Chapter 58: Call from Lia, Nova City in lockdown (1)
Time passed swiftly. Two days went by in a flash, and by now the entire Blue Star had calmed down. At the same time, the people who had downloaded the Evolutionary Path had reached almost 10 million — that’s right, 10 million — however, no one had managed to reach the threshold of the 1st Rank yet.
Of course, it was understandable. His evolutionary path was completely different from those cultivated by the mainstream paths. It required a certain breathing rhythm, and to actually harmonize one’s breath with the rhythm of his Aether Energy was easier said than done.
The only reason he could do it the first time without any hiccups was due to the fact that he had a comprehension that defied the heavens.
By this time, people had already begun comparing the Aether Evolutionary Path to the top three paths, and some had even deduced the fact that Aether Energy was a more powerful energy than Cosmic Energy.
"It wouldn’t be long before someone finds out about its effects against Corruption Energy," Grey mused to himself as he made his way towards the front door of his mansion.
That’s right, his mansion. This was the era of technology and Evolvers, and it didn’t take long for his mansion to be fully created. He had swiftly made his way into Sector One and had been living here for the past two days.
He had officially moved into the Inner District, where only the City Lord and the two top families of Nova City could live.
Even though he was far from the City Lord’s mansion, he had seen people scouting outside his mansion — likely someone from the City Lord’s mansion or the top families, which were the Duskwood Family and the Ironfang Family.
Leo Fang and Duke Fang were both direct descendants of the Patriarch of the Ironfang Family. The Patriarch of the Iron fang Family was said to be a middle-stage Second Rank Evolver, while his sons were early Second Rankers.
Then there was the Ancestor of Duskwood. He was also at the middle stage of the Second Rank — a being who had comprehended a Law.
And the Patriarch of the Duskwood Family was said to be at the early stage of the Second Rank.
There was a huge disparity between a middle and early-stage Second Ranker, with only those who had comprehended a Law being capable of reaching the middle stage, which was the 5th level and onward.
That matter aside, he hadn’t been home for the past two days.
For now, he told Richard that he was staying with his friend. He would break the news about the mansion at a later date.
It would definitely raise unwanted suspicion if Grey suddenly talked about owning a mansion a week after becoming an Evolver. Because he definitely couldn’t reveal the fact that he was a 2nd Level Citizen.
Someone had just rung the bell, and he believed it was the delivery of what he had just purchased from the special website designated for Level 2 Citizens by the Golden Chamber.
As soon as he reached the main hall, which was linked to the main door, a small creature, as fast as the speed of sound, rushed towards him and clung onto him like a koala.
"Mi~" Mimi purred sweetly as it made its way onto Grey’s shoulder and rubbed its face gently against his.
"Alright, alright," Grey smiled softly. "I ordered some food for us; it should arrive anytime now. I know you’re hungry."
Mimi nodded sweetly and then jumped off his shoulder, running off into who knows where in the huge mansion Grey owned. It looked like it had already made itself comfortable in its new home.
Opening the main door, Grey saw a drone slightly suspended in the air.
Seeing Grey, it immediately reacted and spoke. "Please say the pin code."
"47303." Grey checked his notification relay in his mind, and a pin code had appeared. He swiftly conveyed it to the drone.
Then, a light flashed from above the drone, and it spoke again. "Dear customer, please show your spatial ring. The transfer array placed above my head will directly transfer the items into your spatial ring."
Grey did as the drone said, and immediately, several packages appeared within his spatial ring.
"Have a great day, respected Level Two Citizen." The drone bowed its mechanical body slightly and then shot off into the air like a rocket, its speed unimaginably fast.
After that, Grey made his way into the personalized training room he had created within his mansion.
For the past two days, he had spent most of his time inside the training room. He worked hard to solidify his foundation and strengthen his energy.
His breakthrough had already stabilized and his foundation solidified; now he just needed to reach the threshold of the 2nd Level and break through.
After arriving, he swiftly took out the things he had bought from the Golden Chamber’s online shop, accessible only to 2nd Level Citizens.
All of these had cost him a whole 25,000 Union Credits, but being a 2nd Level Citizen, he could buy them on credit. It was like an upgraded VIP access that Grey already possessed.
He began with the largest package. With a wave of his hand, his telekinesis surged forth and easily took out the item from the package.
What came out were several small drones — that’s right, drones.
Grey had bought Combat UAVs. They were small yet possessed many functions: they could detect temperature, scan areas, perform stealth attacks, and even detonate in cases of emergency. They were so small that people wouldn’t be able to sense them at a glance.
He could control multiple of them with a thought. These drones could act as surveillance tools in emergencies. Now that he knew about the hidden dangers of this world, he couldn’t afford to go around completely defenseless.
And that’s where the next package came in. Opening it, a group of short yet sharp blades, the size of daggers, appeared in Grey’s vision.
These were flying swords, forged by a Two-Star Forging Master using Refined Cosmic Ore, which enabled the channeling of energy and control far more easily than traditional swords. They were made specifically for those who possessed Sword Energy.
He had bought four of them. Having reached the 1st Level, he could control four of them at the same time with his energy. Of course, he could utilize telekinesis to control them too, but it wouldn’t be as powerful without Sword Energy. Besides, with the drones, it was already a lot on his plate; he wouldn’t be able to control more than ten at the same time anyway.
With that settled, the last package was the smallest one. He opened it up to reveal a small booklet with the name "Vitality Ignition Art."
"These things are something that you wouldn’t be able to get normally," Grey said as he roughly skimmed through the book.
The purpose of this technique was simple — it allowed one to burst out with more power than they normally could, but the side effect was that it would take away a large portion of their lifespan. Unless one had absolute confidence in advancing to a higher rank and increasing their lifespan, they would die within a month without fail.
Grey bought it in case of emergencies. He couldn’t take risks, and in the worst-case scenario, he would use it.
Of course, he would only use it after he upgraded it with his cheat!
[Your comprehension defies the heavens! By reading "Vitality Ignition Art," you’ve comprehended "Death Ascension Art."]
Information about the technique appeared within his mind, leaving Grey stunned.
"This..." Grey was silent.
The upgraded technique was incredible. It was no longer similar to the one he had bought.
It was completely different!
The technique no longer took anything from his lifespan. Instead of increasing one’s power temporarily, it would be permanent, and the power increase would depend on the person he was fighting. However, the activation of the technique was difficult.
"To activate the technique, my heart has to stop beating," Grey said grimly. "But wait, wouldn’t this act as a way for me to not die?"
He realized how broken this technique was. Not only did it allow his safety, it technically made him immortal. Of course, it could only activate once, and if he died in the technique’s buffed state, he would die for real. Still, it was incredible — unless he was completely obliterated out of existence and his heart remained, he could revive and fight stronger than ever!
Just then, an alert appeared on Grey’s interface. It was a call from Lia, his student.
However, following that, another red alert suddenly appeared within the notification feed.
"Warning! Citizens of Nova City, the city is now under lockdown! Multiple Corruption Fields have been—"