Inside a study on the second floor of the castle, Dennis was reading the revenues and expenditures of the family estate. However, after only a few glances, he furrowed his brows, seemingly unable to continue his interest.
"Knock, knock, knock"
At that moment, a rhythmic knocking sound arose.
This slightly pleased Dennis, as it seemed Rulse must have completed his task and returned.
He thought about the time, which should be about right.
Because today was the final deadline set by Michel.
But to Dennis's surprise, it was not Rulse who entered but Tina.
Knowing Tina, she never appeared before him unless called.
"Den....Master Dennis, Lord Rulse told me if he didn't make it back by sunrise today, to let you know the task failed."
Tina was clearly frightened of Dennis, not daring to lift her head as she spoke with her gaze lowered.
"What? Say that again!"
Dennis abruptly stood up, his face contorted with a ferocious expression as he bellowed.
"Ru....Lord Rulse said....."
Tina, already terrified of Dennis, stuttered under his murderous gaze, struggling to speak clearly.
After much effort, Tina managed to repeat the words once again.
The study then fell into a long silence.
Only the heavy breathing persisted, growing more rapid!
"Damn it, are you joking with me?"
"Rulse is battle-hardened; how could he possibly fail a mission, damn it, especially against merely a farmer's son!" Dennis took a while to digest the meaning of Tina's words.
The opposite Tina trembled in fear, but she picked up on one term 'farmer's son.'
So, a 'farmer's son' could upset the noble young master to this extent.
Tina screamed as she was suddenly grabbed by the hair and pulled over, then harshly slammed onto the large desk.
Tina felt a chill over her body as her clothes were ripped open.
Immediately after, a sharp pain shot through her body!
After a series of intense panting, Dennis seemed somewhat tired.
But as he vented, he appeared to regain his composure.
Looking at Tina, who was gently sobbing with bruises of blue and purple, Dennis coldly stated, "Repeat exactly what Rulse said to you before he left, without missing a single word."
"Lord Rulse said...."
Tina's words were nearly identical to before, and Dennis could not glean any useful information from them.
"How exactly did Rulse fail?"
"Could Cleya have left that peasant any treasures?"
"Where did the two of them fight?"
"If Rulse failed his mission, did he divulge any information to the other party?"
"Moreover, with Rulse's failure, I will certainly face my father's rebuke, and I might not even be able to stay at Habsburg Manor any longer."
"Lastly, it looks month's 'Divine Blood' quota is gone..."
Dennis thought momentarily and realized his mind was swamped with a plethora of vexing problems.
And the cause of this passive situation was that person called....
Dennis rubbed his temples, he had always been called a "farmer's son," and suddenly, he forgot the other person's name.
Oh~, right, he remembered now, it was Rein!
Dennis wanted to send someone to investigate, but the few subordinates he had left were all much weaker than Rulse.
After thinking it over, he decided against sending anyone to look for Rulse's whereabouts.
After pacing back and forth in the room for a while, Dennis returned to his desk and sat down blankly.
After further contemplation, he picked up a quill and swiftly scribbled on a piece of paper, soon producing a sincerely worded letter of apology.
The first sentence began with "Dear father...."
At this point, the situation here had somewhat spiraled out of Dennis's control.
Especially with Rulse's death, he didn't believe it was an incident that could be kept hidden; instead of hiding it, it was better to report to his father and ask for help promptly.
Since Rulse was his father's favorite, it was highly likely his father would send someone to investigate.
By that time, Rein would naturally come to their attention.
Flashgold Town governmental hall.
Inside Hamilton's office.
Rein thought for a moment and realized he had figured out the assassin's matter.
But what connection did he have with that middle-aged man, the Norman family?
Just as Rein was about to ask, Hamilton began discussing the advanced magic potion on his own.
This caused Rein to focus and listen carefully.
"Rein, regarding the advanced magic potion, first, you must understand that each breathing technique corresponds to a different magic potion!"
"Fortunately, you practice the widely disseminated Giant Bear Breathing Technique, so relatively speaking, the corresponding advanced magic potion is easier to obtain."
"The method for making an advanced magic potion isn't difficult; it involves one main ingredient along with several auxiliary ingredients, just a simple mixing. But the difficulty lies in finding a good main ingredient."
"The key main ingredient of an advanced magic potion is generally called 'Transcendent Relic,' like the one for your Giant Bear Breathing Technique, which requires a Transcendent Relic from a berserk bear species—'Giant Bear's Paw'."
"With the aid of the advanced magic potion, the enhancement level of certain or multiple attributes developed by the breathing technique will be exceptionally high."
"For instance, the Swift Leopard Breathing Technique focuses on significantly enhancing agility and slightly strength, and if the advanced magic potion is made from a leopard's Transcendent Relic, like the 'Shadow Leopard's Tendon'!"
"Then, after consuming the advanced magic potion, the enhancement of the agility attribute would be especially substantial. However, if the main ingredient is from another transcendent creature, like the wind serpent, the effect would be somewhat inferior."
Rein nodded, indicating he understood what Hamilton was saying.
"Through advancement via a magic potion, not only can safety be greatly enhanced, but it can also augment the transcendent traits brought by the breathing technique."
"For example, you, Rein, if you step into the transcendent realm using the Giant Bear Breathing Technique and its corresponding advanced magic potion, in general, you would awaken a transcendent characteristic—Huge Strength, a special ability that enables superlative exertion of one's strength."
'Transcendent characteristic,' 'Huge Strength'?
Rein sharply caught these key phrases, and several thoughts flashed through his mind.
"I wonder if it could be used in conjunction with my 'Strength Burst'?"
"It's highly likely effective, but I fear my body can't handle it!"
"It seems... I need to further strengthen my Constitution."
Hamilton continued enthusiastically:
"Likewise, practitioners of the Swift Leopard Breathing Technique, after stepping into the transcendent realm, are very likely to awaken a transcendent characteristic—agility, a special ability that enables superlative exertion of one's agility."
"But this is not absolute, there was once a practitioner of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique who, after consuming the advanced magic potion made from a 'Giant Bear's Paw' of a mountain berserk bear, not only awakened the transcendent characteristic 'Huge Strength'."
"He also awakened a rare transcendent characteristic—'Thick Skin'!"
"A special transcendent characteristic that combines mysterious side energy particles."
At this point, Hamilton showed a look of longing.
Rein was also surprised; could one actually awaken two transcendent characteristics?