He rarely showed a sincere smile: "Thanks to your care..."
Dale felt the warmth of the master’s palm, and her heartbeat involuntarily accelerated.
This gentle touch almost made her melt.
She quietly moved closer, almost pressing against Ron, longing for more intimate contact.
But Ron quickly realized the impropriety of this intimacy.
Without leaving a trace, he withdrew his hand and gently pushed the Sea Demon Girl away, his actions gentle yet firm.
Dale’s eyes flashed with a trace of disappointment but it was quickly concealed.
She understood that the master’s care for her was pure, without any other color.
This realization made her heart both sweet and bitter, like tasting a cup of bitter medicine with honey.
Ailan sensed the subtle change between the two but wisely said nothing.
She quietly prepared breakfast, her verdant branches skillfully manipulating various utensils and ingredients.
The breakfast was rich and exquisite, including fresh vegetables, nutrient-rich magical beast stew, and Dale’s favorite seaweed pastries.
Each item exuded an enticing aroma, showcasing Ailan’s talent in cooking.
"Do you have any plans for today?" Dale inquired, pretending to nibble on the food with small bites.
The pretense of being a little adult, combined with her delicate face, made her look particularly adorable.
This contrast made Ailan cover her mouth and chuckle, her eyes full of affection.
"I plan to perform a divination." Ron pondered the insights gained from his dream last night:
"You both just continue your ability practice and laboratory routine maintenance, don’t mind me."
The new Astrologer profession brought various bonuses and synergistic effects.
He needed time to familiarize himself with these new abilities, especially the skilled level astrology skills and the specific ways to use them combined with the ’Prophecy Star’ traits.
Just then, the Magic Communication Device suddenly rang, interrupting the cozy breakfast.
It was an urgent and piercing ringtone, clearly indicating the caller’s emergency situation.
The Communication Crystal projected Eliot’s face, and he looked somewhat anxious.
His golden curls were a bit messy, and the blue eyes that usually radiated confidence were now filled with urgency, clearly showing that the contact was made in haste.
"Ron, sorry for disturbing you, but there’s some important news I must tell you immediately."
Eliot’s voice carried obvious urgency, even forgetting the usual pleasantries:
"The detailed rules of the New Star Plan have been announced, and the situation is much more intense than we imagined."
"Care to elaborate?" Ron put down his utensils, his expression becoming serious.
He activated the ’Hermit’s Knowledge’, keenly capturing every subtle change in Eliot’s expression.
"There are a total of one hundred slots, with rankings updated yearly."
Eliot brought up a detailed data projection, which was a complex three-dimensional chart:
"And the scoring system is far more complicated than imagined."
The scoring criteria displayed in the projection were dizzying:
Academic Achievements (40%): Including paper publication, technological innovation, theoretical breakthroughs, etc.;
Combat Ability (25%): Abyssal exploration record, combat performance, survival ability, etc.;
Influence (20%): Reputation in academia, disciple cultivation, social contribution, etc.;
Potential Evaluation (15%): Age, talent, growth speed, etc.
"Most importantly..."
Eliot’s voice became more excited, a fiery desire burning in his eyes: "The reward mechanism goes beyond imagination!"
He began to detail the reward system of the New Star Plan, each item enough to excite any wizard:
"Those maintaining their slots receive basic rewards, including monthly resource allocation, special access to the central library, monthly guidance from an associate professor-level master, and so on."
"The top ten receive special rewards, including access to ancient texts, priority procurement rights for rare materials, independent laboratory usage rights, etc."
"The most important thing is..."
Eliot’s voice trembled, clearly shaken by the upcoming content:
"Maintaining the top three positions consecutively for ten years gains you a treasure from the Crown Clan, and a continuous position for thirty years grants a complete coordinate of a resource dimension!"
With his actions, the Communication Crystal began projecting a real image of the treasury being revealed.
But it wasn’t any luxurious showroom, rather an underground space filled with an eerie atmosphere.
The walls were made of some living stone that wriggled autonomously, embedded with hundreds of transparent containers.
Each container floated with different "collections":
A still-beating heart, surrounded by the vortex of time, each beat subtly twisting the surrounding space-time;
Dozens of crystal bottles filled with unknown fluids, containing unnameable organs that squirmed slowly in the nutrient solution, seemingly retaining some primal vitality;
Rows of ancient parchment scrolls, recording the knowledge of lost civilizations, yet those texts actively reassemble when observed, as if possessing their own consciousness...
"The top three from ten years ago can choose any one item from these collections."
Eliot’s voice was very low, as if he was speaking of some forbidden secret:
"Including that... a complete resource dimension coordinate."
The projection suddenly switched, showing a world floating in the void.
The surface of that world was covered with a dazzling Crystal Forest, with countless rare minerals hidden underground, and pure magic clouds floating in the sky.
This was a virgin world untouched by any force...
"A complete resource dimension..."
Ron repeated softly, his eyes full of deep contemplation.
It meant independently developing the resources of a world, meant having the foundation to establish an independent force.
The allure of such a reward would drive any ambitious wizard crazy.
"What’s the current ranking situation?" Ron asked as he activated his newly acquired divination ability, attempting to perceive future possibilities.
Eliot brought up the latest ranking table, his expression becoming exceptionally serious:
"You’re currently still in the second seat, but the situation is not optimistic. The score gap is rapidly narrowing, and..."
He paused, his voice tinged with concern:
"All the major clans are starting to get serious, and those geniuses who were in seclusion are appearing one after another."
The projection showed a series of detailed data:
[Current Third Seat—Uphemia Pide (Blood Moon Clan)
Spiritual Power: Near 6 Scale (Reached the critical value of Morning Star Level)
Possibly possessing Tier One Talent: Bloodline Control (Forcibly controls creatures with lower bloodline levels than hers)
Meditation Technique Traits: Bloodline Reconstruction (Temporarily acquires the abilities of controlled creatures)
Recent Achievements: Successfully tamed a Moon Level mighty blood demon in the Abyss Fifth Layer]
The scene depicted was a disturbing one.
A tall black-haired woman appeared in the projection, her skin as pale as porcelain, and her eyes a strange dark red, like coagulated blood clots.
Beside her, several blood demons of various shapes waited quietly.
These abyssal creatures that should have been extremely frenzied were now as tame as trained pets.
The largest one stood over five meters tall, its entire body covered with pulsating veins, each heartbeat causing the surrounding air to tremble.
"Spiritual Power nearing 6 scale, almost reaching the threshold of the Moon Level."
Eliot’s voice carried deep apprehension:
"But what’s truly terrifying is her Tier One Special Talent—Bloodline Control.
Any creature with a lower bloodline level than hers would involuntarily submit to her."