Chapter 70: Another good reward

As Alaric was lost in thought, Rowena explained to Orwin that the Meridian Court had accepted her through one of its authorized representatives.

She possessed a recognition token carrying that representative’s mana signature, and the agreement included passage aboard an artifact vessel capable of crossing the Divine Sea.

She also explained that the vessel would collect them from a concealed location rather than entering any public port.

The exact departure point would only be revealed through an artifact she had once the vessel approached the Southern Continent.

Orwin continued questioning her about the vessel’s capacity, the Meridian Court’s conditions and whether adding another Paragon would affect the agreement.

"They allowed me to bring a limited group," Rowena answered. "Your presence would increase the value of that group rather than create a problem. However, the Meridian Court will expect you to negotiate your own position after we arrive."

"That is reasonable."

Once Orwin was satisfied that Rowena possessed a real agreement and an actual route across the Divine Sea, he accepted the proposal.

"I’ll abandon the relocation to House Orlen and accompany you. Sophia will come as well."

"What about the other members of your Tower?" Alaric asked from beside.

"They aren’t my family or personal retainers.

"Our relationship has always been an exchange of work, instruction, protection and payment.

"They never treated my personal troubles as their responsibility, and I don’t consider that wrong.

"However, it also means I can do the same. I have no obligation to rescue the entire organization."

Orwin intended to take the research materials, treasures and accumulated wealth which personally belonged to him.

The buildings, shared laboratories, institutional equipment and resources purchased through the Tower’s funds would remain behind.

His sudden departure would still create plenty of trouble.

Contracts needed to be settled, ownership had to be separated and the remaining Champion Mages and Mages would need to decide whether the Tower continued under another leader or dissolved entirely.

"I’ll stay here until those matters are handled," Orwin said. "There is no reason for Sophia to become involved in that mess, so I’ll send her to House Orlen ahead of me."

Approximately at night, Sophia arrived at the mansion with a small escort sent by her father.

The travelling mode used to cover large distances were usually magic items rather than enhanced war horses or other animals.

They were much faster, and easier to maintain. The only issue was that they were expensive.

Sophia appeared close to Alaric’s age and wore the white and blue robes associated with the Rathen Empire’s Holy Maidens.

However, she showed none of the arrogance Alaric expected from someone who had spent years being treated as one of the empire’s greatest young talents.

[Connecting Sophia Vale to the System.]

[Quest: Defeat a Knight in single combat without outside assistance — Sophia Vale.]

[Reward: Mana Channel Reinforcement Elixir.]

As soon as Alaric saw her, the system responded, making his mood soar.

There it is.

The first quest of every newly connected Genius seemed to receive some kind of increase in reward quality.

The Mana Compression Pearl and Minor Mastery of Throwing Knives had shown Alaric how generous those first rewards could become compared to the difficulty of the quest, so this elixir had to be extremely valuable.

Alaric didn’t immediately ask the System for information on the reward, but focused on the young woman.

After greeting Alaric and Rowena, Sophia began asking about the Meridian Court, the Central Continent and what opportunities would be available to her there.

"Does the Meridian Court possess inheritances for the Magic Path beyond the Paragon realm?"

"Yes," Rowena answered. "However, being accepted into their territory won’t give you unrestricted access. You will still need to prove your talent and value before they invest heavily in you."

"Will I be required to abandon the Spell Models and research direction I already follow?"

"That will depend upon the teacher or branch you choose to join. Nobody can promise that every path offered by the Meridian Court will suit you."

Sophia continued asking about the strength of their Mages, the availability of advanced libraries and whether someone from another continent would be treated differently.

Rowena answered honestly and made no attempt to pretend that everything would be handed to her.

The Central Continent offered far greater opportunities, but Sophia would need to compete with geniuses raised by organizations much stronger than the Rathen Empire.

Instead of becoming discouraged, Sophia appeared increasingly interested.

"This is amazing! Thank you for bringing me along to the Central Continent! I won’t disappoint you."

Once she was done, Alaric looked toward Sophia while hiding his excitement.

"Before we leave, everyone should understand what the other members of the group can contribute.

"How would you feel about having an assessment against one of the experienced Knights who recently returned with my mother?"

Sophia shrugged. "Sure."

After arranging the assessment for the following day, Alaric asked the System for more information about the reward.

[Mana Channel Reinforcement Elixir]

[Suitable for practitioners who have completed their mana channels.]

[Effect: Permanently strengthens the structure of existing mana channels, repairs minor defects and increases the amount of mana which can safely pass through them.]

[The reinforced channels can withstand greater pressure during physical enhancement and support a higher total complexity of Body Technique imprints.]

Damn!

Alaric inwardly exclaimed. For a Knight to become a Champion Knight, one must use mana to strengthen the bones.

Once all the bones in the body had been strengthened, one would break through to the Champion Knight.

This reward would allow him to strengthen his body with more mana than usual, making his progress to Champion Knight faster than average, and the higher capacity for Body Technique imprints made it even more valuable.

Alaric already possessed Mountain Grip, while Evan’s quest could soon give him Return Step. After consuming the elixir, he would still have plenty of room for whatever techniques he acquired on the Central Continent.

Alaric had only become a Knight several days ago, yet another method of increasing his strength was already sitting behind Sophia’s first quest.

Fuck, I’m about to become even more powerful.