# Summoner, how could this possibly be a scam? #
'How else should I call it when you make a bunch of kids appear in front of me?'
# Summoner, these are teens, not kids. Each one of them is a High Human with high Talent. What did you expect? #
'100 battle-hardened Knights at the Mortal King Stage.' Ken answered without missing a beat, seriously starting to doubt whether his System was not the trolling kind. He could still overlook the fact that he got Griffin cubs, rather than fully grown ones, but getting kid-, 'teens' rather than Knights was unacceptable.
# Let me reiterate, Host, your summons are High Humans with high Talent. If you don't believe me, have Galatris make them perform a Talent Evaluation. If they were any older and still just at the 1st Layer of the Mortal King Stage then they would be nothing but trash. All of them are battle-hardened, since they hail from a place where children at the age of 6 undergo hellish training, forced to fight wild beasts barehanded, with only the survivors being allowed to cultivate. #
"Galatris is there a way to make a Talent Evaluation for them?" Ken decided to follow his System's advice and do exactly that.
"Yes, of course, Master. I have a Talent Evaluation Stone with me." Galatris nodded and took out a round fist-size pearl, "Just infuse it with your spiritual power."
"Stand up and come forward for your Talent Evaluation," Ken ordered, one hand on his temple massaging in.
"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty," they complied respectfully.
The first person that came forward was the winged girl.
"Your Majesty, my name is Suran Tarnum and I shall take the Talent Evaluation." She announced, making Ken let out a sigh. Galatris handed the Talent Evaluation Stone to the girl, who immediately started channeling her Spiritual Energy inside the stone.
It got pitch black, before many light dots began to appear, until it eventually started to resemble stars in the firmament. Then a bigger light dot appeared in the middle of the stone, which looked like a full moon. Countless lightning bolts began connecting the stars, while the moon exuded a divine luster that seemed capable of slicing through everything in its path.
Galatris stared at the stone as if it contained God himself, until he eventually mumbled under his own breath: "How is this possible? I have never seen nor heard of something like this! If this stone isn't broken, then she is a peerless genius!"
"Senior, you are overpraising me. I'm just a lowly servant of the Emperor." Suran replied in a humble tone as she bowed towards Galatris who was still lost in his thoughts. Testing the validity of the stone for himself, he let out an exasperated sigh since it showed him his own dreaded Talent.
Half an hour later, all Knights were done with the evaluation, while Galatris seemed to be done with the world, not even questioning how it was possible for each one of them to possess at least Tier-G Talent for the Divine and Lightning Element.
Each one of them would be treated as a rare genius in the outside world, yet right before his eyes were 101 of them, each one with those dual affinity talents. The only silver lining for his sanity was the fact that the first girl had been the most talented one, making the evaluation of the others easier to swallow. Suran possessed a Full-Moon Talent for the Divine Element, and a Firmament Star Talent for the Lightning Element.
As long as Galatris helped them reach the Immortal Realm, their power would be exceptionally terrifying.
"Congratulations, Master, this company of Knights will follow you for a long time," Galatris stated in a lifeless tone, unable to hide his depression.
# Host, I can sense an overwhelming depression from Galatris. # The System pointed out.
"Galatris why are you depressed, is the evaluation that bad?"
"No, not at all, Master. In fact, it is the polar opposite. Forgive me, I completely forgot to explain things to you as an outsider. In Chaosia, the Talent Evaluation Stone gives us insight about how far an individual is likely to progress in their cultivation journey."
"Ordinary Talents only show up as numbers ranging from Tier-1 to Tier-10 on the stone. If you possess a higher talent, it turns completely black like a galaxy, which is why we call it the 'Tier-G Talent'."
"If your Talent is even higher than that, stars begin to light up. Depending on the number of them, we differentiate between the Single Star Talent, the Array of Stars or the Firmament Star Talent."
"These are surpassed by the New Moon Talent, Waning Moon Talent, Half Moon Talent, Waxing Moon Talent, and finally Full Moon Talent."
"Sometimes there are peerless geniuses, who make suns appear on the stone, ranging from one to a maximum of seven. I have also heard of monstrous geniuses who are said to only appear once every thousand years or so, and in their case multiple galaxies appear on the Talent Evaluation Stone, with the peak being a 9 Galaxy Universe Talent."
