Chapter 182
Eivass’s Persuasion
David was clearly very curious about Eivass.
Eivass had only just shown up yesterday, and George had said he needed to rest, so he hadn’t let David disturb him… As a result, David had patiently endured until the next morning.
After completing his morning training mission and eating breakfast, he immediately went to find Eivass.
Eivass sat in his wheelchair, watching the winter courtyard outside the window. The withered leaves on the ground had been thoroughly cleaned by the servants, and a large white gryphon was repeatedly flying with its daughter.
Emily had clearly not yet mastered the gryphon’s instinctive art of manipulating the atmosphere as if plucking strings. When she charged and flew, she’d stir up visible storms and create loud “thump-thump” noises, messing up her own fur.
The other large gryphon beside her was much faster—it could disappear in an instant and reappear again. But not only was its body completely tidy, it was also very quiet throughout the entire process, not stirring up any storms, nor even causing the small branches nearby to sway.
“That’s the gryphon’s instinctive art,” David said, seeing Eivass’s apparent curiosity. “Dad said that if humans could obtain a Storm Affinity of level three or higher, they might be able to do the same.”
“What about you?”
Eivass turned back and smiled gently, “Is your Path Trait also Storm Affinity?”
“No, I have Lightning Affinity.”
David shook his head and honestly replied, “Dad said that if I were a warrior or a swordsman, I could do as I pleased. Because the Advancement Ritual would only give us Path Traits that fit us well, and following our true hearts wouldn’t make us weak. But I will be a soldier in the future, I’ll be going to the battlefield. And it will be the most intense and brutal part.
“Because of this, any choice that deviates even slightly from the center could reduce my chances of survival. So Dad has given me clear Ascension requirements… including which abilities can be used during the ritual, which cannot; which Path Traits can be chosen, and which can be chosen under what circumstances, and which cannot…”
David complained, “I’ve had to memorize them for so long, it’s incredibly complex.”
Eivass said in a low voice, “Your father is doing it for your own good.”
The Grand Guardian indeed valued his son very much.
Generally speaking, High-Tier Extraordinary individuals found it difficult to place such importance on their descendants…
After all, when Path desires overflowed, “having a child” had become the standard and easiest way to alleviate them. And the current era’s ceiling was too low, making it easy to hit a dead end.
Once this concept, or even just the knowledge of it, was present, it was hard not to view children as tools for self-protection.
This was because the primary purpose of a child’s birth was no longer love, nor even tradition or inheritance. It was to alleviate one’s own stress.
With this in mind, Eivass asked, “Do you have any other younger brothers or sisters?”
“No.”
“Knight” young sir also expressed regret about this, “I’d actually quite like a cute little sister. John’s sister is very cute, she’s always following him around, babbling… Ah, John is my classmate.”
He explained casually.
But then he sighed again, “But Mom and Dad said that they are very busy, and it’s already their limit to take good care of me. If they had another child, with their energy split between two, neither would receive enough love, attention, or family education.
“So, at least while Dad is the Grand Guardian, he doesn’t plan on having another child. But I don’t really mind having a younger brother or sister… It would be nice to have someone to play with and train with.”
David mused about a future that might arrive at some point.
However, he was unaware of what his parents had sacrificed for him—George had been the Grand Guardian for a long time, and now he should be stuck at the threshold of level 49, just like Meg. In other words, his Pathic pressure had been building for a long time.
Having another child would effectively alleviate the Pathic pressure he endured.
And since David not only didn’t object but even looked forward to it, there would be no need to deal with internal family conflicts.
Yet, to ensure David received complete love and attention and received wholehearted education and guidance, they chose to forgo this convenient option.
Of course, there was another possibility… that the Grand Guardian’s moral standards were too high, and he believed that this would make the process of childbirth too utilitarian, and that the newborn would have a purpose even before its birth.
Therefore, he would rather bear the pain and anxiety of Pathic oppression than choose to expel this surge of desire.
…Regardless of the reason, it was truly rare.
Especially in an era where High-Tier Extraordinary individuals each had several or even more than a dozen children, this sentiment was even more precious.
“He’s right.”
Eivass sighed and said in a deep voice, “When you reach Fourth Tier, or even Fifth Tier later on… you will understand the sacrifices he is making now.”
This was not difficult.
For David, who had reached Second Tier at fifteen, progressing to Fourth Tier was a sure thing.
The World Tier’s upper limit would unlock in about a year, and that was assuming no unforeseen circumstances. The current development had already deviated slightly from Eivass’s memory, and Eivass had a premonition that “the known future would arrive earlier or later.”
For David, the only potential problem was the transition from four to five.
Starting from the advancement from Third Tier to Fourth Tier, failure or death could cause soul damage. Accumulated damage would lower the success rate of subsequent advancements. And the price of failing the four-to-five transition, at its worst now, was soul damage, while at its most severe, it could lead to immediate death.
Only after the level caps for all Nine Great Paths had been fully opened would the failure costs for four-to-five and five-to-six be lowered.
If “Knight” were to remain this naive, he might eventually be unable to advance due to accumulating too many failures.
Even if Alistair could help him once or twice… she couldn’t help him every time.
If it ever came down to a choice between abandoning the Knight to win himself, or saving the Knight and losing himself, Eivass would definitely choose the former.
And as his level rose, the intensity of the Ascent Ritual would gradually increase. The influence and suppression from the Shadow Demon’s strength would gradually decrease… Not to mention, the Ascent Ritual also contained scenarios that focused on decryption or games of wit, and not all rituals could be resolved through brute force.
