Half a year later, winter gave way to spring.
Flowers began to bloom, trees sprouted tender green leaves, and the clear sound of bird calls wafted through the mountains and forests.
The name of the Fischer family had spread throughout Nasir City, especially that of the female spellcaster with the healing ability, who was known by everyone.
Karl had been silently observing and chronicling all the experiences of the Fischer family.
Following Lucius's advice, Irene acted as a "healing type spellcaster."
Sea merchant John indeed had plans for a long-term cooperation; he facilitated Irene in treating diseases for more than a dozen wealthy and influential people in Nasir.
The Fischer family gradually accumulated a substantial wealth, yet now they had more than ten servants, and the expense of employing each was not insignificant.
Lucius found the old blacksmith Ramon, who crafted a set of tough full-body armor, a reinforced breastplate, and a more sharp and finely made longsword.
He not only replaced his own equipment with high-quality gear but also trained five robust men among the servants as temporary guards for the Fischer family.
Byrne purchased an entire bookshelf's worth of books and spent every day immersed in reading, continuously absorbing knowledge.
However, the largest expense for the family was related to extraordinary power. To become Extraordinary Exponents, they had bought new extraordinary materials twice from the sea merchant, acquiring "Eye Demon Skin" and "Spectral Blue Fish Fin."
At present, the Fischer family had about fifteen gold coins left in ready money. Byrne suggested investing a portion of it.
Over the past half-year, he had carefully observed and predicted that the business of medical drugs would become popular in Nasir soon because purple-red fish were spotted in the surrounding seas, and whenever they appeared, an infectious disease would spread across the East Coast, according to the records in the books.
In the end, Irene and Lucius decided to try investing five gold coins.
Chris, who was originally just turning over in his swaddling clothes, could now crawl slowly on the ground. The little white-furred fellow had become the family's mascot, and nearly everyone was fond of him.
Three months ago, the Fischer family obtained the "Spectral Blue Fish Fin" through transactions from the sea merchant, and subsequently, Irene became the second member to ascend as an Extraordinary Exponent.
The God Pantheon stairway she ascended was the "Path of Divine Sacrifice."
The Path of Divine Sacrifice and the Path of Conquest were entirely different; Karl had imprinted a completely different Extraordinary law in the "constellations" of the Spirit Realm.
In the "constellations," there was a priestess kneeling on the ground, incessantly praying with tears in her eyes, her expression appearing as though she was yearning for deities to descend and show compassion.
From now on, people in the world of Claud could step onto this new God Pantheon stairway as long as they mastered the formula of magic potions.
The first rank of the "Path of Divine Sacrifice" was "Acolyte," with the acquired Extraordinary traits being "God Worshiping" and "Malice Perception."
Those with the "God Worshiping" Extraordinary trait could choose a deity they sincerely revered and contact the will of the deity by reciting its name daily, thereby obtaining exclusive blessings from the deity.
"Malice Perception" allowed one to sense any person or thing with malice within a five-meter radius; the range of perception could expand as Spiritual Power increased.
Without any doubt, Irene chose the Lord of the Lost as the object of her deity worship.
In addition, Irene's physical condition improved slightly, which is the baseline granted by all God Pantheon stairways.
For Lucius, who had stepped onto the Path of Conquest, his Spiritual Power had increased by about thirty percent, and his physical condition by a full hundred percent.
Conversely for Irene, her physical condition had improved by thirty percent, while the Spiritual Power contained within her soul had increased by a full hundred percent.
The "Path of Divine Sacrifice" could almost be considered the weakest God Pantheon stairway in the early stages, but its future potential and the powerful strength it could bestow in the late stages were undoubted.
A month ago, the Fischer family purchased "Eye Demon Skin" from foreign traders, and Byrne became the third person in the Fischer family to step onto the Extraordinary Path.
"Path of Knowledge"
Karl had similarly selected the most suitable path for Byrne from the thirteen God Pantheon stairways in his mind.
