"Since you all decided to sign the contract, there's no backing out now." Ashton sternly reminded. "You read its contents and agreed with it, you will be responsible for your actions now so I hope that you uphold your end of the bargain."
The kids nodded at him. Thankfully, none of them looked like they were regretting their decisions.
"You all will receive a 1000 Merit Point loan as per the agreement. When you start doing missions, you can elect to deduct a portion of your earned Merit Points to pay the loan. The lowest deduction will be 10% with the highest being 50%."
"Here, you can have these." Ashton gave each of them a box. "That box contains the monthly resources according to the contract. Those boxes should include pills, elixirs, supplements, resource tickets, and a cultivation technique tailored for you."
"Check the names in the box, don't take the one that's not yours since its contents are personalized. Also, the cultivation technique there is still incomplete. I'll tell you how to get the rest when you've mastered what you have."
"Is this all clear to you?"
"Yes, Guild Master."
"Very good. Now, you may go. Train well. I'm expecting great things from you all."
The kids bowed to him before making their way out of his office.
Fortunately, he did manage to finish the initial parts of their cultivation techniques on time. With those being handed to them, they should be making great strides in their cultivation.
The kids would have to dissipate their current cultivation progress to switch with the ones he gave, meaning that they'd have to start all over again. Which is fine since he made sure to provide them with enough resources to compensate for that.
And since they'll be using cultivation techniques that are tailored for them, their progress should be fast. They might even be stronger when they return to their previous cultivation ranks.
With the kids settled, Ashton can now inspect the items he received...
He received five El-Realm Shards, an unexpected reward if he's being honest but he's not complaining.
There are also the five Ancient Blueprints; Sky Anvil Blueprint, Melting Sun Crucible Blueprint, Cosmic Hammer Blueprint, Heaven's Weave Blueprint, and the Star Carving Knife Blueprint.
He got these even though it is said that the blueprints will be randomized. Each and every one of these had something to do with crafting so somehow, he's doubting that.
Well, not like he's complaining though. He had no use for these but Aria certainly has. Her being a Spirit did not diminish her fondness for crafting, she's still the Chief Artificer of the Guild after all. Ashton believes that she could make full use of these blueprints so he planned on giving this to her once he gathered the resources needed for them.
Then, there's the Sacred Magical Index.
[Sacred Magical Index]
Type: Knowledge Consumable
Description:
: A lost treasure that contains all known magic of this universe.
: Warning! Contains a great load of information, please make sufficient preparations before consuming it.
This item certainly excites him. Knowledge about all known magic of this universe? A gift like this for him? A person who's practically obsessed with all things related to magic? Oh, system you shouldn't have.
Ashton wasn't in a hurry to consume this of course. The system's warning was clearly telling him to be careful so that's what he's doing.
He will consume this tomorrow since he'd have a better chance by then.
For now, he decided to collect the resources needed for the blueprints so that Aria can start using them and he's also going to use the El-Realm shards to help with the growth of the El-Tree Sprout.
The day finally arrived.
No, this has nothing to do with him being ready to consume the Sacred Magical Index. Kind of...it's important and he'll certainly do it later but it's not as important as Jerry being fully autonomous.
Yes, that day finally arrived.
Jerry had learned everything he needs to know to properly manage not just the federal affairs but also the guild affairs. And while in-name, Ashton's still the President and the Guild Master, Jerry will be the main guy who's running the scenes from now on.
Of course, he'll be following strict protocols and would still need Ashton's permission on certain affairs but for the most part, Jerry can handle it by himself now.
This means that Ashton's schedule was now largely vacant. He can now sit back and relax while doing the bare minimum and everything will go according to how it should be.
Of course, this puts him in a celebratory mood. It also felt somewhat weird watching Jerry accomplish the tasks cleanly and methodically. Ashton hasn't even lifted a finger since he entered his office, Jerry did everything for him.
He felt immensely proud of course.
Now, Ashton can freely put his attention to other things besides managing an entire race.
And what better way to celebrate this than learning more about magic? So that's what he's about to do.
Entering his private training room, he set up a cozy cultivation environment before sitting down to regulate his breathing.
He cleared his mind from distractions, even going as far as taking supplements in order to achieve an optimal state of mind.
Once he's achieved that. He took a deep breath and took out the Sacred Magical Index from his Inventory.
He applied pressure on it, causing it to dissolve into specks of light that fused with his head.
Immediately after that, he felt a sharp headache and a tsunami of information rocked his mindscape.
The system's warning severely downplayed what was actually happening. This wave of information was bigger than all three books he consumed yesterday combined!
Fortunately, he waited until today to do this.
With the unique effect of his Scholar Perk being activated, digesting the wave of information became bearable.
Being in Concentrated State and Deep Meditation, practically shoved Ashton into a state of Enlightenment.
He wasn't aware but his Mageroot suddenly appeared. His virtues shone brilliantly and made space for the 9th one. Meaning that he's making a breakthrough at this very moment.
Ashton's consciousness returned to the mysterious fog of Laws, being lost in it and being carried away.
Too much and nothing was happening. It was extremely bizarre and he had no control over it.
Ashton's physical body released a blinding light that illuminated the entire room. Visual phenomena occurred around him, each representing the culmination of his achievements so far.
Then, something new occurred...
Ashton's body suddenly grew taller, his shoulders turned broader and he grew thick facial hair, but it didn't stop there.
After a few seconds, he went from a man in his prime straight into an old man who's barely clinging to life. His hair turned white, his back bent and his skin wrinkled.
The magic didn't end there either...
With a sudden poof of smoke, Ashton went from an old man to an infant baby. A baby who grew up at a speed visible to the naked eye, up until he reached his original state. That's where the phenomenon ended.
His surroundings also went along with his changes as if influenced by whatever was happening to him. When the changes on him stopped, theirs stopped too.
Ashton gradually regained consciousness as time passed. It happened slowly but steadily.
With all information about magic being etched into his brain, endless discoveries were presenting themselves to him, giving him numerous inspirations for later experiments.
After some time, Ashton's consciousness completely returned to his body. It was only then that he was made aware of what happened to him.
Opening his eyes, he saw a new crest floating in front of him.
It's grey in color, changing shades at every single second. He only need a single glance to know what this crest was.
"Crest of Time." He mused out loud. "The final Virtue I got is the Virtue of Time."
And what a Virtue this was. With this, Ashton can exert influence over Time itself. He can stagnate it, rewind or fast forward. That's the power of time.
Now, he has no idea why Time presented itself to him just like most of his Virtues. But you won't hear him complaining.
His cultivation has reached the Lv.9 Warlock Stage (1st Refinement). He's just a few steps away from becoming a sorcerer and breaking the shackles of mortality. Of course, this is still going to take some time but he's okay with that.
Additionally, he already knows everything that he needs to know about Magic thanks to the Sacred Magical Index.
He wouldn't fumble his way to it anymore, in fact, he had a solid clue of what the most optimal path there is available for him. One that is perfectly suited for his achievements so far.
Looking at the nine crests hovering around him made Ashton feel a little sentimental.
He gently retrieved his mageroot, causing it to quietly return to his body. After that, he stood up and stretched.
Feeling good about himself, he deactivated the cultivation environment template and walked out of his personal training room while whistling a merry tune.
