Chapter 363: Another Game

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[Investment detected.]

[Target: Zoe Marron]

[Analyzing Investment...]

[Investment: You helped the target reach a breakthrough state by preparing specifically tailored food that stabilized her condition and provided the necessary foundation for advancement.]

[Analyzing target response...]

[Thanks to your actions, the target successfully entered the breakthrough state, advanced to the 6th Circle, and is now immensely grateful for your help...]

[Evaluating investment significance...]

[Evaluation complete.]

[Investment Grade: SUPREME]

[Calculating returns...]

[Calculation complete.]

[Applying Authority Modifier: Amplification (Passive) — Baseline bonus applied. Reward tier scaling upgraded.]

[Returns granted:]

[1. Mana/Mana Capacity +100,000]

[2. Cooking Mastery +1]

[3. Ice Serpent Spear Arts]

[Integration initiated...]

[...]

[...]

[Integration Complete!]

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"Huff..."

Soren took a deep breath and opened his eyes. With a mental command, the messages disappeared from his vision.

’...Thank goodness she broke through successfully.’

He thought as he slowly stood and stretched.

With so much time since her retreat began, a knot of worry had been forming in the back of his mind. She was talented, but breakthroughs were never guaranteed, especially in higher circles, where too many things could go wrong. Knowing she’d made it past that threshold lifted a huge weight off his mind.

’But the returns were greater than I expected.’

Perhaps it was because it was really a big investment from him at that time.

Neverthless, he was more than satisfied. The one hundred thousand mana and mana capacity boost was substantial. No, in fact, it might be the biggest mana-related return he had gotten so far. And his guess was the same as earlier: that the scale of the returns depended on the significance and time of the investment.

’Or I could be overthinking again.’ He shook his head and moved on.

Since cooking was involved, the cooking mastery increase was expected. But the last return truly exceeded his expectations. ’Ice Serpent Spear Arts, huh...’

It was precisely what he needed right now. His Glacial Edge technique was only C-Rank, and he had been feeling its limits for a while now. This new spear style was an A-Rank technique, carrying enough depth and raw power to carry him comfortably all the way until the 6th or even the 7th Circle.

’I will ask Ethea to train with me in the Mental Realm later.’ He smiled and nodded to himself. Then, he opened the bedroom door and made his way back to the living room.

However, just as he entered, he noticed the tense atmosphere. Ethea and Zura were both glued to the TV, their expressions rigid.

"What’s wrong?" he asked as he walked toward them.

The two women finally noticed him, and their expressions shifted.

"Dear!"

"Mr. Soren!"

"?"

"It’s the Outcasts," Ethea said, her voice tight.

Soren raised a brow as a bad feeling rose in his chest. He walked over and sat down beside her, his eyes fixed on the screen. "Can you explain more clearly?"

The two women nodded and took turns filling him in.

"...I see," Soren muttered, glancing at the still-running live news program. "Although I expected them to try to rescue their young master and other members, I didn’t expect them to go this far."

Ethea and Zura nodded, sharing the same view. They were more familiar with the Outcasts than he was and knew they wouldn’t dare go overboard like this. There must be a reason for it, a pretty obvious one, in fact.

"It’s because of their young master, isn’t it?" Soren spoke out loud their thoughts. "He must be more important than I thought... But then again, considering how respectful those guys were to him and how spoiled he acted, it somewhat makes sense too. Perhaps he is the only child or something."

"Yeah, I thought so too," Zura spoke up first, her fists clenched. "But I still can’t believe it. They’re practically begging for an all-out war."

"...No," Ethea spoke up next. "The Empire won’t go to war unless absolutely necessary. And I think there is a hidden reason why they haven’t been hunted down yet."

"You mean..." Soren trailed off, guessing what she meant. "They have backing? Someone powerful enough to shield them from the Empire’s full attention."

Ethea nodded. "It’s the only explanation that makes sense. The Outcasts have been operating for years without being wiped out. That doesn’t happen unless someone with influence is protecting them. Besides, do you remember the news after the incident in Bagdad? The Empire responded appropriately, but they didn’t say anything concrete about searching for and punishing the rest of the Outcasts."

"...Now that you said it, it does indeed sound strange." Zura frowned, her expression souring. "Politics is so complicated and... distasteful. I wish the current Emperor was as ruthless as Emperor Temur."

"Zura," Ethea called out, shaking her head. "Be careful with your words."

"I know, I know." Zura sighed. "But it’s true, isn’t it? If we had someone like Emperor Temur on the throne, the Outcasts would have been wiped out years ago. No, in fact, they wouldn’t have been able to grow this large in the first place."

"Perhaps." Ethea didn’t argue the point. "But there’s another reason, too. You know the Outcasts’ leader is a powerful Sovereign. If he goes all out, he can cause tremendous damage to the Empire. Unless a Paragon intervenes directly, taking him down isn’t easy. That’s likely one of the reasons they’ve survived this long." She paused. "...And I think the Imperial Family will act this time. The Outcasts are blatantly threatening them now, after all. If they value their honor and reputation, they definitely won’t ignore it."

"Hmm, I hope they do, or else the academy will have to intervene again..."

Soren listened to Ethea’s words and nodded in agreement. But he had his own thoughts. He guessed the Imperial Family, namely the current Emperor, might have just contacted Paragon of Order, Lord Temur, and asked him to take care of them, but probably didn’t because they didn’t want to look incompetent or appear weak in front of other people.

’Or perhaps Paragon of Order is extremely busy, and they don’t want to disturb him... Yeah, sounds convenient...’

Soren leaned back against the chair, his mind racing.

After thinking more deeply, he felt Lord Temur was already fully aware of what was unfolding. A Paragon’s reach was vast, and a man of his caliber undoubtedly possessed extensive intelligence networks and loyal subordinates who reported directly to him on every major or even minor threat within the realm.

Yet, he hadn’t taken action.

’...Is he waiting for the right moment?’ He wondered. ’Or... is this all part of another larger board game?’