A secure facility on the Kukenan Plateau. The city of White Raven.
"Erni, when will he be out?"
Nina asked Eren in an excited voice as she stood beside his right side. A gorgeous elf stood to Eren's left. The elf also had an eager expression on her face.
This beautiful elf was also ranked as a Master. She had reached the city of White Raven a few days ago and was staying at Carvo Bianco vineyards since then. She immediately rushed herself to the facility when she heard about Amory's breakthrough.
Agatha was busy standing on the other side of the hall where the array controls were being handled by rankers from Levine's faction. Levine herself was with Agatha, discussing a few things with her.
The butcher was standing inside a giant hall that only had a spatial array serving as its base. This array served as the access point to the elemental pool of the rank-up program. He stared at the illuminated runes in the array before replying.
"Shouldn't be too long considering the feedback from the elemental pool we have recorded. I don't know how he is doing right now per se but he has managed to break into the Grandmaster rank and is alive.
The old man still has some spirit left in him after all. Can't say I'm not surprised."
Eren made an "I'm impressed" face when he said that. He reported what he knew from the information Agatha received on her spectral screen this morning. He then glanced at the elf standing beside him briefly before looking back at Nina with a "what's her deal?" expression. It was his first time seeing her in person and she didn't make an eye contact with him. So he felt a bit weird by her way of ghosting him.
Nina gestured to Eren to keep quiet and not disturb the elf. The two Master rankers knew each other quite well. Nina could understand why the elf was excited about another ranker's progress. That's because the ranker who had broken into the Grandmaster rank was like a father figure to her.
The elf had just joined Eren unceremoniously without even introducing herself. Despite wanting to engage Jiana in conversation, the butcher let go after Nina gestured. He then placed his arms across Nina's shoulders and rested his head on her right shoulder as he waited for the Grandmaster ranker to come out.
Eren waited patiently for the man's arrival because this man was going to be the first official Grandmaster ranker of his guild. He made him proceed through the rank-up program on his own in altered settings, to increase his chances of survival. And it seemed to work well.
Runes employed in the array suddenly lit up brightly and affected the surrounding fabric space. When the runes dimmed down, an exhausted-looking ranker was seen standing inside the center of the array.
This ranker still had his clothes on. It seemed that he had worn them hastily before being teleported inside the facility. He knew there would likely be people waiting for his arrival. And he wanted to look dignified in front of them. His newly acquired rank didn't allow him to have the luxury of being shabby.
But the man couldn't keep himself composed after suffering through the spatial alteration around him. As a result of his recent breakthrough, his body was exhausted and his mana reserves were depleted. So it didn't come as a surprise when he started to stumble on the first step he took.
"Uncle Amory!"
The elf rushed to the Grandmaster ranker's aid as soon as she snapped out of her reverie. The latter laughed and welcomed the elf into his embrace like a father would to meet his faraway daughter after a long time.
"Hahaha. You are here as well? As you can see, lass. I am all fine and still kicking. I made it."
Amory patted Jiana's head before he started coughing. He said he was fine. But everyone in the audience could tell he needed a few days off to recover himself and stabilize his breakthrough.
Amory looked quite different from his past self. He still had shoulder-length white hair and a long white beard. But there were no prominent wrinkles on his skin anymore. He looked like his younger self.
Amory's posture had improved. His eyes sparkled with intelligence and one could see his atrophied muscles trying to highlight their presence through his clothes. His aura as a Grandmaster ranker couldn't be faked either.
Amory had managed to get himself into the very exclusive club of rankers with his recent breakthrough. And this came at a crucial time when there were signs of war. He could be considered one of the powerhouses in Edinburgh employed by the White Raven guild.
Jiana Jihang was stunned to hear Amory break into the fabled A-Rank. Eren had informed her that he was planning to give Amory special treatment by running a specialized ranking program for him. That way, the elemental pool could be attuned to Amory's needs.
But Jiana was quite skeptical about Eren from the get-go. She had called him a tyrant many times to his face when they were talking through the spectral call because of the way he treated her guild's lands post-takeover. She assumed that Eren just wanted to cut costs by making Amory not part of the main rank-up program that she along with the rest of the high-ranking entities was supposed to take part in.
Amory was then greeted by Nina, Agatha, and Levine who congratulated him on his achievements. Agatha had arranged a special mansion for the A-ranker on the Kukenan Plateau, taking his elemental affinity and attainments into account. She had customized his newly built house with specific arrays so that he could focus on his ranking progress even while he was stationed in the city.
In celebration of Amory's breakthrough, Agatha planned to host a special event within the White Raven city. It was a way to show the rest of the world that they had a powerhouse in their midst.
Amory was all laughs and smiles as he accepted compliments from the ladies around him. His body was telling him to rest but his mind was ever-so-hungry for the good wishes he received from his audience.
Amory was about to call it quits when he finished greeting everyone around him. But then he realized that there was still one person who was standing in a corner in silence, waiting for him to come to him.
Amory appeared right in front of Eren like a ghost before asking in a deep voice.
"Boy, why couldn't you greet me like the rest of them? Does this old man not deserve praise in your eyes?"
