July 15, 1346.
A week has passed since the summer 'hunting' banquet ended.
Since returning to the manor after the banquet, Altair has been using special channels to attend the banquets of the conservative 'old nobles' to gather information. After each banquet, he only sends some relatively unimportant intelligence to George III.
Through Altair's introduction, Freya and the other two also learned about the pros and cons of the 22 Pathways.
The Pathway Vera chose was easy to explain—the Monster Pathway. The reason was simple: it could bring enough luck. A very straightforward reason.
However, the Pathway chosen by Freya and Irene left Altair feeling helpless; both wanted to join the Assassin Pathway.
Even though he explained that choosing this Pathway was very special, the two were unwilling to change.
The reason was simply that the Assassin Pathway was indeed a bit excessively well-rounded.
In his helplessness, Altair could only begin teaching the three of them some simple knowledge. As for 'Panther', she was also forced to attend the lessons; she would be ready to consume her potion in a month.
Once they were prepared, Altair entered the treasury to search for the required materials.
After finding enough materials, Altair led the three of them into the 'laboratory' and began concocting the potions.
He had found the potion formula for the Monster Pathway in the library.
Fortunately, he had taken a look at it when he was idle back then; otherwise, he really wouldn't have had the formula for this Pathway.
After all, he was born with bad luck, so he didn't have much interest in this Pathway.
If Vera hadn't chosen this Pathway, the formula would likely have stayed 'gathering dust' in a corner of the library; he truly hadn't expected there would be a day he'd use it.
While concocting the potion, Altair said casually:
"Sequence 9: Monster. Main ingredients: The tail of a Colored Carp, one Silver Four-Leaf Clover."
"Supplementary ingredients: 100ml of turbid river water, 3 ordinary four-leaf clovers, 10 drops of Mimulus pure dew, and one Lucky Charm."
Once all the ingredients were added, this Monster Pathway potion formed a cup of filthy-looking substance that defied description.
Looking at the semi-finished potion before her, Vera asked with a mix of disgust, apprehension, and curiosity, "Count Altair, is this potion finished?"
Altair looked at her and said with a mischievous grin, "Vera, stretch out your hand."
Vera naturally stretched out her hand, not even asking what Altair intended to do.
Looking at the fair and tender little hand, Altair used a silver needle to prick her index finger. He then held the pricked finger and squeezed out nine drops of blood into the semi-finished potion.
Upon contact with the blood, the potion in the cup underwent a radical transformation. It changed from an indescribable liquid into a transparent one that seemed to contain a rainbow aurora.
Seeing that the potion's appearance matched the description in the 'book', Altair felt relieved and turned to look at Vera.
She was currently blowing on her pricked index finger, looking truly pitiful. Altair patted her lowered head and said, "Your potion is ready. You can consume it now."
"Remember what I said: after taking the potion, start meditating as soon as possible to control your spirituality and power."
Vera raised her head, looked at Altair, and nodded, her eyes conveying: 'I understand, don't worry'.
She walked to the table, picked up the potion, and drank it in one gulp. Setting down the cup, she closed her eyes and began to meditate.
Only after seeing Vera's spirituality gradually transition from initial turbulence to stability did Altair feel at ease.
The concoction of the Assassin potion was very simple. Altair had personally seen Vivian make it, and with the formula, the preparation was completed easily.
Handing the two cups of potion to Freya and Irene, he gave them the same instructions: after taking the potion, start meditating to control their spirituality.
Once their spirituality calmed down, Altair found a place to sit and waited for the three of them to finish their meditation.
Because she had taken the potion first, Vera emerged from her meditative state shortly after Altair sat down.
After waking up, she looked around and saw that her sister and Freya were still meditating, so she didn't do anything dramatic. She simply walked over to Altair's side and began to wait in silence.
After Freya and Irene emerged from their meditation, Altair began to explain the 'Impersonation Method'.
Since he himself was of the Assassin Pathway, he directly taught his own methods to Freya and Irene, telling them to 'act' according to these methods.
He didn't have much of a clue regarding the acting for the Monster Pathway, so he could only temporarily give her the paper crane provided by the little snake and let her figure it out on her own.
Since the three of them had taken the potions, Altair had an extra daily task: teaching them occultism. His daily life became waking up, eating, handling his properties, lunch, teaching occultism, dinner, and sleeping.
Every few days, he also had to attend a banquet to report to George III. Of course, Vivian would also come to stay for a few days whenever she was free.
This level of intensity in his daily life reminded Altair of the time he was taking various 'noble' lessons.
Fortunately, the three of them learned quickly. When there was nothing left to teach, Altair directly arranged a combat instructor for them.
He brought in his former combat instructor, Anastasia, to train the three of them.
Since the end of June, Anastasia had refused to come and teach Altair, using the excuse that she had nothing left to teach him.
When Altair wrote to her this time asking her to come and teach, she initially refused flatly. It wasn't until he explained they were new students that she agreed to come... July 20, 1346.
Whenever Altair had free time during this period, he would hide his identity and attend'secret gatherings'. These gatherings varied in scale; he even encountered someone selling a sequence 7 Beyonder characteristic.
However, Altair didn't have much money on him at the time, so he didn't buy it. As for anything above sequence 7, it was unclear.
After all, most Beyonder gatherings in Backlund are organized by various groups. If you can't buy something at an Orthodox Church gathering, you can try your luck at others.
For example, the secret gathering organized by Mr. A that he was about to attend.
According to Hahn's introduction, sequence 7 Beyonder characteristics often appeared at this secret trade fair. A small portion of the items in the family treasury had been acquired here. Discounts were available for bulk purchases, and the quality was guaranteed.
After knocking on the wooden door with a pattern of three long and two short taps, the front door slowly creaked open.
Once Altair entered, the gatekeeper closed the door behind him.
Upon entering, he saw quite a few people sitting scattered around. Some used various methods to conceal their appearance, while others were not afraid of being exposed.
After a quick glance, Altair looked at the blackboard used for trading.
"A pair of adult Manhal fish eyes, 200 pounds."
"Sequence 8 Sheriff potion formula, 450 pounds."
"Emperor Roselle's diary, three pages, 20 pounds."
...Some items were already crossed out, while others had notes expressing a hope to reserve materials for the next trade.
Altair was quite disappointed with this gathering as well; none of the items for trade were things he needed.
Whether it was materials or Beyonder items, the levels were all too low; buying them would be useless.