Half a year later, winter gave way to spring.
Flowers began to bloom, trees sprouted tender green leaves, and the clear sound of bird calls wafted through the mountains and forests.
The name of the Fischer family had spread throughout Nasir City, especially that of the female spellcaster with the healing ability, who was known by everyone.
Karl had been silently observing and chronicling all the experiences of the Fischer family.
Following Lucius's advice, Irene acted as a "healing type spellcaster."
Sea merchant John indeed had plans for a long-term cooperation; he facilitated Irene in treating diseases for more than a dozen wealthy and influential people in Nasir.
The Fischer family gradually accumulated a substantial wealth, yet now they had more than ten servants, and the expense of employing each was not insignificant.
Lucius found the old blacksmith Ramon, who crafted a set of tough full-body armor, a reinforced breastplate, and a more sharp and finely made longsword.
He not only replaced his own equipment with high-quality gear but also trained five robust men among the servants as temporary guards for the Fischer family.
Byrne purchased an entire bookshelf's worth of books and spent every day immersed in reading, continuously absorbing knowledge.
However, the largest expense for the family was related to extraordinary power. To become Extraordinary Exponents, they had bought new extraordinary materials twice from the sea merchant, acquiring "Eye Demon Skin" and "Spectral Blue Fish Fin."
At present, the Fischer family had about fifteen gold coins left in ready money. Byrne suggested investing a portion of it.
Over the past half-year, he had carefully observed and predicted that the business of medical drugs would become popular in Nasir soon because purple-red fish were spotted in the surrounding seas, and whenever they appeared, an infectious disease would spread across the East Coast, according to the records in the books.
In the end, Irene and Lucius decided to try investing five gold coins.
Chris, who was originally just turning over in his swaddling clothes, could now crawl slowly on the ground. The little white-furred fellow had become the family's mascot, and nearly everyone was fond of him.
Three months ago, the Fischer family obtained the "Spectral Blue Fish Fin" through transactions from the sea merchant, and subsequently, Irene became the second member to ascend as an Extraordinary Exponent.
The God Pantheon stairway she ascended was the "Path of Divine Sacrifice."
The Path of Divine Sacrifice and the Path of Conquest were entirely different; Karl had imprinted a completely different Extraordinary law in the "constellations" of the Spirit Realm.
In the "constellations," there was a priestess kneeling on the ground, incessantly praying with tears in her eyes, her expression appearing as though she was yearning for deities to descend and show compassion.
From now on, people in the world of Claud could step onto this new God Pantheon stairway as long as they mastered the formula of magic potions.
The first rank of the "Path of Divine Sacrifice" was "Acolyte," with the acquired Extraordinary traits being "God Worshiping" and "Malice Perception."
Those with the "God Worshiping" Extraordinary trait could choose a deity they sincerely revered and contact the will of the deity by reciting its name daily, thereby obtaining exclusive blessings from the deity.
"Malice Perception" allowed one to sense any person or thing with malice within a five-meter radius; the range of perception could expand as Spiritual Power increased.
Without any doubt, Irene chose the Lord of the Lost as the object of her deity worship.
In addition, Irene's physical condition improved slightly, which is the baseline granted by all God Pantheon stairways.
For Lucius, who had stepped onto the Path of Conquest, his Spiritual Power had increased by about thirty percent, and his physical condition by a full hundred percent.
Conversely for Irene, her physical condition had improved by thirty percent, while the Spiritual Power contained within her soul had increased by a full hundred percent.
The "Path of Divine Sacrifice" could almost be considered the weakest God Pantheon stairway in the early stages, but its future potential and the powerful strength it could bestow in the late stages were undoubted.
A month ago, the Fischer family purchased "Eye Demon Skin" from foreign traders, and Byrne became the third person in the Fischer family to step onto the Extraordinary Path.
"Path of Knowledge"
Karl had similarly selected the most suitable path for Byrne from the thirteen God Pantheon stairways in his mind.