At least the scenarios written by the Great Philosopher certainly wouldn’t be. He detested resolving problems with violence and combat, and his scenarios would always level the playing field for everyone’s strength. If he happened to draw his scenario, Alistair, with her inherent Shadow Demon, would become a negative factor—as others would be more likely to band together to attack her.
In such a situation, no matter how highly Eivass thought of the Knight, he would be unable to help another person advance. Furthermore, Lily would accompany “Alistair” in her advancement. Compared to the Knight, Lily was more important to Eivass.
Of course, if “Knight” could be well-trained, it would be equivalent to “Alistair” always having two reliable teammates for her advancement. In a New Moon Ritual, the advantage of starting with two teammates was infinite… at least before everyone else knew about it.
So, if possible, Eivass still wanted to help and educate David properly.
“Mr. Eivass,” David finally couldn’t help but ask, “Miss Alistair… what kind of person is she?”
“Here it comes,” Eivass thought.
“I’m not afraid of you asking, I’m afraid of you not asking.”
So Eivass pondered for a moment and then replied, “I don’t think she’s a bad person. At most, she just has a strong desire to perform and possessiveness, wanting others to pay more attention to her. Even if she uses others, I believe that as long as the intention is good, the outcome is good, and the consequences are controllable, then the process can be overlooked.”
What Eivass said was actually referring to himself, but it also fit the characteristics of that assassin lady.
Now that the “Alistair” alias was basically ready, what Eivass needed to do was to go back and clean up his own alias, to bleach it. He didn’t want to overact and attract the attention of the investigators.
It was like a “Phantom Thief”—he couldn’t be a genuinely ruthless, murderous wanted criminal, or he might be targeted by snipers; but if he was just a phantom thief who hadn’t caused any actual harm, perhaps the other party would play along with him.
Eivass didn’t want his main body to be implicated by the trouble caused by his alias.
“Therefore, I don’t believe you were deceived by her. Because Alistair does have a flamboyant charm, the kind of attraction that a true Transcendent possesses.”
Eivass said gently.
Hearing this, David was greatly surprised, “How did you know…”
He quickly realized he had said the wrong thing, but Eivass continued directly, “Because she told me your story—you met during a recent Ascent Ritual, didn’t you?”
“…Ah, yes.”
David replied with mixed feelings.
He was happy that Miss Alistair remembered him, but at the same time, he was sad that Eivass’s relationship with her was clearly closer. However, his good upbringing told him that he shouldn’t be jealous at this moment—so these complex emotions tangled together, making his heart feel chaotic.
“We agree on this.”
Eivass said gently, “I won’t stop you from embarking on the Path of Transcendence. There are no wrong paths among the Nine Great Paths; embarking on any path is your own decision, and you can forge your own way.
“But you should embark on this path only after thorough understanding. Not through the words of others guiding or misleading you—impulse born of a momentary whim cannot last, and there is no turning back once you choose a Path and profession; you cannot regret it.”
In the morning sunlight, Eivass’s sapphire-blue pupils shimmered with radiance.
As he sat in his wheelchair and spoke softly, David felt as if he saw a shadow of Alistair in him.
“Let’s look at the common profession choices on the Transcendent Path—Ritualist Mages need knowledge of Curse Studies and Ritual Studies; Demon Scholars master Demonology and Ritual Studies; Fiends are possessed by demons, unable to control even their will and bodies. So, let’s first exclude Fiends… Then, between the remaining two professions, do you want to summon demons or curse others?”
Eivass asked seriously, “Do you want to possess such Mystical Arts, or are you simply admiring Alistair and want to become like her?”
David listened just as seriously—he actually had this question too and had been thinking about it for a long time.
He shook his head, “I’m not actually interested in any of these… I just yearn for the courage to abandon everything and challenge powerful enemies.”
“—Question one, do you have the courage to face death?”
“—Question two, do you have the resolve to challenge an invincible enemy?”
Alistair’s flamboyant voice still echoed in David’s mind.
“Since that’s the case, I have a method.”
Eivass said decisively, “Actually, there are some lost professions on the Transcendent Path.
“Just as the core art of the Path of Devotion is the Illuminate Spell, which burns oneself to light others, and the most core art of the Path of Authority is leadership skills, including Word Spirits, constraints, and judgment. The core of the Transcendent Path is not demons, nor curses… but rituals.”
“Rituals?”
David asked doubtfully, “Isn’t it demons?”
Eivass smiled, “How long has it been since Demon Scholars were born? Were there no practitioners on the Transcendent Path before?”
These words were actually somewhat taboo—because it was only with a certain understanding of Demonology that one could know that Demon Scholar was actually a new generation profession. But precisely because the persona of Alistair existed, anything Eivass said wouldn’t be strange. People would fill in the blanks themselves and convince themselves.
And what he said was true—
Demons, curses, and contracts all came from the powers of other Heavenly Envoys. What truly belonged to the Father of Snakes was “rituals.”
“I actually know of a long-lost profession on the Transcendent Path that is very suitable for you.”
Eivass said in a low voice, “But you cannot take it up at this time.”
“What is it?” David blurted out.
*You kid…*
Seeing David’s utterly unreserved, almost eager inquiry, Eivass immediately understood—Alistair’s words might have had an effect, but it was likely only a partial one.
David’s desire and admiration for the Transcendent Path had not been suppressed; instead, it had become even more intense.
So, it was indeed the right time for him to tell David about this…
“It’s the [Ascencist].”
Eivass replied, half truthfully and half falsely, “This is a long-lost profession. Because it requires the candidate to have a sufficiently strong body, it can only be transferred to as a secondary Path.”