Assimilating Power of Consecution was about compatibility; the closer an Extraordinary Exponent's character matched it, the shorter the time allowed for ascending to the next rank.
If Byrne were to take the Path of Conquest, it might take him more than a decade to qualify for ascending to the 2nd Rank.
The Extraordinary law expanded by the Path of Knowledge was that of a wise and elderly figure in the "constellations," a visage that would even curiously peer greedily beyond the "constellations."
The first rank on the Path of Knowledge is "Chronicler," with the extraordinary traits "Profound Memory" and "Speed Sketching."
"Profound Memory," as the name suggests, allows the Chronicler to possess an unforgettable memory capacity. Even after several years, they can clearly recall every detail of anything they have seen.
"Speed Sketching" means the Chronicler acquires an extremely precise depicting ability. Any scene, creature, or object they hear or see can be represented via drawing.
And any scene, creature, or object that is depicted by a Chronicler becomes more easily destructible unless someone destroys the Speed Sketch.
Lucius and his son, Byrne, collaborated to test this. A stone drawn with Speed Sketching could have its hardness in the physical world become as feeble as black bread, easily broken apart by hand by an ordinary person.
Without a doubt, "Speed Sketching" can become a strong and powerful support-type extraordinary ability in combat.
The spiritual power a "Chronicler" advances in is quite substantial, even nearing that of a "Servant" in the Divine Sacrifice, with a slightly higher physical prowess than a "Servant."
The power obtained at the first rank of the God Pantheon stairway still has a gap when compared to traditional Extraordinary Exponents of the 1st Level.
Karl judged that they would likely have to reach the 2nd Rank before they could match the Extraordinary power of traditional Exponents at Level 1.
In his mind, he knew there were a total of twelve ranks on the God Pantheon stairway, while the traditional Extraordinary levels on the Ouden Continent only counted five.
And even Exponents who reach the 5th Level can't even begin to compare to the gods.
Clearly, the potential upper limit of Consecution power is much higher in the later stages!
Although all three members of the Fischer family had become Extraordinary, aside from Irene, the other two hadn't revealed their identities yet.
----
Lucius, wearing a breastplate, arrived in a small alley in the East City District of Nasir City. The young man in a black robe in front of him was a wine peddler, smiling as he scanned the surroundings for any strangers.
"I've bought wine from you several times in the last half a year, and indeed, it's quite delightful and memorable. Is it true that you have channels for smuggling wine?"
Lucius narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the young wine peddler, and continued, "If there's more smuggled wine, I would like to purchase a few crates. The Fischer family is willing to cooperate, do you really have a reliable source?"
The wine peddler smiled and nodded, saying,
"Rest assured, I haven't tricked you. After all, I have a brother to support and would not forgo any opportunity to make money."
He spoke as if chatting with a good friend, relaxed.
"Mr. Lucius, please come with me."
"Sure!"
Lucius followed the young wine peddler excitedly. Together, they headed to a port outside of Nasir Town, slowly approaching a warehouse.
"It's right here," said the young wine peddler.
Suddenly, Lucius stopped in his tracks, swiftly drawing his blade and dodging to the side.
An axe thrown with great force whizzed past him, striking the warehouse door.
Lucius quickly saw who his assailants were—three jungle natives wearing animal skins and with black patterns on their faces.
"I've brought the man!"
The young wine peddler turned and ran, his panic causing him to flee immediately from the location, clearly in collusion with the jungle natives.
"So it's you guys, I see. You dirt-eating fellows from the jungle finally noticed, huh?"
Lucius said, smiling with narrowed eyes. He naturally knew about the bodies buried near the wooden hut and what had transpired that night.
The mysterious being worshipped by these jungle natives was none other than the Mighty Bloody Demon, and they prided themselves as members of the Blood Cult.
He had been aware that there was a possibility of retaliation.
After half a year, the natives of the jungle finally sought to exact revenge on the Fischer family.
