When the Promotion Ceremony ended and Byron’s consciousness returned to reality, his azure eyes still reflected deep unease and terror.
What happened to that disappearing lighthouse just now? Why does it feel so familiar? I always feel it’s related to that night...
At the same time, on the Sailing Logbook, the entry for "Hidden: Shadow of the Red and White Rose War (Historical Influence 31%, Decryption Rate 12%)" showed its Decryption Rate suddenly jump from 12% to 20%! This indicated that a connection indeed existed between the two.
Sadly, not even the Royal Family’s library offered a single word about that black abyss, the Sea of Origin Matter. It was as if there was an effort to sever the connection between humanity and that black ocean right from the source of all knowledge. Not only was exploration forbidden, but even understanding it was not allowed.
Yet Byron vividly remembered that on the title page of the Sailing Logbook, it was written:
"Some say we live on a tranquil little island called Ignorance, surrounded by an endless black sea.
Perhaps we should have never set sail!
But we had no choice."
The two philosophies were starkly different. The waters of this world were immeasurably deep, and even Byron, who had personally experienced the Red and White Rose War, had only touched upon an insignificant part of it. Continuing to explore would certainly be extremely dangerous. But he also deeply remembered the advice from the Sailing Logbook: The Great Flood of this world has never receded; make sure to firmly secure your Anchor!
Perhaps as long as one’s Anchor was robust and large enough, the day would come when the truth was revealed.
Setting that matter aside for the moment, Byron readjusted his mindset and began to examine the abilities he gained at the First Squire Level of the Storm Knight.
Seeing the three abilities that emerged after Cognitive Revision and Weather Intuition in the Sailing Logbook, he muttered to himself: "As expected, completely unsurprising, and utterly lacking originality."
One: Swordsmanship Mastery.
A common ability among melee Professionals. The Law imparts to you the experience accumulated by predecessors over countless ages. An ordinary person can skillfully master various types of sword weaponry without practice and substantially elevate their original level of swordsmanship.
Two: Mountain Goat Steps.
Standard issue for every Pirate and Adventurer. It enables one to move effortlessly among the rigging and spars, even after freeing their hands, leaping ten meters horizontally and three meters vertically. No matter how they twist or turn, they won’t lose their footing and fall from a mast dozens of meters high.
An exclusive ability of all Knight-class professions. It condenses all the riding experience of predecessors, allowing one to naturally ride horses, drive carriages, or even master any form of transport. The riding ability gained with the Storm Knight particularly emphasizes mastering the sea winds, allowing someone who has never touched a sailboat to instantly become a master of sailing.
The Silver Law connects the Spirituality of all humanity, past and present. Within the seven-tiered network of the Law, ranging from shallow to deep, all the History, knowledge, and even the ineffable experiences of the human species are embedded. And the human species, having distinguished itself through millions of years of Evolution, naturally possesses many innately transcendent abilities.
The initial abilities at the Squire Level mainly come from three aspects:
The first is the brain. Among the corresponding abilities, the most representative is the ’Broad Knowledge and Strong Memory’ ability of scholars from the Tower Sequence. Once awakened, one will have an eidetic memory and can even share a common database with others.
The second is endurance. Humans might not claim to be kings of endurance, but they certainly qualify as strong contenders, second only to sled dogs and mules among mundane animals. This evolved into abilities like Transcendent Endurance and Will of the Hard Stone, which can grant a person extraordinary resilience.
The third is the flexibility of one’s hands and joints. Even the most agile felids and mustelids cannot touch their own backs with their paws, but humans can easily do so, even reaching behind to touch their navel. The ability to grasp with five fingers is unparalleled, allowing for the finest motor skills, using tools, and threading needles. From this evolved abilities such as Swordsmanship Mastery, Military Weapons Mastery, Riding, and Mountain Goat Steps.
Most of these abilities were not at all flashy or fantastical; they were quite ordinary passive skills. Even the initial abilities of each Sequence were largely fixed. From the moment one stepped onto the first rung of the Ladder of Glory, the end was in sight.
The Storm Knight profession was an advanced occupation born from Pirates, akin to a combination of seafaring Pirates and land-based Knights. It incorporated the advantages of both, developing its own unique characteristics. At the Squire Level, abilities like Swordsmanship Mastery, Mountain Goat Steps, and Riding allowed him to easily become an outstanding fighter at sea. But in this, he was no different from other Storm Knights, lacking any true individuality.
To be honest, I actually rather wanted that Transcendent Stamina... ahem, it’s called ’Transcendent Endurance.’
However, compared to the generic template of others, I have my own exclusive fourth ability!
It should not be forgotten that Byron had completed his ascension in a blood duel ritual centered on ’plundering.’ He had taken not only Salman’s pirate ship, crew, treasure, and Miracle, but also one of his Extraordinary Powers.
Perhaps it was the combined effect of Heartfelt Trouble and the ritual. What Byron had taken from Salman was not the Gourmet’s foundational ability at the Squire Level. Other than the Second Order ability Dietary Supplementation, he cared little for the rest. Instead, it was from the forbidden knowledge within the Blood Brew series: the Ritual Witchcraft to create Blood of Metamorphosis—the Holy Grail of Blood! He had even inherited control over all those modified Man-Eater Sharks in the sea.
The Storm Knight’s frontal combat capability was undoubtedly excellent, ranking among the top contenders within all Sequences that formed the Ladder of Glory. However, its supportive abilities were significantly inferior. Moreover, no matter how strong a Transcendent of the conventional Ladder of Glory became, their advancement was only on a spiritual level; they could not escape the shackles of the Silver Law. They could never change the fundamental essence of being human or achieve a true shift in their level of Life. They would still age, die, and fall ill.
If his uncle, the ’Mad King’ Henry VI, had not inherited an intermittent mental illness from his maternal grandfather, Charles VI, King of the Irisflower Kingdom, the York Family would never have had the opportunity to rebel.
Forbidden knowledge, not included in the Silver Law, could solve all these issues! However, Byron was wary of the price one had to pay for learning forbidden knowledge. Even though he had already purchased the raw materials, he had been hesitating on whether to begin brewing the Blood Brew.
Now, having seized this piece of Black Sorcery through a formal Promotion Ceremony, it was as if it had been partially incorporated into the Silver Law’s system. With the Law sharing the burden, the cost of performing the ritual to use this ability would surely be significantly reduced. Of course, forbidden knowledge was still forbidden knowledge, and it would remain subject to strict limitations. It could only be exclusive to Byron. It could not be passed on like other conventional abilities, where another Storm Knight, upon initiation, might gain the skills and experience of their predecessors from the Silver Law.
With this, Byron’s abilities were comprehensively enhanced. The protection of the Storm Sigil Ring was now simultaneously active, and he no longer had to worry about being caught by any Divination. Finally, after days of fleeing, he had the means to secure a foundation for his life.
But there’s still more work to be done.
Byron pulled a piece of white cloth from his pocket, which still bore some bloodstains. It was blood from the assassin’s brass knuckles, staining the blade of the Bastard Sword from their earlier fight!
Since the assassin had initially targeted him, even though, by some stroke of luck, they had inadvertently done him a great service, now was the time to press his advantage and utterly uproot them!