Assimilating Power of Consecution was about compatibility; the closer an Extraordinary Exponent's character matched it, the shorter the time allowed for ascending to the next rank.
If Byrne were to take the Path of Conquest, it might take him more than a decade to qualify for ascending to the 2nd Rank.
The Extraordinary law expanded by the Path of Knowledge was that of a wise and elderly figure in the "constellations," a visage that would even curiously peer greedily beyond the "constellations."
The first rank on the Path of Knowledge is "Chronicler," with the extraordinary traits "Profound Memory" and "Speed Sketching."
"Profound Memory," as the name suggests, allows the Chronicler to possess an unforgettable memory capacity. Even after several years, they can clearly recall every detail of anything they have seen.
"Speed Sketching" means the Chronicler acquires an extremely precise depicting ability. Any scene, creature, or object they hear or see can be represented via drawing.
And any scene, creature, or object that is depicted by a Chronicler becomes more easily destructible unless someone destroys the Speed Sketch.
Lucius and his son, Byrne, collaborated to test this. A stone drawn with Speed Sketching could have its hardness in the physical world become as feeble as black bread, easily broken apart by hand by an ordinary person.
Without a doubt, "Speed Sketching" can become a strong and powerful support-type extraordinary ability in combat.
The spiritual power a "Chronicler" advances in is quite substantial, even nearing that of a "Servant" in the Divine Sacrifice, with a slightly higher physical prowess than a "Servant."
The power obtained at the first rank of the God Pantheon stairway still has a gap when compared to traditional Extraordinary Exponents of the 1st Level.
Karl judged that they would likely have to reach the 2nd Rank before they could match the Extraordinary power of traditional Exponents at Level 1.
In his mind, he knew there were a total of twelve ranks on the God Pantheon stairway, while the traditional Extraordinary levels on the Ouden Continent only counted five.
And even Exponents who reach the 5th Level can't even begin to compare to the gods.
Clearly, the potential upper limit of Consecution power is much higher in the later stages!
Although all three members of the Fischer family had become Extraordinary, aside from Irene, the other two hadn't revealed their identities yet.
----
Lucius, wearing a breastplate, arrived in a small alley in the East City District of Nasir City. The young man in a black robe in front of him was a wine peddler, smiling as he scanned the surroundings for any strangers.
"I've bought wine from you several times in the last half a year, and indeed, it's quite delightful and memorable. Is it true that you have channels for smuggling wine?"
Lucius narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the young wine peddler, and continued, "If there's more smuggled wine, I would like to purchase a few crates. The Fischer family is willing to cooperate, do you really have a reliable source?"
The wine peddler smiled and nodded, saying,
"Rest assured, I haven't tricked you. After all, I have a brother to support and would not forgo any opportunity to make money."
He spoke as if chatting with a good friend, relaxed.
"Mr. Lucius, please come with me."
"Sure!"
Lucius followed the young wine peddler excitedly. Together, they headed to a port outside of Nasir Town, slowly approaching a warehouse.
"It's right here," said the young wine peddler.
Suddenly, Lucius stopped in his tracks, swiftly drawing his blade and dodging to the side.
An axe thrown with great force whizzed past him, striking the warehouse door.
Lucius quickly saw who his assailants were—three jungle natives wearing animal skins and with black patterns on their faces.
"I've brought the man!"
The young wine peddler turned and ran, his panic causing him to flee immediately from the location, clearly in collusion with the jungle natives.
"So it's you guys, I see. You dirt-eating fellows from the jungle finally noticed, huh?"
Lucius said, smiling with narrowed eyes. He naturally knew about the bodies buried near the wooden hut and what had transpired that night.
The mysterious being worshipped by these jungle natives was none other than the Mighty Bloody Demon, and they prided themselves as members of the Blood Cult.
He had been aware that there was a possibility of retaliation.
After half a year, the natives of the jungle finally sought to exact revenge on the Fischer family.