Three jungle natives gravitated toward Lucius with an axe in hand, their battle consciousness alert as they watched the well-crafted sword in this man's grasp.
Lucius tilted his head, displaying a lethargic disinterest as he said,
"Jungle mongrels, you understand the language of us Cyart people, right?"
"How about some information on the Blood Cult? As far as I know, your kind is scattered across the East Coast, easily numbering in the thousands, but disunited and fragmented."
He attempted communication, but no one responded, the eyes of the three jungle natives burning with an intense, pressing hatred.
"Hey, if you don't want to talk, that's fine."
No sooner had his words fallen than Lucius's body burst forward, moving at an astonishing speed despite wearing a steel cuirass.
He always preferred to launch an attack during the "dialogue phase."
A thrust, a simple yet very effective move.
Lucius's physical abilities far exceeded the ordinary, blurring before the natives' eyes, and just like that, one of them had a longsword piercing through his chest.
"AAAAHHHHHHHH!"
The other two natives, coming back to their senses, raised their axes in utmost anger and charged at Lucius in almost perfect unison.
Lucius savagely pulled out his bloodied longsword and leaped back several meters with a powerful push from his legs, easily dodging the pincer attack.
The two natives were dazed for a moment, feeling like they were playing a game of hide-and-seek with an agile black cat, then fear began to rise within them.
Could this man possibly be an Extraordinary Exponent?
"Ha!"
Lucius charged again, swinging his sword with immense strength, the blade brutally smashing and shattering the neck bones, sending a jungle native's head flying.
The last native turned to run but had his thigh bone broken by the sword's edge, tumbling and struggling on the ground in agony.
The whole fight lasted less than ten seconds, and Lucius couldn't help but laugh and reflect, "If this were six months ago, it would probably have been a tough battle."
His senses, strength, speed, reaction, agility, and even weaponry had significantly improved—it was not like the old days anymore.
He hadn't even needed the power of his protective runes to effortlessly end the fight.
Meanwhile.
Karl's consciousness silently observed everything, his essence attached to Lucius's body, eager to learn what the sole adult male of the Fischer family would do next.
On the surface, Lucius seemed harmless and even somewhat likable to many, but in reality, he was a man with a merciless heart.
"Hey, don't bother trying to escape; I have a lot of questions for you."
Lucius smiled and squatted next to the anguished, howling native, his tone filled with the most primitive and concentrated malice.
The atmosphere all around turned icy cold, and the native trembled all over, suddenly realizing the man before him carried an evil bloodline!
His face bore a smile akin to that of a demon!
In the impoverished East City District of Nasir Town, a young alcohol vendor squatted in his shanty wooden home, waiting for news, frowning with anxiety as he paced back and forth.
Last week, the jungle natives had come to him out of the blue, hoping to get information about the Fischer family.
The vendor had instantly refused the natives without hesitation, even threatening angrily to report them to the patrol teams in Nasir City. Over the half-year he knew Lucius, the man had been quite generous and went out of his way to help him settle two robber gang disturbances.
He could not betray him like that.
Unfortunately, the natives had upped their stakes with promises and drawn their weapons menacingly.
The vendor finally realized he couldn't refuse. He had initially intended to divulge only some information about the Fischer family, avoiding getting too involved in either side's affairs.
Yet to his astonishment, he learned that simply by luring Lucius to the harbor's designated spot, he would receive a Gold Coin as reward!
He muttered to himself while pacing, "The deposit, all I've got now is the five silver coin deposit, my Gold Coin, oh, the Gold Coin!"
"Your Gold Coin, is it?"
The young vendor suddenly heard a familiar voice and instantly felt as though he'd been plunged into an ice-cold pit, wanting to run but finding his limbs entirely weak.
"What's wrong with you, don't be afraid, we are friends after all."
Lucius suddenly appeared with a smile, and like he was picking up a small animal, he grabbed and dragged him out of the house.
