After saying that, Sveta suddenly remembered something, looking around in surprise. "Where are young master Tark and young master Tyles? Didn't they return with you? Could something have happened to them…?"
"Oh, don't speak such ill omens, Sveta. They're both fine. Tyles is at the Circle Tower right now; I'll personally bring him back in a few days. As for Tark, he's gone to Darkhawk City to notify Relai. He'll be back at the manor shortly." Rhett plucked a red flower from the garden and tucked it into his chest pocket, revealing a mysterious smile. "And really, Sveta, it's such a hot day. You shouldn't stay outside too long. If you get heatstroke, you'll need several days to recover."
"It's fine. I wanted to personally welcome you home, sir."
"Haha, enough of that. You should go back to the castle, wash up, and change into some fresh clothes. Tonight, I'm hosting a castle banquet, and I'll be announcing something important!"
"Something important?" Sveta blinked in surprise. "Could it be that your war accomplishments have earned you another noble rank, master?"
Seeing Sveta's shocked and incredulous expression, Rhett shook his head. "Hmm, it's something even more important than that…"
"Even more important…" Sveta repeated the last few words, gasping for breath. Something more significant than a dukedom? He couldn't even imagine what that could be! The shock he was feeling in such a short span was overwhelming—perhaps he really should heed his master's advice and take a cold bath to calm himself down.
"Master, shall I gather all the servants to await your instructions in the castle hall?"
Rhett thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No need, but you can inform Maru to begin preparations for tonight's banquet."
"Understood, Master!" Sveta placed his hand over his chest in a respectful gesture before retreating.
Rhett continued wandering around the manor grounds, taking in the familiar scenery. The mental and physical exhaustion from the battles and travel seemed to vanish almost instantly.
Before long, as the guards at the gate boomed their welcoming shouts, Rhett stepped back into the manor. With the enthusiastic welcome from the lined-up butlers and maids, he entered the castle and headed straight for the fifth-floor hall.
As his eyes took in the familiar sight of the red carpets, a small smile played on Rhett's lips. He settled down on a long chair by the fireplace, picked up a chilled glass of blueberry juice that Sveta had prepared, and poured himself a full cup.
As he held the cold glass, feeling its coolness in his palm, Rhett's heart finally relaxed completely.
"There's no place like home…"
He leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes to rest, his mind beginning to sort through all the information swirling in his head.
The events and knowledge he had accumulated during his time away were vast and required careful organization.
In any case, the foundation for world peace seemed to have been established. The orcs were vanquished, the Blood God was defeated, and the external threats had been fundamentally eliminated.
As for whether new crises would arise in the future, Rhett couldn't be certain, but he wasn't too worried either.
It's often said that fear stems from the unknown, but with his home as a solid foundation and his foresight of the future, he had little to fear.
Even if a new crisis did arise, he could prepare strategies to counter it!
Additionally, Rhett had successfully achieved the goals he had set—taking advantage of the opportunity to eliminate the orcs, he had advanced to the Saint level!
Now, he stood firmly above the other Saints, becoming a peerless powerhouse!
Like a towering ancient tree, he would shelter his family for generations to come!
"Next, it's time to establish my kingdom and grow the family…" Rhett murmured to himself, gazing up at the ceiling.
Though the entire continent hadn't been unified yet, there was no need to rush. With the homeland system at his disposal, he and his descendants would grow far faster than any other force.
Gradually winning over hearts and minds was the true path to lasting power.
Immediately resorting to ruthless actions after the war, like turning on the other Saints, wouldn't align with his principles, nor would it erase the image of him being a narrow-minded tyrant in the eyes of future generations.
Even if he was to become the sole ruler of the world, he needed the support of the people…
Taking a sip of blueberry juice, savoring its sweet flavor, Rhett's face softened with contentment. However, as he recalled the Blood Demon's residue left behind by the Blood God's clone, his expression shifted to one of contemplation.
