Aurora Scroll

"I see you are all confused," Viers smirked.

"Nope, not at all. This is just another one of your antics," Paina denied it. She would not give Viers the satisfaction.

"A question Lord Viers," Farley asked as she sat. "Who are the others? By my count, there are even more than I know."

"I was wondering about that too," Clarissa said. "First there are the five of us, then Boram, the Blood Church girl, the girl that fell for your fake handsome face, but who else? Did you give the girls from the Church white cards? The angel touched and the blonde who your Divine Sword ran away with?"

Clarissa guessed the participation of Izabella, Sakuya, Rose, and Ciel. Since all of them were wearing black robes that were inspired by Organization XIII, their identities were well hidden so she couldn't be sure.

"Hmhmhm, you'll know in due time," Viers refused to elaborate.

Actually, there were only seven people in attendance. Viers and his double counted as one, Boram, Jessica, and the four here. The rest were fake phantoms.

"But why do this?" Paina asked.

"I am getting to that."

"Er, so the Big Boss is…?" Jessica still hesitated.

"It's Viers, Jessica. Lord Viers is the Boss, always has been," Farley replied with a sigh.

"Alright, enough distractions. Let's begin. Croix will be enrolling at the Sinclair Academy soon. Boram and Alfred will accompany him," Viers began telling the order of events to his inner circle.

"What about you?" Paina asked.

"I'm not going. But most of you will."

That created another round of confused expressions.

"I do not follow," Jessica added.

"I'm planning on sending Luca, Gwen, and Tim to the academy. Not for the Pathseeker department of course, but there are other affiliated institutes for the younger ones to learn there. That place is basically an academy city. The younglings will get a top-notch education there. Also, it is a safe place. Well, not absolutely safe but almost as safe as it can be."

Farley and Jessica had blood relations with the two of the kids. They cared for them. Their happiness felt like their own.

"A most generous offer, Lord Viers… But why do this? You've done more than we could have asked for," Farley knew Viers' personality. He wouldn't give without having nothing to gain.

"And the cost! I planned on Tim going to a school there but the price was too high," Jessica interjected.

"Leave it to me. I'll pay their tuition in full until they graduate at the age of fifteen. Remember, I'm rich."

Pathseeker School would only accept fifteen-year-olds and older. However, people younger than that could also learn a lot of things, just like the schools on Earth. However, in this world the commoners couldn't afford such things so it was mainly for the children of nobles. Viers just said he would give the privilege to the three kids.

The girls were still confused but Viers continued on.

"While the kids go to school, Farley and Jessica, the two of you will go with them. By being physically closer, you and them should be more at ease adapting to the new life. The two of you have a choice: to enroll as a student or not. If you do, you'll have to become Croix's classmate by showing your worthiness. Relax though. No School will turn away a capable student; they'll want you to enter instead. Farley should have no problem, as for Jessica, you'll need a bit more time. Thankfully, you still have a few months to improve."

Viers assumed the Gendo Ikari pose, a shame he didn't wear glasses.

"If you enter as a student then you'll naturally have tasks and obligations for the academy. In return for entering for free, you'll share their curriculum with me. If you choose to not enroll, then I'll have tasks for you to do in the city. Nothing insidious. It will be like starting a shop and buying-selling things. Either way, that place is like the center of the world. People from all corners of the continent go there. I'm sure there will be many things to learn and opportunities to grasp."

Viers turned to Paina next.

"Paina will go towards Zetel, to the southwest. Clarissa and the three elementals will occasionally accompany you. You said you want to help people, right? Well, in your travels I'm sure you'll find people to help aplenty. Rumors are that the sultanate's climate is very harsh. The elites are fine in their magic cities but the common folk aren't so lucky. Plant the teleportation points as you travel."

Viers' eyes landed on Clarissa.

"With your condition, you cannot be away from me for too long. I also require your alchemy products. But according to my knowledge, some lamias have been sighted in the Zetel Sultanate. You might be able to meet your kindred."

Clarissa looked slightly surprised and full of thoughts.

Of the Four Great Nations of the Human Dominion, Zetel and Herkelan were the two that Viers had yet to visit, therefore, no Gate Plants for fast travel. Viers chose to send Paina to Zetel instead of Harkelan because of the concerning findings from the place recently, like guns and other weaponry.

Was an otherworlder already making his Kingdom-building story there?

If so, how much has it progressed? Viers had to find out before he was too late.

"Any objections?" Viers asked.

"You don't need to send Gwen and the others to Sinclair, Lord Viers. You even assigned Jessica to be their teacher. If this is to appease us, I assure you I have no desire to ask more for my sister. You have done aplenty," Farley said.

Jessica nodded in agreement. What she and her son had been given had exceeded all her expectations.

"I am not a virtuous man but I do try to treat my employees right. A forced worker works poorly compared to a motivated one. If you feel gratitude, then I expect to see the result in your work."

"By your will," Jessica said.

"I will go beyond your expectations," Farley said in the same spirit.

"Well, I have no objections either," Paina said lightheartedly. "But I feel kind of lonely with us going our separate ways."

"Incorrect. With the distance involved, physically converging in Viridis regularly will be too expensive. That is why I made the Velvet Sea in order to connect us all, you cardholders. I won't always summon your whole body here, usually just your consciousness and physical stuff that you want to trade. The connectivity is much easier and costs way less."

Nothing was without a price. Naturally, Dia's teleportation was included. Opening portals from one dimension to another was not an ordinary feat.

