Chapter 336: The First Lesson

Pierro’s final sentence left everyone present in shock.

To allow a Divine Servant to seal a god! Indeed, that one sentence already truly broadened their entire perspective.

It was Pierro saying those words, their instructor for the day. Although he had not shared his title or status, no one questioned his qualifications. Furthermore, that intimate yet distant friend he had mentioned must also hold an extremely lofty position.

When spoken by people of different standing, the same words could leave entirely different impressions.

Karon’s surprise, however, was different from everyone else’s. He vaguely felt that the friend Pierro had just mentioned might be Mr. Hoffen. No, Grandpa Hoffen.

In the notes that Mr. Hoffen had left for Karon concerning ritual arrays, the study of arrays was separated into five levels: beginner foundation, intermediate application, advanced integration, and top-level perspective. That final level had been left nearly blank, and Karon believed that by doing that, Mr. Hoffen meant that the path of arrays had no end.

Karon had only just completed beginner foundation and was currently studying intermediate application, but that did not mean he had sealed away the later sections and never looked at them. It was not as if he had to learn one level, then run to the old man to ask for the next. The complete notes were in his hands, so how could he possibly resist the temptation to peek ahead?

The top-level section began with a single line: The essence of arrays is perspective.

When it came to insight, it could not be ruled out that others might arrive at the same conclusion and theory, but in terms of practice, Mr. Hoffen had already succeeded. On this matter, the dog back home had the greatest authority to speak.

A Divine Servant of the Church of Principle had truly sealed a heretical god. Moreover, the materials and assistance he had used had been extremely limited. The raw materials had been nothing more than an ordinary golden retriever. Mr. Hoffen had received help from a psychic-type demonkin who had been strong enough to fight an ordinary Inquisitor to a draw, as well as an Inquisitor.

That old man, who had nearly been done in for good after falling over when he had first cautiously probed Karon, had once had such a glorious past.

After he had been Awakened, the notes he had prepared for Karon within that brief window of time almost required a large suitcase to contain them all, and were a truly priceless treasure.

This also revealed the advantage of a person’s choices. There was one person who had studied Mr. Hoffen’s notes seriously from the very beginning, starting even before Karon had, and who was utterly obsessed with them.

That person was Alfred.

As expected of a man who possessed the Succubus Eye. His eye for things was truly impressive.

Pierro raised his arm and said, “Of course, the perspective I speak of is not necessarily absolutely correct. The array system’s legacy is extremely ancient, but it has often accompanied the turbulence of the churches and the changes of epochs, repeatedly falling into a cycle of being lost, recovered, studied, then lost again, recovered again, and studied again.

“But for all of you, I hope you can remember this answer, because I believe it to be correct, and that friend of mine also believes it to be correct.

“To begin with, absolute eternity does not exist in this world. We only need to acknowledge what is correct for this period of time.” As he spoke, a cluster of sparks appeared at Pierro’s fingertips.

In an instant, the enormous ice pillar beneath everyone’s feet began to turn red, and the sea below began to surge, as though an undersea volcano was about to erupt.

As this happened, Karon saw what seemed to be an entirely black building beneath the sea in the distance.

Pierro noticed Karon’s gaze and smiled. “That is where you will need to go for your later classes. It is not the subject of today’s lesson. Come, I will take you around a bit more.”

The ice pillar collapsed, scattering fiery motes through the air, yet when those lights reached the group, they felt no heat, no searing burn. Instead, those lights transformed into red butterflies that filled the sky, fluttering around them in a dreamlike manner.

At this moment, Mars, Degart, and Pasquio abruptly retreated, calling out to their teammates at the same time. “Quick, retreat!”

Karon also prepared to retreat, but suddenly sensed that something was off. That feeling came from a familiar sense within his mind.

After using perspective as the introduction to the final volume, Mr. Hoffen’s opening to his array notes then cited a counterexample, which was mainly intended to suppress a sort of blindly optimistic confidence.