"With all that said, the reason I feel down is that I myself only have a 10 show up when I use the stone, in other words, the chances for me to reach the Imperial Realm are slim to none." Galatris admitted, before he let out a deep and heavy sigh.
"Why do you give so much importance to that? Isn't cultivation always a journey to defy the heavens?" Ken asked, having a hard time to understand the importance of Talent.
"That is a nice way to look at it, but unfortunately, Talent also indicates your own ability to absorb Spiritual Energy, which you require to advance through the Layers, cross Stages and enter new Realms. Consider cultivating as a process of filling one's cup with a liquid. The higher you go, the bigger the cup you'll have to fill before advancing, yet your Talent dictates how much liquid you can pour in on a daily basis. While you could theoretically fill any cup given enough time, don't forget that all of us are mortal beings."
"To put it more bluntly, if the Talent Evaluation Stone shows that your number is less than 7, you can practically forget about entering the Immortal Realm, even if you were to spend every day of your life cultivating, starting from the moment of your birth. In the same vein, to enter the Imperial Realm you need to have at least a Tier-G Talent. While it isn't unprecedented that someone with Tier-10 Talent could enter the Imperial Realm, it is only a one-in-a-trillion chance, and I'm afraid I've already used up all my luck encountering you and your friends." Galatris explained patiently, ending with a dry joke.
"You keep harpering about Talent here and Talent there, but didn't the Prophecy tell us that it is Fate and Fate alone that will trump over hardships and suffering? So what does Talent matter if everything was preordained?" Keiren asked with the curiosity of the innocent.
This question just short circuits Galatris' brain.
What is Talent, and what is Fate? Is Talent the shackle that binds your Fate, or is it your Fate that dictates your Talent? Is your Talent just the test you have to overcome to achieve your Fate? …
These and a million more questions flooded Galatris' brain as he tried to comprehend what Keiren just asked.
—
# Host, please be aware that Galatris counts as your first Summon, as such you're capable of upgrading his Talent, assuming you pay out the necessary SP. #
"Alright, Galatris, there's no need to feel depressed. Talent or Fate might shackle you now, but I have the power in my hands to change this and alter your Talent."
'How far can he be upgraded and how much would it cost?' Ken asked the System.
# Host, the current maximum he can be upgraded to is the 9 Galaxies Universe Talent. The price would be 1 Billion summoner points in total to upgrade him, though if you go step by step, it will only cost you 995,310,000 summoner points. The first upgrade to Tier-G Talent cost 10,000 SP. #
'Oh, what a nice 'discount',' Ken thought as he rolled his eyes internally.
"That is nice of you to say, Master, but there is no way to alter Talent in this world," Galatris replied dejectedly.
"There is, though it appears to be stupidly expensive," Ken argued after hearing Galatris words and listening to the price from the System.
"What do you know? You arrived in this world yesterday, yet you claim to have found a way that I, who has lived in Chaosia for over 50,000 years, has never heard of? One that allows you to alter Fate and Talent in this world?" Galatris asked angrily, no longer willing to talk about this sore point.
"Why should I lie to you? I simply told you that my Summoners System informed me about its capability to upgrade the Talent of my Summons, and you yourself count as my first. The only problem appears to be that I lack the necessary Summoner Points to do so right now. However, once I gather them, I'll be able to upgrade you even all the way up to the Universe Talents." Ken rebutted.
"Master, I understand that your damn System is powerful, but there are limitations in this world that it can't overcome. An Eternal Realm Master can't do it, and the Eternal Realm is just a Legendary Myth..." Galatris said in a mixture of rage and depression, until he cut off all of a sudden. "What is the highest Cultivation Realm your System knows of?"
'System, what is the highest Cultivation Realm you know of?'
# Host, I can't tell you. Many of the Information I have are still sealed because you are not strong enough to learn them yet, but one thing I can tell you is that an Eternal Realm Master would indeed be capable of altering the Talent of people below the Emperor Realm. #
"My System refuses to tell me, but it tells me that an Eternal Realm Master should be able to alter the Talent of people below the Emperor Realm," Ken replied to Galatris after the System gave the answers to him.
"Unbelievable, how do you earn these points that you need? Is there a way to help you gather them?" Galatris asked, still unable to believe it, but at least willing to give it a shot.