, and significant ones at that.
"I understand, Mom, I'll be careful."
Amelia sighed softly, "If only I could, I would wish for you to always be that little boy who relied on me."
"But now, my boy has grown up and is going out into a wider world. Mother cannot stop you, nor should she."
"So Lex, you must always be vigilant and learn to protect yourself. The dangers of the mysterious world are beyond anything you can ever imagine."
Looking into the woman's eyes, Lex could feel her genuine emotions. Unlike Bison, her care for him, for the original owner, was pure and from the heart.
Amelia shook her head, as if trying to shake off that faint sadness with the motion.
She opened the box, a smile blooming anew, "Come, see the gifts I've prepared for you."
The metal box opened, and inside lay two rectangular silver pieces, a round star-dotted crystal, and a triangular white crystal.
On these silver pieces and crystals were carved Hermes incantations, symbolic patterns, and corresponding spirit numbers and magical marks.
Besides these, there was also an elegant revolver with an antique design and peculiar symbols engraved on it.
It had a long barrel and a smooth, beautiful grip. The main body of the gun was crimson, with patterns in gold, light red, and silver-white.
"These are charms Incantations, the ones we talked about in the last mysticism class."
Amelia pointed at the silver pieces and began to introduce them, "This is the 'Slumber charm Incantation'…"