On the road between Maplewood Manor and Maplewood Village, a middle-aged Asian man could be seen walking with a frown on his face.
This was the auramancer, Sir Shi.
Suddenly, a man dressed as a farmer walked alongside him and asked. "So how was it?"
Sir Shi thought for a bit and said, "I think we got a fake lead again."
The man asked, "I thought you said there was a strong reaction on the aura compass around that manor yesterday?"
"Yes, but when I got inside the manor, the reaction stopped, and the trace of aura from the Death Gate's Ring disappeared." Sir Shi replied.
The man dressed as a farmer then furrowed his brow and asked, "Do you think we should interrogate and torture that family and their servants to get some answers from them?"
"I don't think we should do that; we'll have to do a lot of clean-up if we do. We can't risk being exposed again and losing more of our men. It's just not worth it," Sir Shi replied, his brow furrowing with concern.
"Besides, this isn't the first time that thief has used this trick on us. He knows we can track his location by the ring's aura," Sir Shi added.
"We must find him. The higher-ups from the Sect suspect he has acquired the legacy of the Soul Sovereign, too. If we find him, we must extract the secrets and legacy from him," the man dressed as a farmer said eagerly.
After a brief silence, Sir Shi then declared, "I think we should leave this place."
"Are you sure?" the man asked.
"I spied on that kid Alexander's room for a few hours after I left. The aura compass clearly pointed to his room earlier, before the ring's aura vanished, and I found nothing. He was even stripped naked by the maids, and his bedsheets, blankets, and pillows were changed. It would have been impossible to hide the ring in that situation," Sir Shi explained.
"So, this is really another fake lead, huh? Damn that thief..." the man replied with exasperation.
"I'll inform everyone. We'll be leaving at dawn tomorrow," said the man as he walked ahead of Sir Shi.
"Very well," Sir Shi nodded and continued his walk back to Maplewood Village.
Unknowingly, Alexander narrowly avoided a fatal calamity.
*****
Back at Maplewood Manor, Alexander had another guest in his room. She was a young girl who bore a striking resemblance to his mother, Elena, but she was prettier and livelier. Based on his memories, this was Sylvia Lightguard, his younger sister, who was nine years old.
"Brother, I heard you got into trouble. If I meet those two baboons, I'll make sure to teach them a lesson," Sylvia said with so much anger. Due to her childish appearance, it looked rather cute instead.
"Pfft," Alexander couldn't help but chuckle as he watched this.
"Brother, why are you laughing at me?" Sylvia asked poutingly, annoyed by Alexander's chuckle.
"Now, now. Calm down. Your big brother is fine. I can't let you go out there fighting for me," Alexander said, trying to soothe Sylvia.
"Why not? Those two can't beat me. I've already connected my fourth spirit pulse. I could wipe the floor with them with just a snap of my fingers," Sylvia boasted, pounding her chest.
She spoke with such seriousness, but her cute little face completely undermined the bravado.
Seeing this, Alexander couldn't help but laugh again.
"Brother, stop laughing! I'm serious," Sylvia exclaimed angrily.
"Okay, okay. I won't laugh anymore," Alexander said, trying to hold back his giggles.
"Brother, I meant what I said earlier. No one is allowed to harm my family," Sylvia said seriously, clenching her fists. "Anyone who does will have to suffer the consequences of my fists."
Watching all of her little sister's theatrics, Alexander had to cover his mouth with both hands to prevent his uncontrollable laughter from escaping.
Noticing this, Sylvia pouted even more.
In Alexander's thoughts, Sylvia inherited all of their father's stoicism, righteousness, and fierceness. Unfortunately, these traits were all softened by inheriting her mother's beauty and charms. The contrasting qualities made her look both cute and funny instead.
However, recalling what Sylvia said about connecting the fourth spirit pulse and her age being only nine years old, Alexander immediately felt a surge of surprise and jealousy.
As he reflected on his memories, he realized this was a matter of great significance. From what he remembered, only a few individuals in the entire kingdom—and even in the whole empire—had achieved such a feat. This little sister was truly an unprecedented genius in the family.
"Hey, Sylvia, did you really manage to connect your fourth pulse already?" Alexander asked with a smile, attempting to soothe the little girl who was in a bad mood.
"That's right, but that's not all. I also managed to get accepted into the White Griffin Royal Academy," Sylvia announced, filled with pride.
"What? How did that happen?" Alexander asked, both surprised and excited.
He knew exactly what the White Griffin Royal Academy was—it was the number one academy in the kingdom.
"When I went to Grandpa's house this time, it was because one of his friends—who happens to be the dean of the Magic Studies Department at White Griffin Royal Academy—came to visit. Grandpa introduced me to him, and he tested my magical aptitude," Sylvia explained.
"He said I had rare potential and insisted I enroll at White Griffin when I turn ten. He even said that if I work hard, I might qualify for the Golden Griffin Imperial Academy after I graduate."
"Holy cow, Golden Griffin Imperial Academy?" he blurted out, eyes wide with disbelief.
"That's like… the Ivy League of this world's schools!" he added mentally.
"White Griffin Royal Academy, the number-one academy of the Northern Eagle Kingdom, and possibly even getting into the Golden Griffin Imperial Academy, the top academy of the Holy Griffin Empire. How did she manage to possess so much talent? While my talents from two lifetimes might only amount to a tenth of hers," Alexander thought to himself.