The young wine merchant was about to shout for help when he was suddenly met with a vicious threat.
"Don't scream, or you and your brother are both dead!"
The neighbors, seeing the old mercenary clad in armor and wielding a blade, all avoided the scene, with nobody willing to come to his aid.
Having no way to escape, the young wine merchant was limply led away by Lucius.
"Tell me, what's going on? If what you say doesn't match his story, then you too shall die."
In the hidden alley, upon seeing the corpse of a jungle native who had been tortured and killed, the young wine merchant felt as if his very blood vessels had frozen.
He screamed in extreme fear, "I'll tell you everything! Can you let me go after I've spoken? Please let me go! I have a younger brother at home!"
Lucius nodded calmly, took a deep breath, and said without hesitation and with great seriousness, "Of course, I'll let you go, because deep down, I still consider you a friend!"
"I never break a promise, don't worry!"
The young wine merchant was stunned for a moment, then teared up with remorse as he confessed everything, truly regretting his actions.
The more Lucius listened, the more he frowned. The jungle natives had almost pinpointed the culprit behind the original incident and seemed to know quite a lot about the current affairs of the Fischer family.
According to what the tortured jungle native had said, it seemed that several priests from the Blood Cult who were at odds had come to an agreement: whoever could avenge the Fischer family would gain control of the old priest's resources.
The Fischer family was completely targeted, an undoubtedly terrible fact.
The young wine merchant relaxed a bit and forced a smile, "I've said everything, Lucius, let me go, please. I have a brother at home, and I will definitely compensate you in a few days."
"Alright."
The moment the young wine merchant smiled, Lucius nodded expressionlessly and swiftly swung his sword at the man's head. Red blood and white brain matter immediately splattered across the walls around them.
Traitors were even more despicable than enemies; betrayers had to be killed, for if the wine merchant lived and word got out, anyone would dare betray the members of the Fischer family in the future!
After searching and disposing of the body, Lucius sat in the young wine merchant's home with unsettled expressions, sitting silently on a chair.
As dusk fell, the merchant's younger brother returned home with a bundle of wild fruit, looking rather ordinary and only a few years older than Lucius's son.
"Who are you?"
The boy who had just returned from gathering wild fruit was stunned. The man waiting silently in his home wasn't his brother but a stranger he didn't recognize.
Lucius, sitting calmly on the chair from within the shadows, had an angular face devoid of any expression.
Knowing that someone had seen him taking the wine merchant from here, Lucius was clear that the seed of hatred had been planted, and even those who seemed harmless must be handled with caution.
Even an extraordinary exponent could fall to the scheming of mortals. Knowing how to nip such chains of hatred in the bud, he flashed a trustworthy smile.
"Your brother is looking for you; he has too much merchandise to move and asked me to bring you over to help."
The boy was skeptical but still nodded.
"Um, okay."
Lucius led the boy out of the house, and neither of them returned.
As night descended, the taverns of Nasir City filled with the boisterous voices of sailors.
The patrol of Nasir City was led by the local sheriff, who was a member of the baronial Hovern family, responsible for maintaining the town's basic security.
After dealing with the body, Lucius immediately went to the city hall of Nasir City, found the patrol team's department, and with a smile, pulled a silver coin from his breast and handed it to a member of the patrol team.
"Hey, you guys have been working hard. I'm Lucius from the Fischer family. I got some fine wine from the wine merchant and wanted to share it with the sheriff."
He wasn't afraid of the news spreading; killing someone who colluded with an evil cult was in line with the laws of the Cyart Kingdom and the True Gods Church, but Lucius knew that even when lawful and reasonable, a proper bribe was still very necessary.
The patrol team members exchanged glances, looking at the man with the bloodstained but smiling face.
"Don't be so serious, everyone."
The patrol team leader nodded, swallowed, took Lucius's hand holding the silver coin, and replied with a smile,
"Mr. Lucius, the sheriff will certainly be interested in the wine you mentioned."