Andrew's eyes flickered with surprise as he perused the information projected by the runic bracelet.
His mentality and mana stats had been only at around 1.5 after his previous life's awakening. But it seemed like his tenacity had paid off, and he had managed to push the two attributes over the two-point mark after consuming the elixir in his new life.
He could rejoice as his starting point was much higher than he expected.
In the meantime, the family council members had also captured Andrew's stats with their incredible perceptions. But their reactions were miles apart from his own.
"As we suspected, it's only a Low-Tier Human-Grade totem," Miles, Andrew's father, announced to the rest of the council members with a dejected expression.
"This..." Magnus, the great-grandfather of the Robinson family, sighed with disappointment. "I guess the talent of this young one doesn't lie in sorcery."
"If he had awakened a high-tier human-grade totem, I would have made an exception and allowed him to strengthen it in the bloodline pond. But since he is only a low-tier human-grade totem holder, our hands are tied. We have no way of improving his talent to an acceptable level."
"Grandfather! I understand," Miles said, and the room descended back into a few seconds of silence.
Andrew watched everything that was happening with a concerned expression. But on the inside, he was pretty detached as he had already experienced the same scenario during his previous life.
He could also understand where his great-grandfather was coming from as the aura of his awakened book-type totem was just too feeble.
In Edhen, the Realm of Sorcerers, totems could be classified into three ascending grades, with the human grade as the lowest, then earth in the middle, and heaven as the highest. These three grades were further subdivided into low, medium, and high-tier totems according to their potential and aura after awakening.
For instance, Andrew's awakened book-type totem exuded an aura of an ordinary low-tier human-grade totem, the worst classification of totems according to the realm of Edhen's known standards. So, it was no surprise that his great-grandfather had already deemed his prospects as a sorcerer nonexistent.
But was it really so? Was his totem only a trashy low-tier human grade?
Andrew was pretty calm, as he knew the potential of his totem better than anyone. But he wasn't about to go out of his way to disclose such information to the family council since he had his own plans to strengthen himself.
"Let's put a stop to the awakening ceremony," Duke Magnus announced after the council members finished discussing the potential of Andrew's totem. "Miles! You should advise your son to manage one of the family businesses outside our hidden dimension. At least, he will live a good life in the empire."
"Thank you, family head," Miles said with gratitude. "I will do as you command."
With those few statements, the family head had decided Andrew's fate after evaluating his potential.
Everything was as expected.
With a trashy book-type battle totem and attributes averaging below two times those of an ordinary human, all the family council members, including Andrew's father, judged that he had no prospects as a sorcerer. They unanimously agreed to send him out of the hidden dimension, hoping he would flourish in the real world while managing one of the family businesses.
Of course, Andrew didn't object to the family council's instructions.
He had been through the same ordeal during his previous life and understood that his family had, at that point, stopped investing in him as a potential sorcerer. He readily accepted the arrangement in his new life, especially since it would give him the freedom to develop the hidden potential of his so-called useless battle totem.
After his approval, he bowed to the other family council members and followed his father out of the Elder's Hall. They soon met up with Cody Yates, the dutiful butler, who was still waiting close to the border of the clearing atop the peak of the ancestral mountain.
"How did it go?" Cody asked with enthusiasm after catching sight of Andrew and his father.
Andrew's father sighed in response. "Not so well," he said. "He awakened the lowest grade of an auxiliary-type battle totem. The council has decided to send him to the outside world to manage one of the family businesses. He will be able to flourish there."
Cody's expression darkened, but he recovered within an instant.
"Andrew! When do you wish to depart for the outside world?" Andrew's father questioned after shaking his head.
"I wish to set off right away," Andrew replied.
"Right now?" His father exclaimed and glanced at him with narrowed eyes. "Don't you wish to say your goodbyes to the rest of your family before you leave? You might spend a decade without ever getting a chance to return to the family dimension."
"I still wish to depart right away," Andrew insisted. Of course, he would not stay in the family dimension as he knew things would get troublesome after the news of his so-called useless battle totem spread out of the Elder's Hall.
The family had tens of thousands of members residing and competing for resources within the hidden dimension. They came in all types, and some wouldn't hesitate to assassinate him if they discovered that he had become a useless heir of the main lineage.
And even if he perished, the family would not go out of its way to heavily punish the culprits since his value as a Robinson heir had already diminished due to his so-called useless battle totem.
During his previous life, he had opted to stay in the dimension for a few more days to prepare for his departure. But he had faced assassinations thrice and came close to meeting his maker.
With all that in mind, he had to leave the family dimension immediately to avoid all that trouble in his new life.
Andrew's father glanced at him for a few more seconds before waving his hand dismissively. "You can do as you wish. Cody will guide you to the teleportation portals leading to the outside world. Have a good life." Then, without saying anything else, the man shook his head and returned to the Elder's Hall.
Complicated emotions flashed in Andrew's eyes as he watched his father's fading back. But he soon hardened his resolve and turned away.