He recalled the territorial and educational structure of this world. As far as he knew, they were in the Northern Eagle Kingdom, which functions like a state within the Holy Griffin Empire. The Golden Griffin Imperial Academy played the largest role in developing talents across the empire, while the White Griffin Royal Academy was a subsidiary of the Golden Griffin Imperial Academy within this kingdom. They indeed sent the most talented graduates from their institution to the imperial academy for further studies.
You might think that the White Griffin Royal Academy and the Golden Griffin Imperial Academy are just some posh schools for the elite and nobles, but they are so much more than that. These institutions represent the dream of every child and parent across the entire kingdom and empire.
These schools boast the largest libraries of books and knowledge, the best teachers and instructors, and top-notch facilities for learning. And if that's not enough, attending these schools is completely free. Even commoners with sufficient talent can gain admission to the academy.
The only catch is that the acceptance rate is very low, and once inside, students must maintain excellent performance to remain. For example, White Griffin Royal Academy accepts only one in a thousand applications, and among those accepted, only one in ten graduates. The standards at the Golden Griffin Imperial Academy are even more demanding—ten times higher than those of White Griffin.
These academies are funded by the empire and its respective kingdoms. Aside from the White Griffin Royal Academy of the Northern Eagle Kingdom, the other three kingdoms within the Holy Griffin Empire each have their own equivalent Royal Academy: Blue Griffin of the Eastern Lion Kingdom, Red Griffin of the Western Tiger Kingdom, and Black Griffin of the Southern Serpent Kingdom.
Looking at the little girl in front of him, Alexander couldn't help but feel jealous of her talents. "Damn, I really wish I was as talented as you and could join the White Griffin Royal Academy too," he said honestly.
"For fuck's sake, I'm the one who got reincarnated here. Why do I have this sinking feeling that the protagonist's halo isn't mine?" Alexander asked himself dejectedly.
"Brother, I heard your congenital condition is gone now, and you can cultivate already?" Sylvia asked full of excitement.
She didn't even wait for him to reply before rummaging through the large bag she had brought beside the bed and pulling out two thick books.
"Ta da — These are cultivation manuals for the Martial Warrior Path and Spirit Mage Path. Brother, take them—they're my birthday gifts for you. Even though I missed your birthday last month, I still got these gifts for you," Sylvia said, smiling from ear to ear.
Then, a servant entered and said, "Lady Sylvia, your father requests your presence in the hall. A friend of his wishes to meet you."
"Brother, I need to go. Please take good care of yourself." Sylvia picked up her large bag and ran off.
"Sigh, why couldn't I have been reincarnated with great talent? My attributes are terrible. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't meet the White Griffin standards if they tested me now," Alexander sighed after Sylvia left the room.
"However, if I can raise my User Level in the next few months, I might still have a chance," Alexander thought. "They usually hold testing in every major city across the Northern Eagle Kingdom in the third month of the year, giving me barely six months."
'Ding' Alexander heard a notification bell sound
[ System Notice: Quest Started: 'Good Education is the First Step to Greatness'
Difficulty: S rank
Details: Get accepted to White Griffin Royal Academy in the next testing, six months from now.
Success Rewards: 10,000 EXP, 1,000 GP (Greatness Points), 3x Void Escape Talismans, 3x Rejuvenation Potions, and a White Griffin T-shirt
Failure Punishments: System will be disabled for a year. ]
"Hmm, the system actually automatically started a quest?" Alexander was surprised.
"Of course," Sarah explained. "The system aims to guide you toward greatness and help you achieve your goals. When you decided to enroll in White Griffin as a goal, it triggered the system's mechanism to assist you in reaching that goal."
"But why is there a failure punishment?" Alexander asked.
"Additional motivation," Sarah responded coldly.
"Damn," Alexander couldn't help but feel frustrated. "This thing really wants me to work my bones off," he lamented.
"Anyway, I've finally got some time alone. I guess I'll check the other apps on the system," Alexander said excitedly.
He quickly summoned the screen and began checking. Next, he decided to look at the shop.
However, when he tried to open it, a message window popped up.
[ System Error: Insufficient Access. ]
"What the hell, Sarah, is this system corrupted?"
"No, the user can't access other apps due to User Level restrictions. You'll be able to access them once your User Level is high enough," Sarah explained.
"Then you should have told me earlier. Besides TMQA, Attributes, and Inventory, what other apps can I access?" Alexander asked, annoyed.
"None, only those three," Sarah replied.
Alexander facepalmed. "I got excited for nothing. Can't you just gray out those apps I can't use at the moment?"
"Sure," Sarah replied.
"Let's just check the TMQA first," he muttered. "I need to figure out which tasks, missions, quests, or achievements to focus on. I should make the most of my time and raise my attributes high enough before the tests begin."
"And here I thought you just wanted to be lazy your whole life and live an easy life," Sarah said with a hint of mockery.
"That's where you're wrong. There's no such thing as being lazy your whole life and still living an easy life. You have to put in effort at the right moments. Getting a good education is one of them—you study hard now so you can be lazy later," Alexander replied, sounding like a wise teacher.
With that, he began planning his next activities based on the tasks, missions, quests, and achievements he could complete.