Chapter 249 - 248: Butler, You Believe in This Too?

Chapter 249: Chapter 248: Butler, You Believe in This Too?

"However, they’re willing to pay such a steep price because you’re skilled enough to help them win this important wager... So, have you decided whose invitation you’ll accept?"

the butler asked again.

"I suppose it’ll be Olga? As for Inesha... I just feel like something’s not quite right with her."

Lloyd answered honestly.

"Mm, just as I thought."

The butler nodded and added,

"Olga’s family is very old, wealthy, and has a deep heritage. They’re extremely influential in the City of Illusion, so building a relationship with him is a smart choice. As for Inesha... there’s nothing wrong with her, per se. She’s just a bit *too* cheerful and enthusiastic."

"Is that it? I was just a little worried... that Olga... he doesn’t actually like men, does he?"

"How could that be? He has two grandsons your age, and he just got married this year. You can’t believe that nonsense from Inesha."

The butler, exasperated, stood up. He led Lloyd to the last high-end black steam-powered car downstairs, which then drove them toward the city.

"I’ll be leaving for a while. Be careful on your own, and if you can, please continue to protect the Young Miss for me."

the butler added suddenly.

Lloyd just assumed the butler needed more time to complete his final ritual and digest the gains from his Transcendence. Not thinking much of it, he nodded without hesitation, secretly pleased that he now had another powerful Eighth Tier to rely on.

"So, will you advance to Tier Nine after this?"

Lloyd asked casually.

The butler fell silent for a couple of seconds before replying,

"If I get the chance, perhaps I’ll give it a try."

"Speaking of which... doesn’t the Manifestation System already have a Saint? So if you wanted to achieve Transcendence again..."

"I would have to try a different path, like ’Story’ or Projection, just like with Redemption and Law."

Lloyd paused, stunned for a moment, before quickly pressing,

"Huh? You mean... Redemption and Law used to be one system? And then it split into two paths?"

"Yes. Redemption was the first Extraordinary System humanity mastered during the apocalyptic era. Law was the second, an offshoot of Redemption. Manifestation is similar—it’s an offshoot of Wisdom. It’s like a tree branch that keeps forking."

"Then what about Veto and Shelter?"

"They’re different. For a long time, the Veto System was actually a Taboo System, one without the shelter of a Saint. It was only accepted by the world after a Saint emerged from its ranks... As for Shelter, I don’t know much about it. I only know that its Saint is very young and still somewhat immature in many respects."

"Is that really how it was?"

Lloyd now understood why the butler’s journal contained multiple records of him clashing with Extraordinary Beings from the Veto System.

’In that case, just how old is the butler? Could he be even older than Radiant City?’

’The lifespans of Extraordinary Beings are really something else...’

After a moment of silent reflection, Lloyd moved on to the question he most wanted to ask:

"So, by that logic, if systems like Suffering and Curse were to produce a Saint, could they also become a Legal System, like Veto?"

He wasn’t actually interested in those two systems. What he really wanted to ask about was his own, Twist, but he could only approach the topic indirectly.

But the butler merely gave a vague answer:

"Theoretically, such a possibility exists. However, it’s entangled with numerous interests and conflicts that are difficult to explain simply... In short, Extraordinary Ascension isn’t so easy. It might not even depend on one’s own will...

Besides, becoming a Saint isn’t necessarily a good thing. While it symbolizes supreme power and status, it also means shouldering endless responsibility and hardship... Not everyone is willing to face that, and I’m not sure if I have that kind of will and conviction myself."

"From that perspective, Saints really are great, then..."

"Of course they are. They are all great individuals who have made monumental contributions to humanity and endured immense suffering... That’s why even now, I wouldn’t dare show Them the slightest disrespect. Under Their gaze, I feel my own humility and insignificance."

the butler said earnestly, his tone filled with pious respect.

’Well, I think... Saints are pretty gentle. At least, mine is...’

Lloyd grumbled to himself, but he continued asking aloud,

"Then what about above the Saints? Are there even more powerful beings?"

The butler paused, stunned. He turned to look at Lloyd, as if wondering why he would ask such a thing.

But Lloyd just looked innocent and curious, with seemingly no ulterior motive.

The butler finally answered,

"There are."

"Huh?"

"But they aren’t necessarily human. No, it’s more accurate to say that such beings, even if they were once human, have long since moved beyond the scope of humanity. They’re generally called ’Great Beings,’ or you could also call them—

’The Supreme Ones’

Many people don’t believe They exist, considering Them merely a theoretical speculation, a hypothesis. But I don’t think that way. I believe They are real."

Hearing the butler speak of ’Great Beings’ and ’Supreme Ones’ felt somewhat surreal to Lloyd.

In his mind, the butler had always been a pragmatic person who would scoff at such controversial hypotheses.

’And yet he believes in them even more than I do?’

’Does that mean I could... recruit him?’

’Ugh... better not. He’s a genuine Eighth Tier. My petty little tricks would probably be seen through in an instant.’

After a flurry of wild thoughts, Lloyd put on a surprised expression and exclaimed in a low voice,

"Whoa... so they’re real? I always thought the ’Great Beings’ and ’Supreme Ones’ in those pulp novels were just made up."

"Of course those things are made up. The authors just heard a term somewhere and threw it in their books. You should really read less of that stuff..."

the butler said with exasperation, then added,

"In reality, humanity’s current framework of Cognition is insufficient to understand or even touch upon such great beings. That’s why so many people believe They don’t exist. Perhaps only when one reaches the level of a Saint—a being who can also be described as ’great’—can one truly come into contact with that echelon."