He knew he had to train himself relentlessly so as to save his close family members from the calamity that would befall them about a year and a half later. Otherwise, everything he did before then would turn out to be pointless.
"Uncle Cody!" He said to the butler, who was waiting quietly by the side. "I really have to leave immediately, or things may get troublesome for me."
The middle-aged butler held his gaze and asked, "What is the matter? Is anyone threatening your life?"
"Not at the moment. But you should know how things are in the family. I fear that a few of my cousins might target me if they learn that I have awakened a useless battle totem."
"So, that's what you're fearing!" Cody nodded in understanding before suddenly posing another question. "Do you have any idea what my battle totem is?"
Andrew shook his head. Of course, he was lying as the butler had already told him about his battle totem during his previous life.
Cody sighed and tapped the air a few times with his cane. He quickly conjured the flying mat sorcery before inviting Andrew to hop on for the ride. Then, after controlling it to leave the Elder's hall and ascend into the skies, he started speaking again.
"I remember your mother giving me some advice back then," he began. "She often said that there were no useless battle totems but useless sorcerers who couldn't unearth the potential of their totems."
"You see, my totem is only a low-tier earth-grade plant type, and many have often referred to it as a useless totem. But after I heard your mother's advice, I worked hard to unearth its potential. As of now, I'm a peak Rank-One sorcerer with potent battle power. Very few can match me in combat in the whole family. Do you understand what I'm trying to say, Andrew?"
"I do," Andrew replied as they flew beyond the city around the ancestral mountain and towards a remote hill. "I'll surely work hard to unearth the potential of my totem. Thank you for the advice, Uncle Cody."
"Good!" The middle-aged butler smiled and patted Andrew's shoulder. "Do not lose hope, and don't mind other people's words. Focus on improving your powers step-by-step, and you will become a top sorcerer one day. And if you ever need any help, you can contact me through your bracelet. I'll try my best to aid you."
Andrew felt quite warm after hearing the butler's words.
Cody was like he remembered, always willing to help. He was also one of the people who had greatly aided him in unearthing the potential of his totem during his previous life. Andrew owed the man a lot, but he still had to ask him for one more favor.
"Uncle Cody!" Andrew said after bracing himself. "I have a favor to ask."
"Oh! Don't be shy," Cody replied with a smile. "As I already said, I'll help if I can."
"The thing is that I need blood or corpses of mutated creatures, demons, or magic beasts," Andrew said. "Do you have any?"
Cody narrowed his eyes and glanced at Andrew sharply. "Why do you need those? Do you plan to train in those accursed demonic techniques?"
"Not at all," Andrew hurriedly voiced his denial. "I will only use them to research some runic formations when I leave the dimension. You know magic resources are very scarce out there."
"Is that the case?" Cody's expression loosened.
He took one of the rings off his fingers and tapped its surface on another ring several times. After that, he handed it to Andrew and said, "There are a few well-preserved corpses of magic creatures within the ring. You can use them for your research. But do not utilize them to train in those demonic techniques."
"Thanks, Uncle Cody! I promise I won't train in those demonic techniques," Andrew hurriedly said while feeling great anticipation. He connected his consciousness to the ring, and a space of about twenty square meters appeared in his mind.
Within the space were about a dozen beast corpses with powerful auras, three chests of gold coins, and a few other necessities he could use in the outside world. Andrew felt deep gratitude as the butler had done everything to ease his entry into the outside world.
"We're almost reaching the teleportation formations," Cody said. "Keep the ring safe and organize its contents when you arrive on the other side. I have also sent information about our contacts in the outside world to your runic bracelet. They will arrange your work and accommodation on the other side when you contact them. And lastly, remain humble and live a good life. Hopefully, I'll meet you again when you are already a strong sorcerer."
"Don't worry, Uncle Cody," Andrew assured. "I'll do my best."
By then, the flying mat had arrived over one of the military encampments of the Robinson family within the hidden dimension.
Andrew could make out many men and women training under the morning sun as the flying mat descended. Most were apprentice sorcerers conjuring various attacking spells aimed at many wooden dummies on the military training ground.
A few of the younger sorcerers on the nearest training field were his immediate cousins. He could see their expressions changing in various ways after they noticed he was heading towards the teleportation arrays. But he ignored them and continued discussing with the butler.
Soon enough, they arrived before the arrays, and Cody effortlessly organized Andrew's departure with the old manager of the teleportation formations.
The final moment arrived soon enough. Andrew gave the Robinson family dimension and its military encampment one last glance and stepped onto the array.
The manager placed the mana crystals in the relevant sockets before starting the formation. Everything from there on progressed quickly, and with a flash, Andrew's figure flickered out of existence and disappeared from the Robinson dimension.
He had teleported out of the family dimension for the first time in his new life. His goal was to quickly begin his journey in the Dartolonian Empire as a rogue sorcerer without the support of his family.
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