"That mass of blood residue… it should be part of the Blood Demon's essence, right? Compared to a thousand years ago, the mass of blood is significantly larger now. Logically, this means the essence of the Blood Demon is more complete. If I could absorb it, it should further enhance the laws governing this world…"
Setting the blueberry juice aside, Rhett tapped his fingers lightly on the cool surface of the table, the sound echoing in the quiet fifth-floor hall.
"But the problem is, how do I absorb that blood residue and feed it back into the world's origin?"
"I could try absorbing it myself in a simulated reality. Although I don't know if I can safely harness the Blood Demon's essence, I should be able to gain something from it. However, since I can't bring that residue into the simulated world, how can I use the homeland to absorb it?"
Rhett frowned, recalling how the world's origin had been fed in the past. It had always been through items obtained in the simulated world that were not part of the original historical trajectory. But now that the blood residue existed in reality, it couldn't be brought into the simulated space. This meant it couldn't be fed back into the world's origin through the homeland as a medium…
After thinking for a while without a solution, Rhett decided to consult with Manu.
Immersing his mind into the homeland, he entered the simulation space, where he found Manu standing alone amidst the void, surrounded by a swarm of symbols and text floating before him.
Noticing Rhett's arrival, Manu snapped out of his thoughts and quickly approached with a smile. "Hello, Rhett. How's the war against the orcs going?"
"Those lowly orcs have been dealt with smoothly. The world's origin, now free from the Chaos Mark's suppression, has fully awakened and is in the process of healing itself!" Rhett replied with a grin.
"That's fantastic news! Congratulations!" Manu said, offering a congratulatory gesture from his world's customs.
"Thanks… by the way, what's all that writing in front of you?" Rhett's gaze shifted to the mass of symbols floating in the void. Some of it he recognized as alchemical knowledge from his world, but other parts were entirely foreign to him.
"These are scripts and scientific symbols from my homeworld. I've been working on alchemical research related to the Blood Core, and since I haven't fully mastered your world's language yet, I've had to resort to using my own to record certain concepts," Manu explained.
"I see…"
Rhett's eyes lit up in understanding as he continued to scan the symbols on the screen in front of him. However, he still couldn't make sense of most of them, inwardly sighing. It was becoming clearer to him that Manu's world and Earth were not from the same universe after all. Perhaps they only bore superficial similarities…
Gathering his thoughts, Rhett smiled and asked, "How's the Blood Core research progressing? I forgot to mention earlier, but after the Blood Demon's essence was fed back into the world, the creatures here have started gaining physical and spiritual strength through devouring each other. The strength gained varies depending on the strength of the devoured creature."
"Hmm?" Manu's calm expression shifted to one of surprise. "Strength through devouring flesh? That sounds remarkably similar to the Blood Core's effects. Are there no side effects?"
"No, this enhancement is harmless, as the homeland purified the essence before feeding it back. I'm curious—does this change help with your alchemical research?"
Manu squinted in thought for a moment before replying, "This is a significant development. If it's truly as you say, then improving the Blood Core should become much easier!"
"That's great news! I look forward to your progress!" Rhett said with a smile. "Later, I'll prepare a comprehensive guide to this world's language and read it out in front of you. That way, you can fully master it."
"Sounds good…" Manu nodded, then asked, "Is there anything else? Are you planning to open the simulated world again?"
"Not just yet. I have too many things to handle at the moment," Rhett replied, shaking his head. "By the way, I've already found the real Jaanka in the outside world. As expected, he's the leader of the Blood God Cult. After I took him down, I managed to get my hands on a mass of blood residue, which likely contains part of the Blood Demon's essence. But…"
"But you're unsure how to feed it back into the world?" Manu said with a knowing smile, as if he had already guessed Rhett's thoughts.
Rhett's eyes lit up. "Exactly! Do you have any ideas?"
"Hmm… I do have a suggestion, but I can't guarantee its success. It also involves a certain level of risk on your part…" Manu's eyes gleamed with wisdom.
