Danton’s heart moved slightly.
Ripples appeared around his surroundings. Bernardino grew up into a poor eighteen-year-old man in the blink of an eye. Although he was still in his youth, his stubble and face gave off a vibe that he was 28 years old.
On the other hand, Danton transformed into a white-haired old man.
“How is it, Bernard?” Danton smiled and spoke kindly, “Do you want to go to Black Glory Tower with me?”
“But, I’m seventeen years old. Is that alright?” Bernardino’s eyes reeked of self-doubts.
Then, Danton saw the familiar, ignited flames of hope in Bernard’s eyes.
Of course, he was skilled in extinguishing it, “Certainly.”
He lengthened his reply and smiled, “As long as you have money, I can give you a recommendation letter.
“Five hundred pounds for a chance to change your fate isn’t expensive, right? So, do you have the money?”
Bernardino naturally did not have it.
Not to mention five hundred pounds, his entire fortune was only three pounds.
The smile on Bernardino’s face faded, and the flames of hope in his eyes went out again and turned gloomy. Danton patted him on the shoulder and let out a devilish whisper, “But don’t worry. If you don’t have a chance to be an apprentice, you can be recruited as an unofficial apprentice.”
“Unofficial apprentice?”
“Yes. Our Black Glory Tower is a place where Idol and Soul Snatch schools are the main focus. The practice of many spells requires cooperation. If you want, you can also sit through some lectures. The price you have to pay is to receive spells from other students as a mind-reading subject.”
Danton smiled and said, “Not only it won’t cost you any money, but we will provide daily necessities. How about that?”
In other words, that would be a guinea pig.
Soul Snatch and Idol spells were spells that could not be used without a target.
Naturally, these students could not experiment with their magic on the teacher.
But they also would not allow apprentices to experiment with each other.
So naturally, some people had to be hired as “the class subjects”.
In principle, if an “unofficial apprentice” could learn any spell while being inflicted with a spell, he could directly be promoted to an ordinary apprentice. Not only would he not be charged with tuition fees, but he would also be given pocket money.
But Danton’s goal was to ruin Bernardino’s fond memories and plant the seeds of self-destruction in his heart.
So naturally, Danton would not reveal that.
If Danton could find out the moment when Bernardino had a desire for suicide, he would be able to detonate it in the future.
At this moment, this was the “trap setting” stage.
Looking at the decadent “youth” struggling and thinking, Danton patted his shoulder lightly and added in a low voice, “Of course, if you don’t want to, I don’t force it.
“I just think that since you’re so young, you should learn something, or you’ll be wasting your youth.” Then, Danton pretended to ask inadvertently, “Ah, by the way, do you have ideals? Is there anything you want to do?”
“Ideal.” The young Bernardino murmured in a low voice, “Of course I have it.”
“What is it then?” Danton said gently, “If it impresses me, maybe I will recruit you?”
Of course, that was a lie.
The goal was to give hope and further despair.
But Bernardino did not ask excitedly, “Is that true?”
He remained silent, shook his head, and looked at the sky.
His eyes reflected the vicissitudes of life in an old man.
“I used to dream of being a philosopher. I wanted to go to a theological seminary. I wanted to know what the world was like. I used to think I was smart and wanted to discover the world’s truth. I wanted to know how this world, and how this universe is created.”
He murmured in a low voice, “But, I have failed in the end.
“I did not do anything well, and I deserved this.”
“What’s the matter?” Danton asked in a warm, concerned voice, “Can you tell me?”
“I’m too incompetent.”
Bernardino shook his head and whispered, “This is fate, and I’ve missed it.
“As written in the [Mysteries On Fate and the Half Dice], [Fate is the Wheel of Divine Transporter]. Once you’ve passed it, you can’t go back.
“It helps me to let go of what I can’t let go and what I can’t forget, and finally surrender myself.” Danton listened, suddenly realizing something was wrong.
He turned away and ran without hesitation.
Ice-blue flames rose from the skin like a dreamy thrush [1] made of crystals and took off instantly. The surrounding scene changed rapidly, and he fled backward for a year after flapping his wings.
But at this moment, behind the young and decadent Bernardino, a translucent black giant composed of countless black spiritual bodies suddenly appeared. Its only eye darted around rapidly.
The giant raised his hand, seemingly slowly but quickly crossing the time limit, holding Danton in his hand like catching a real bird.
“Sorry! I was wrong!” Danton apologized without hesitation, “I can sign a contract with you. Any conditions are up to you!”
Stop joking with me…
If Bernardino had revealed himself immediately, Danton would have run away.
As a veteran Gold Rank transcender, he certainly knew what was happening.
This was the characteristic of having obtained the [Supreme Crown] and [Perfected Element Essence]!
The so-called [Sublime Avatar].
There were among the five requirements for an ascendancy ritual.
[Four Rotating Wheels]: Removing all the weaknesses and loopholes in the body and soul in addition to having a perpetual machine that could generate power infinitely.
[Creation]: Complete a great cause that only the host can achieve and change the era with the power of only one person.
[Supreme Crown]: Achieving “absolute world number one” in a particular realm.
[Prototype of Truth]: Find and collect a complete set of Book of Truth.
[Perfected Element Essence]: Awaken at least one element to the deepest level.
The first two were the hardest among the five conditions for becoming a deity. The path chosen by each deity was different.
The latter three conditions were relatively simple. First, the Book of Truth picked its candidate on its own. No external force could alter the outcome. For the other two, it was easily manageable as long as the person had talent.
Among the latter three conditions, satisfying [Perfected Element Essence] and any one or two of the rest could be called [Sublime Avatar].
That was, in the true sense, of “demi deity”.
If all three were present, it would be a well-defined giant spirit. However, it would take shape on the truest desire in the heart and soul’s true nature.
Bernardino did not have a Book of Truth, so his [Sublime Avatar] was muddy and indistinct.
But even so, this was not an enemy Danton could resist.
“We have no conflict at all. The Purest Spiritual Medium, what do you want?”
“What I want…” Bernardino murmured, the corners of his mouth raised, “I don’t think you’ll be able to give it to me.
“Because what I want is your spinal cord.”
After he said that, he threw Danton’s soul into the belly of the [Sublime Avatar] behind him.
When Bernardino opened his eyes again, the crowd that had been attacking him incessantly was already stunned in place.
They realized quickly.
Thousands of people huddled together; they were screaming, shouting, fleeing, or randomly attacking.
No one could stop Bernardino.
Soon, an elf spirit body walked out of the palace holding a string of bloody spines.
Feeling the approach of several powerful auras, Bernardino smiled without panic.
“So, you like to sit by and watch us fight among ourselves. Fine, I will give this body to you.” Bernardino murmured in a low voice.
He summoned his sublime avatar again and threw his spine into it.
Then, he sucked all those spirit bodies into his right eye.
He tilted his head and lost his vigor in the wheelchair.