Velvet Sea was a pocket space that Viers recently created from the Realm Core of the Liapris' elves' graveyard. It was much smaller than Viridis but it was custom-made for a specific reason, so some things that normally weren't possible were made possible here.

With the mention of the Velvet Sea, the topic went back to the cards.

"Right, so what's up with this?"

Paina conjured her card. It was no longer white. One side was a common face shared by all the cards while the other side was unique for each of them.

The Temperance.

The others also brought forth their cards. Each did so differently. The cards were in their soul. Farley reached for her pocket and since she willed it, her hand came out with the card. Clarissa looked at the table and with a flash of fire, the card appeared.

Farley with the Magician.

Clarissa with the High Priestess.

Jessica with the Star.

Looking at the major arcana assembled before him made Viers feel happy.

"Your pseudonyms for the club meeting. I know, it's cool."

"Might be if we knew what it meant," Paina pressed.

"Was there a mistake, Lord Viers? The Magician seems more fitting for Paina than me," Farley said. She was a spear wielder by trade. Her Artes were mostly close-ranged too.

Jessica also struggled with how she had a resemblance with stars and Clarissa asked herself what she was even a priestess of.

But Viers was adamant.

"Each of those cards represents something symbolic. I've chosen each of them carefully. One day I hope you can look at it and feel pride. That is all that I will say on the matter."

"What about other people, like Boram?" Paina gasped. "What's yours?"

Assigning Boram's card was an easy one, the Strength.

Izabella the Blood Church's Vice-Vicar was more difficult to place but Viers settled with the Hermit.

The rest of the seats were still empty but Viers had entertained several candidates. Some were still not certain but there were enough members for the Arcanum Club to start to function.

"Mine? This is mine."

The Fool.

Viers showed his card without a speck of shame. On the contrary even, with pride.

"...Is that some sort of joke? There's no way I can call you with such disrespect, Lord," Farley conveyed.

"Perhaps this is the Viers that is the Big Boss' disciple's card?" Jessica guessed.

"So you want us to call you the Fool during the gathering, truly?" Clarissa asked for confirmation.

"No," Viers said sternly. "The Fool is someone else, who's a lord of many mysteries. The Big Boss for that persona and just Boss for me will suffice."

Viers basked in the silence that followed.

"You've given us our assignments but what will you do?" The lamia princess inquired.

"I seem to recall you speak about Level 4 ascension?" Jessica made eye contact.

"Yes, from now on, I'll focus most of my attention on the breakthrough process. I already have all I need."

That was why Viers rejected Croix's offer of going to the Sinclair Academy with him. Looking at this with cliché-critical eyes, Viers was certain he would be at the eye of a typhoon of a huge development at the academy. If not him then the prince.

Viers said no to that. He has been a Level 3 for long enough.

But in contrast to common thought, he was still an eighteen-year-old Level 3 peak Pathseeker.

That was an impressive speed of growth. Too fast even. He was a couple of months away from nineteen but that didn't matter much.

Even the Silver Legion youths that he met in Valkut were still Level 3 while in their mid twenties.

The reason was something deeper in the Path of Power. Viers had a lot of resources that he amassed from various sources, so did the Silver Legion guys in Valkut, so did Prince Marvin. Could they become Level 4 earlier? Yes, but should they?

Level 4 Marvin might be, but he was defeated by Viers who was a Level 3 and now became a breeding stud if Izabella was telling the truth.

Viers knew he should not rush things since cultivation Level was not everything. Surely there were other productive things he could do.

But the problem was, he kinda maxed out. His Intio was full of mana and his Profound Codex had reached full mastery because of the Nutra-improved Profound Training.

He had exhausted his avenue of growth, at least what was within his means. Only the door to Level 4 remained. He could tinker with new Artes and the like but it would not increase his power significantly, only little gains. There was the body refining path like in the Fables but he had his monster transformation that was just as good.

So Viers would knock on the door to Level 4.

Only, he would do it in an unconventional way.

Other MCs in power fantasy stories often used a cultivation system that was outside the norm. For example, if normal people forge a golden core, the MC guy forged a double golden core. If the perfect cultivation was 100 revolutions the MC guy would do 1001 revolutions.

Outlandish and over the top, but this resulted in their strength eclipsing others in the same generation.

Viers would go down this route.

His quest for knowledge by using soul search was never-ending.

He gathered and studied every ancient, legendary, forbidden, evil cultivation technique that the myriad of souls knew and analyzed them. Since some souls were even Level 4s or 5s that had lived longer than centuries, Viers' well of knowledge was deep indeed.

Most were a dud, fake, useless, no longer viable, or were purely theoretical, but some were proven to be legit.

Viers further modified them to create something that was entirely compatible with himself. The experience of creating a lot of Artes from imagination gave him the skill he needed.

The result of his research was a most volatile method that would make him possess far more power than a budding Level 4 should. Breaking common sense, just like other MCs in their own stories often were. But there was a catch. It was quite painful.

He named this Arte No Pain No Gain.

The longer the painful period, the more he would gain. Viers had studied that the pain was at a degree that could kill a grown man. He calculated that the original version of the technique advised a period of one year and no more.

It would be lying to say he wasn't afraid.

But pain was an old friend. Viers was prepared for pain and suffering since he was a Level 0.

Cultivation is pain.

Life is suffering.

His heart was set.

And so Viers prepared for a long seclusion.

"My Level 4 ascension will be a bit different than usual. It should take more or less three years. We all have our roles. Go and live your life. May fortune be with you. Dismissed."