Isaac was inwardly surprised when he read the last part of the message. He hadn’t mentioned anything about going to the Great Dungeon today, but after thinking about it for a moment, he quickly figured out how Selene knew. Alice had probably connected the dots long ago.
Alice thought remarkably similarly to him in many situations. She must have guessed that he planned to strengthen Catherine before attempting the Conqueror Trial, making the Great Dungeon the obvious destination. Knowing that, she had likely mentioned it to Selene without much thought.
Instead of driving toward Selene’s place immediately, Isaac steered the car toward another destination first.
"We’ll visit Celia before anything else. She can always tell when I’m using a clone instead of my real body, and if I send a clone after she specifically asked for me, she’ll eat me alive," he said.
"I don’t think she’d actually stay angry, but she would definitely complain about it for a long time." Catherine chuckled softly beside him.
Isaac smiled in agreement, deciding it was much easier to avoid that conversation altogether.
About twenty minutes later, Isaac parked outside a large modern building. A polished stone sign stood near the entrance with large silver letters engraved across its surface.
IMPERIUM AETRENUM AWAKENER BREAKTHROUGH CENTER
The facility had been built specifically for Awakeners attempting breakthroughs. Anyone could rent one of the reinforced rooms inside, with the cost depending entirely on the rank of the breakthrough they intended to attempt. The stronger the advancement, the more expensive the room became because of the formations and resources required to maintain it.
Celia wasn’t using an ordinary room. Isaac had personally reserved the VVIP breakthrough suite for himself and the people closest to him, and it contained the highest-grade defensive formations available in the City. If someone wanted the safest possible environment for an Elite Rank advancement, there wasn’t a better place.
Isaac and Catherine entered the building together before approaching the reception desk. The lobby was spacious, but only a handful of people could be seen waiting around, making the entire place feel unusually quiet. That didn’t surprise Isaac since major breakthroughs weren’t something Awakeners experienced every day.
The receptionist immediately recognized him and stood respectfully. "Good afternoon, Lord Isaac. How may I help you today?"
"I’m here to see Celia. She should have reserved the VVIP breakthrough room," Isaac replied.
The receptionist quickly confirmed the reservation before calling over a nearby staff member. "Everything is ready, Lord Isaac. He’ll guide you there."
The staff member bowed politely before leading Isaac and Catherine deeper into the building. The reinforced corridors were lined with thick metal doors, and formation arrays glowed faintly along the walls to stabilize the surrounding mana. Everything had been designed with safety in mind.
As they continued walking, Isaac noticed one of the larger breakthrough rooms displaying a glowing status panel beside its entrance.
Species Rank Evolution In Progress
Isaac slowed slightly as he looked toward the sealed door. Species evolution wasn’t common. It was easy for Isaac only because he had a personal System. For most Awakeners, obtaining a Bloodline Evolution Potion was an incredibly difficult task.
Even someone like Overlord Aurora had been unable to acquire one through normal means. She had eventually agreed to give up her city’s leadership position in exchange for the Mid-Species Bloodline Evolution Potion Isaac had promised her.
"Someone’s making a species breakthrough?" Isaac asked, glancing at the staff member.
The staff member nodded respectfully. "Yes, sir. The person inside is Isla Taylor. She used to serve as the vice leader of the Radiant Dawn Guild before the guild was dissolved."
Isaac immediately remembered the name. His photographic memory recalled both the woman herself and the events surrounding the Radiant Dawn Guild almost instantly.
Radiant Dawn had once been one of the four major human guilds serving under the former Governor. After Isaac’s rise, Vale’s guild had merged into his faction, while Eleanor destroyed the remaining three after uncovering their cooperation with the Nagas and the Governors in sacrificing human Awakeners for their own interests. The three guild leaders had been personally executed by Eleanor, but most ordinary members, including Isla, had been spared.
Isaac also remembered Isla herself quite clearly. She had been the one who accompanied him into the Tutorial Dungeon shortly after he became a Lord, using her remarkable talent for dungeon mapping to predict routes and traps from seemingly insignificant clues. Despite that talent, she was a coward. She had been one of the first people to surrender to Eleanor, making it painfully obvious that she hated risking her own life.
"How did she get a Bloodline Evolution Potion? The last time I heard anything about her, she’d settled into a quiet life and seemed perfectly happy avoiding trouble," Isaac said.
The staff member shook his head apologetically. "I’m sorry, Lord Isaac. I don’t know anything about that."
Isaac simply nodded before continuing forward. A moment later, Catherine’s voice suddenly reached him through the telepathic equipment they were both wearing.
Do you remember the genius Master said she found? The one she is going to train Averon with?
...That’s Isla? Isaac blinked in surprise.
Yes. I was surprised too. Master said she personally confirmed that Isla has exceptional talent for Sword Arts, Catherine replied.
Isaac couldn’t help feeling genuinely surprised. The Sword Empress accepted many disciples, but quite a few of them had never possessed extraordinary talent. Even so, through relentless training, she had forced every one of them to become legendary figures remembered throughout history.
One could say she had beaten talent into them.
Her truly gifted disciples were monsters like the East Sea Dragon King and several rulers of the behemoth kingdoms. If the Sword Empress herself believed Isla possessed outstanding talent, then Isaac’s City would eventually gain another terrifying powerhouse.
A helpless smile appeared on Isaac’s face. He decided to give a short prayer for Isla.
While her future suddenly looked incredibly bright, the road leading there was going to be unimaginably painful. Anyone trained personally by the Sword Empress experienced hell on a daily basis, and that was especially true for someone as timid as Isla.
So where did the Bloodline Evolution Potion come from? Isaac asked through their mental connection.