Chapter 115: Is It Really You?

He placed his palm against the cube and allowed a small amount of Fire Mana to flow into it. The transparent surface reacted almost at once, a faint red glow spreading through the interior before growing brighter and shifting through several colors in rapid succession.

The staff member leaned forward as the changes continued, while Zishan watched the light climb through the Resonance hierarchy until the entire Magic Cube finally settled into a brilliant gold.

The room went quiet.

Zishan stared at the cube for a moment. He had already expected Gold after what the System told him, but actually seeing it with his own eyes, especially with everyone around him watching, made the result feel much more ridiculous.

"It really is Gold Resonance..."

The staff members around the table had gone quiet. One of them moved closer to inspect the formations surrounding the Magic Cube, even checking the readings again before confirming that there was no problem with the device.

"The reading is stable," he said, though there was still disbelief in his voice.

Another staff member looked between Zishan and the golden cube. "Check it one more time."

They did, and the result remained the same.

Elinox glanced at Zishan, though the staff members were far more focused on the Magic Cube in front of him. And Zishan himself was still staring at the golden light when the System appeared before his eyes again.

[The result is consistent with the effects of Perfected Glimpse.]

[Again, whenever the Host acquires a Mana Affinity through the System, Perfected Glimpse greatly increases the probability of obtaining a higher Resonance Color.]

[The Host’s current chance of acquiring Gold Resonance is 200%.]

’I know, I know. 200%.’ His eyes shifted toward the people still inspecting the Cube. ’It’s one thing hearing that from you. It’s another thing watching everyone here act like the Cube just broke.’

Once the staff had finally accepted that the reading was legitimate, Zishan withdrew his Fire Mana and moved on to the next Affinity.

The second test produced Gold as well.

That was when the room began getting louder.

The staff checked the Cube again before allowing him to continue, but the third Affinity gave them the same result, followed by the fourth. Each time Zishan changed the Mana flowing into the device, the light shifted through its lower Resonance Colors before eventually settling into the same brilliant gold.

By the fifth test, nobody was questioning whether the Cube was malfunctioning anymore.

They were staring at Zishan instead.

Even a few soldiers passing outside had begun slowing down after hearing what was happening inside the office. One of the staff members had already left the room, likely to report what they were seeing, while the person responsible for recording Zishan’s updated information was writing much more slowly than before, getting numbed by the results.

Zishan continued with another Affinity.

Gold again.

Then, the next one produced the exact same result.

The staff member holding the record sheet finally lowered his pen and stared at him. "Captain Walker..."

Zishan removed his hand from the Magic Cube. "Yes?"

The man seemed to have a question in mind, yet after looking at the list of Affinities he had already recorded and the Gold Resonance written beside every single one of them, he appeared to decide that he did not even know what to ask.

Elinox had remained near the side of the room throughout the tests. She had shown little surprise when Zishan’s multiple Mana Affinities were revealed, but even she was paying much closer attention now.

Her lavender eyes moved from the records to the Magic Cube, which was still glowing from the latest test. "Every single one is Gold..."

Zishan scratched his cheek. "Seems like it."

Silvy, who was still sitting on top of his head, began clapping her little claws together as though she understood what everyone was making such a fuss about.

"Papa! Papa!"

Zishan reached up to steady her before she started pulling his hair again. "Yes, yes. Papa did something impressive."

The commotion did not stay inside the office for long. Word began spreading through the military compound about the newly promoted nineteen-year-old Captain who had come to receive his insignia, only for the update of his records to reveal more than five Mana Affinities, with every single one tested so far producing Gold Resonance.

Officers who had never cared about personnel updates began asking what building the test was taking place in. Soldiers repeated the story to one another, some assuming it had been exaggerated until another person confirmed the same thing.

The information eventually reached another section of the military compound.

Crown Marshal Ernest Holmes had been going through documents when an officer entered the room with enough urgency to make him raise his head.

"Crown Marshal."

"What happened?" Ernest looked bewildered.

"It’s Captain Walker."

Ernest’s attention sharpened as the officer explained what had happened during Zishan’s record update. More than five Mana Affinities had been confirmed, and every single one tested so far had produced Gold Resonance.

Ernest stayed seated for a few seconds after hearing that, his thoughts returning to the adoption records he had been examining earlier. Zishan was nineteen years old, had no verifiable origin before his adoption into House Walker, and had reportedly been found somewhere within Sumwear.

Now, on top of all that, he possessed several Mana Affinities with Gold Resonance. Ernest knew only one other person who had ever shown him results anywhere near this absurd—his precious niece, Elinox Holmes.

Ernest rose from his chair and headed toward the section of the military compound where Zishan was being tested. Several officers saluted as he passed, but his attention remained on the old divination and the person the four of them had once spent years searching for.

They had searched towns, villages and noble territories without finding anyone who matched what they had been told. Yet the more Ernest learned about Zishan, the harder it became to dismiss the possibility that the person they had failed to find all those years ago had been living in Sumwear all along.

He heard the commotion before he even reached the room.

Ernest slowed near the doorway and looked inside. Zishan stood beside the Magic Cube while Elinox remained nearby with Ollie and Silvy, the golden light from the device spreading across the room.

His gaze settled on Zishan.

"I-Is it really you?" he muttered, his voice cracking.