Mr. Hoffen: Perspective is standing on the balcony of a castle you have painstakingly built and looking out at the surrounding scenery. It is not lying on muddy ground in the middle of a storm and shouting that you have already seen everything.

So, Karon did not move. He felt that Instructor Pierro intended to first stir up the students’ enthusiasm, only to then pour cold water on it to cool them down.

Karon did not move, so Vintral, who had always stood behind him, also did not move. All along, whatever Karon did, Vintral followed. Seeing that Vintral was not moving, Ashley and Bart, who had already begun retreating, also stopped.

Within their squad, Mars and Blanche were still retreating, while Murray’s entire squad was retreating. They already knew this instructor liked to toy with people, and they trusted the judgment of their squad’s array master.

Immediately afterward, a crack opened up beneath Karon’s feet. It extended farther and farther, spreading beneath Vintral, Bart, and Ashley.

Mars shouted, “Captain, retreat! The transfer coordinates are on a cliff!”

Karon still did not move.

Finally, the seawater, waves, ice pillar, flames, butterflies, and everything else dissipated, and everyone arrived on the hillside in front of the hotel. Karon and the others stood atop solid ground, while Bart and Ashley stood above a cliff.

“Ah!” Everyone in that group fell. Some transformed into black mist, others caught themselves on the cliff face, while others took out scrolls or holy relics they carried with them.

“Hey, hey!” At this moment, the familiar sound wave swept over them again, forcing those who had turned into black mist back into solid form, while also causing the rocks that those on the cliffside were clinging to to slide loose and those who had taken out scrolls and holy relics to lose their connection to the items in their hands.

Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! One after another, eight people plunged into the water.

Falling into water from such a height would be extremely painful if one did not adjust their posture properly.

Karon glanced back. This instructor is teaching according to the process in Mr. Hoffen’s array notes!

Of course, it could also be understood that after communicating with Pierro, Mr. Hoffen had reached a familiar conclusion, and had then written the process down afterwards.

Pierro walked over to Karon. The old man was not tall, and when he looked at Karon, he had to raise his head slightly. “You saw through it?”

Karon shook his head and said, “I guessed.”

“Guessed?” Pierro continued. “How did you guess?”

“I guessed that after telling us about the boundlessness of perspective, you would teach us about the reality beneath our feet.”

“Very clever.” Pierro took out a small pouch and handed it to Karon.

Karon reached out to take it, then saw the old man take out a pipe. This pipe looked very familiar to Karon, because it was practically identical to the one Saman had once used.

In general style and shape, pipes were more or less the same, but if the detailed patterns were identical as well, it was impossible for there not to be a connection, especially since Saman’s pipe had not been bought from a shop, but was a spatial holy relic he had crafted himself.

“Mm, beautiful, isn’t it?” Pierro raised the pipe to hold it before Karon.

His heart skipped a beat. He had clearly concealed his emotions very well the entire time, yet this instructor had still sensed something. Before someone of this level, Karon truly could not relax even the slightest bit.

“It’s exquisite.” As Karon answered, he opened the small pouch and pulled out a pinch of tobacco with his fingers, and then placed it in the bowl of the pipe. This had been the instructor’s intention all along, to have his student lend him a hand.

Pierro smiled. “Of course. A friend gave it to me.”

“That same close friend who lives far away?” Karon deliberately guessed wrong.

“No, another friend. I have quite a lot of friends, though in recent years, there have been fewer, and we no longer visit each other much. Ah, did you bring a lighter?”

Karon took a lighter out from his pocket. Although he had already quit smoking, he was used to keeping a pack of cigarettes and a lighter in his pocket.

With a flick, he lit the pipe. Pierro took a puff, then pointed at Karon and said, “Have a smoke too. Smoking is permitted in this class.”

“I do not smoke.”

“You carry a lighter even though you don’t smoke?”

“I used to work at a funeral home. It became a habit.”

“Oh, very good.” Pierro exhaled a smoke ring. “Next time, it would be best to bring matches. Do you know why?”

“Because cigarettes lit with a lighter lack class and are missing a touch of soul.”In his previous life, he had not liked using windproof lighters either.