"What's your suggestion? Please tell me—I'm eager to know how to feed this essence back into the world!" Rhett said urgently.
Manu paused for a moment, carefully choosing his words before saying:
"We both know that the homeland cannot currently bring external entities—be they physical or spiritual—into the simulation space, except for the homeland's master and his descendants."
"So even if a source of essence exists in reality, the most you could do is absorb it yourself. It cannot be sent into the simulated world for purification and feeding back into the world's origin."
Rhett nodded. Manu had hit the nail on the head—it was precisely the dilemma he was facing.
"The only way forward is to play by the rules and exploit a loophole."
"A loophole?" Rhett blinked in confusion, pondering the idea.
Manu continued:
"Yes, you could consume the blood residue in the real world, then quickly enter the simulation space before it can do any harm to your mental sea."
"In here, you are the invincible master of the homeland. No matter how powerful the Blood Demon's essence might be, it will be instantly suppressed."
Rhett's eyes brightened with understanding, nodding in agreement. "Hmm, that plan does have some merit, but absorbing the Blood Demon's essence is still too risky. I'll need to test it out in a simulated reality first and see if I can safely handle it."
Manu smiled. "I look forward to your good news."
"Thanks!"
Eager to test the idea, Rhett returned to the real world and quickly activated the homeland system.
[Do you wish to start a real simulation? Each simulated day consumes 1 Destiny Point.]
"Yes, simulate for one day!"
A slight ripple spread through the air in front of Rhett as he prepared himself. Taking a deep breath, he retrieved a sealed alchemical container from his spatial equipment—one that had been gifted to him by Haipaster.
Opening it, he tilted the container to pour the vile blood residue into his mouth.
In an instant, the stench of blood and rot flooded his senses, so overpowering that even with his sense of smell muted, it seemed to assault his very mind.
Focusing intently on what was happening inside his body, Rhett sensed the blood residue waking up inside him. The essence of the Blood Demon, which had been dormant within it, quickly gathered and shot toward the depths of his mind.
Determined to learn the secrets of the blood residue, Rhett steeled himself and immersed his consciousness into his mental sea.
Soon, he felt a blood-red shadow violently tearing through every barrier, reaching the core of his mind.
There, the blood-red shadow rapidly coalesced into the shape of a blood-colored bat. Its aura was weak, but it flapped its wings arrogantly as it surveyed its surroundings, seemingly realizing it had reached his mental sea. It spoke in a seductive, beguiling voice:
"Haha, human, have you finally seen reason? Are you willing to cooperate with me? The Blood Demon rewards its faithful servants handsomely!"
Rhett scoffed inwardly, of course not intending to agree. Instead, he asked, "Are you a fragment of the Blood Demon's essence?"
"Indeed, I am."
"Then, do you possess the memories of your master in the Underworld?"
The blood-colored bat hesitated for a moment before responding, "I possess none of its memories, but I am fully aware of its boundless power—vast as the infinite void. It created me and gave me the mission to harvest this world's origin…"
"Oh? So, it's possible you're not a fragment of the Blood Demon itself but merely a servant?" Rhett asked, his thoughts racing.
"I don't know for sure, but I am certain that my connection to the master is strong. Otherwise, it wouldn't have sent me to this world…" The blood-colored bat's voice turned sharp. "Enough with these trivial questions, human. If you refuse to cooperate, I'll destroy your mental sea!"
"Hold on, no need to rush. Answer a few more questions to my satisfaction, and perhaps I'll consider working with you," Rhett said, feigning interest while trying to extract more information.
The blood-colored bat fell silent for a moment, its eyes flickering, before reluctantly lowering its voice. "Fine, ask your questions quickly…"
"I recall that when you arrived in this world, you brought with you a peculiar item—something akin to a blood-colored feather, didn't you?" Rhett mused.
At that simple question, the blood-colored bat erupted in panic.
Its wings beat faster, and it shrieked in alarm: "Who are you? How could you possibly know that secret?! Even the Shadow Demon never forced me to use it—how do you know??"