Pierro’s eyes lit up, and he let out a laugh. “Hehe.”

The old man then walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. He raised his pipe and said, “An instructor should always reward students who answer correctly. How about this? Whoever can guess what kind of holy relic this pipe is will receive a reward from me.”

Bart said, “It is a healing-type holy relic.”

He felt that the tobacco leaves must be some special healing item, which were then transformed by the pipe to heal the body.

Ashley replied, “It is a psychic-type holy relic.”

She felt that the smoke rings possessed some sort of hallucinatory effect.

Vintral said, “It is... it is a defensive-type holy relic.”

Defensive holy relics were the most common objects that could be carried close to one’s body without arousing suspicion.

No one guessed that it was a spatial holy relic, because it was difficult for ordinary people to imagine that a tiny pipe could have anything to do with spatial storage. When most people summoned weapons or other items at close range, they used consumable scrolls to guide arrays. Very few used physical objects, as there was no need.

Pierro looked at Karon. Clearly, he was waiting for Karon’s answer.

With absolute confidence, he answered, “It is an amplification-type holy relic. It can amplify and strengthen the effects of Arts.”

“Correct!”

“...”

Pierro took a coin out from his pocket and tossed it to Karon. “It’s just a little thing that can enhance purification for a period of time. It is a one-use consumable, so use it wisely.”

“Thank you, instructor.”

Ashley, Bart, and Vintral looked at Karon with admiration. As expected of their captain, he had an accurate eye for things.

Karon could only conceal a bitter smile. He had clearly and deliberately chosen the wrong answer, but this instructor had wanted to reward him and had only brought a single silver coin.

“Aiya...” Pierro stretched, then cleared his throat and said to Karon, “You said earlier that you saw through my teaching method?”

“I would not dare say that.”

“In my class, I value freedom. Speak however you like. It’s fine. Then let me ask you again; what exactly did I mean by the addition and subtraction I mentioned earlier?”

Karon put on a thoughtful expression while internally fabricating a reasonable, well-supported, wrong answer.

Pierro exhaled another smoke ring and said, “If you answer incorrectly, I will throw you down the cliff. If rewards are given, there should also be punishments, right?”

Karon hesitated again, but then said, “Addition is the original accumulation that occurs at the very beginning. It is indispensable, because only when enough has been accumulated can a qualitative change be triggered. Subtraction is not cutting away from that accumulation, nor is it choosing to retreat while climbing a mountain or walking a road. Rather, it is advancing lightly in an entirely new way, which represents the sublimation of one’s understanding.”

Beside him, although Vintral and the others could not understand what their captain was saying, though they felt that it sounded extremely impressive.

Pierro pursed his lips.

Karon’s expression was calm. In the end, he was unwilling to be thrown into the sea and be soaked.

“What is your name?”

“Karon. Karon Silva.”

“Which district are you from?”

“York City.”

“Who is your instructor?”

“I have no specific instructor, but I often read and study on my own.”

“Are ritual arrays your main focus?”

“No.”

“What is?”

That... was a little too much to list. “I am a member of the Whip of Order.”

“The Whip? That makes things a bit difficult...” Pierro muttered to himself. Clearly, he knew about the higher-ups’ pending reform arrangements for this group of youths, as well as the hundred-plus young people from various districts who had participated in the final selection. “How much do you understand about arrays?”

“I have only just passed the foundation stage.”

Pierro turned around to look at Karon with a smile. “For the next two years, do not neglect your array studies. Two years from now, bring this coin... Tsk, forget it. Use the coin whenever you need to. Two years from now, come back to Teygan Region and find me. I’ll test your mastery of arrays then.”

“Yes, instructor.”

At this moment, the people who had fallen into the sea climbed back to the top, arriving one after another.

Pierro proceeded to give the soaked students a speech meant to cool their heads. After this lecture ended, Pierro clapped his hands again, and everyone arrived within a pitch-black cave. A fishy stench drifted in from all around them.

“Hey, hey!” Lamps instantly lit within the cave. They could see one demonic beast after another before everyone. Each one was different, but all of their eyes were closed, as though asleep. Even so, strands of thread bound their bodies.

“The basic application of arrays requires that one distinguish between the different circumstances of different targets. However, I did not bring you here tonight to tell you what kind of array should be used against what kind of demonic beast. Instead, I brought you here to stand in the demonic beasts’ perspective and see what kind of array imprisons them.

“The Reincarnation Gate has existed since the previous epoch. Throughout all these long years, it is possible that not even the Church of Reincarnation itself knows how many arrays have already been placed inside and outside of the Reincarnation Gate.

“Come. For the next three hours, examine these arrays on your own. Once you return to the hotel, an illustrated entry for each demonic beast will be delivered to your rooms. You can compare your observations then.

“Let’s begin!”

“Yes, instructor.”

“Yes, instructor.”

After that, everyone began observing and analyzing each demonic beast one at a time, moving as a squad.

However, perhaps because he had been one of the people to fall into the water, Mars seemed to be a bit lacking in confidence, and kept seeking Karon’s opinion, placing Karon’s experience above everything else. With no other choice, Karon could only comfort the young man and tell him to boldly voice his own views.

In the eyes of the other squad members, this was their captain being broad-minded and approachable, encouraging his underlings and showing his trust for them.

When one was fully immersed in something, three hours could pass very quickly.

Pierro, who leaned against the wall in a corner smoking his pipe the entire time, tapped the pipe with a hand and stood up. “Time’s about up. Gather around.”

Everyone returned to stand before him.

“All of you are very outstanding young people. It would not be an exaggeration to call you the future hope of our Church of Order, so I sincerely hope to teach you more things.

“Unfortunately... I am lazy.” Pierro let out a long sigh before continuing, “There is still a little time left, so I will take you to see some scenery.”

After he finished speaking, Pierro waved an arm, and everyone reappeared on the hillside. The hotel was below them on the opposite side. “I was once very curious. In the very, very distant past, what was the purpose of those people pursuing arrays? At first, I believed it was utilitarian.

“Now, I still believe it was utilitarian.

“On the surface, there seems to be no change between then and now, yet there has also been an indelible change. For example, I created several arrays of my own. They were not made to be practical, but to amuse my little grandson, to coax him into eating half a slice of bread more and two less pieces of the candy that would rot his teeth.” Pierro shook out his priest’s robe and closed his eyes. Beneath his feet, a rainbow appeared, extending all the way into the sky.

He beckoned, signaling for everyone to follow him. They stepped onto the rainbow. When Karon stepped onto it, he could sense that what lay beneath his feet was formed from several arrays blended together. Although they were all beginner arrays, there was an exquisite balance at play.

Very quickly, dark clouds appeared all around them, but these clouds carried no lightning nor oppressive weight. Instead, they began changing to form the shapes of small animals that ran about, playing. Some even approached the side of the rainbow bridge to interact with the young people there.

Music filled their ears. At this moment, the sound seemed like the most natural and pure existence, and it lingered around them all.

Pierro stopped and spread his arms. Before him was the sky. Meteors streaked down from the heavens, mysterious and brilliant in the night sky. “Please remember the beauty of this scene.

“Hey, hey!” Everyone was wrapped within cyclones, and their bodies began to move along with them. When the cyclones disappeared, everyone discovered that they had been returned to the conference hall.

“Whew...” Karon let out a long breath.

Murray, who was sitting in the same row as Karon, turned to him. “That was a very interesting lesson.”

“Yes.”

“It would have been better if we had not fallen into the water.”

“No.”

“Hmm?”

“Because I didn’t fall in.”

“Hahaha, you really are...”

“Where did all of you go!” At this moment, a middle-aged man wearing Order robes edged with red frantically rushed into the lecture hall. Behind him was a group of hotel security personnel.

Murray stood up and answered, “We just returned from class.”

“Class?” The middle-aged man looked as if he had seen a ghost. “Who taught you?”

“Our instructor.”

The middle-aged man pointed at himself and shrieked, “I am the instructor for your class tonight!”