For his part, upon hearing Erik's response, the young man from the Jade Lotus Union put on a fake expression of surprise, though his eyes gleamed with a nearly sadistic glint of mockery. He then began to speak in an exaggerated tone—worse than a bad theater actor.
"How can it be that the 'great' disciple Erik doesn't even possess basic knowledge of the arts? That just can't be true because if it were, he'd be nothing more than a random country bumpkin. I mean, how could anyone have an even remotely interesting conversation with someone like that?"
The young man's comment drew a cold stare from Erik, who looked him up and down with detached indifference before speaking in a calm and measured voice—though his tone was so unusually cold that it caught Chen, Elara, and Zoe by surprise.
"Well, what can you do? I'm just a poor, random country bumpkin. But I think there are still a few interesting things we could talk about—alchemy and artificery, for example. This poor bumpkin has managed to earn a couple of one-star licenses in those fields.
"So, while I may not measure up to someone of such exalted status—someone who can afford to call me a bumpkin and still take part in art competitions instead of doing actual work—I still know a few things we could discuss."
"…"
Upon hearing the response, the young man fell completely silent—mainly because the aura Erik was emitting was nearly suffocating him. But it was also true that he simply didn't have anything good enough to say in return. That gave Erik the perfect opportunity to continue, which he did with a relaxed, casual expression as he reached out to grab a cookie.
"Oh, we could also talk about recent developments. Perhaps you could tell me a bit about the patents you've registered. After all, if a 30-year-old country bumpkin managed to file a few, I imagine someone of your caliber must have a good number under their belt. It would be a pleasant experience for me to speak with someone who's ahead of me on the path."
Biting into his cookie, Erik looked directly into the black eyes of the young man from the Lotus Union, who was starting to show visible signs of panic. He couldn't help but tremble slightly as he watched the star-haired youth bite into the cookie, feeling as if he himself might be devoured next. That's when Elara, who had been quite irritated with the fool, chimed in with a mocking tone.
"You're giving him too much credit, Erik. The so-called core disciple of the Xiao family we have here hasn't even started a proper profession—how could he possibly have created anything worth registering? Then again, patents are a thing of our Order. Over in their precious Lotus Union, they still hoard knowledge like squirrels, terrified of competition and the idea that someone might actually surpass their pitiful little skills."
Upon hearing Elara, Erik turned to look at the beautiful girl and gave her a knowing smile before turning back to the young man and speaking in a calm tone—though subtly sarcastic and mocking.
"Oh, then it was my misunderstanding. My apologies. So what's actually going on is that this 'great figure' must have dazzled the galaxy with his mastery of the 'arts', participating in all sorts of competitions and earning renown. I see."
At that moment, Zoe lowered her teacup from her lips and added in a calm, explanatory tone, looking directly at Erik—as if explaining something that was just basic common sense—completely ignoring the idiot from the Jade Union.
"You've misunderstood again, Erik. Besides his mother, no one even knows his name. It's just that among so-called 'aristocratic' families, it's common to raise their children in the 'arts' to display their 'superiority' and 'refinement.' And that's all most of these mediocre types have to show off, since they don't excel at anything else."
"Oh, I see—now everything makes sense."
Erik gave Zoe a small smile, then turned and stared directly into the eyes of the young man, who looked like he was about to choke, and continued in a calm voice—but with sarcasm so thick that Elara and Zoe had to pinch themselves discreetly to keep from bursting into laughter.
"It's perfectly understandable that a 'great figure' like yourself wouldn't need to bother learning a profession or developing knowledge to create wealth. After all, you have your family's fortune to spend—something you surely fought for with all your might in your mother's womb for who knows how long. Such an arduous battle, shared only by every other viviparous being in the universe.
"A world of difference from a poor country bumpkin like me, who has to work tirelessly just to register a few patents and try to amass some wealth before turning thirty. My apologies—it's truly hard for a bumpkin like me to imagine the 'great hardships' of an aristocrat and his exalted understanding of the arts. I'll try to pay more attention from now on."
. . .
Meanwhile, over in the Masters' pavilion, Eleonora and Sigrún—who had been frowning just moments ago at the shameless attempt to humiliate their beloved disciple—were now smiling with pride and no small amount of arrogance.
"Our apologies—we truly failed to teach our disciple the 'arts'. It's just that he's been so focused on earning his licenses and developing 'a few' patents that his schedule's been a little tight. But once he finishes registering his latest discoveries—which are a bit more advanced than the handful of patents he casually developed in his early years—we'll be sure to polish his artistic style properly."
Sigrún spoke with a tone of "regret," as though she were genuinely remorseful about this "oversight" and sincerely planned to teach Erik those silly arts—prompting Eleonora to follow with a discreet smile.
"Yes, we really failed there, Sig. How could we let our Erik reach the age of thirty without learning the arts? Being an Ascended-Expert, an Artificer, an Alchemist, and having his academic papers circulate across the galaxy clearly isn't enough—we really need to reflect on this."
The double strike from Eleonora and Sigrún caused a massive and indiscriminate "massacre" among the Master-level figures present, who had to summon every ounce of self-control not to spit on the floor in disgust. After all, how many of their own children, grandchildren, or disciples had learned the arts before the age of thirty? None. At that age, the most they could do was train desperately just to reach the Apprentice level and barely be considered geniuses.
But now there stood a monster capable of reaching the Ascended level, while also possessing such dazzling academic achievements that, frankly, several of the Master-levels present couldn't even match. Inevitably, a single thought began to take root in the minds of Masters from various factions: someone this monstrous could only be allowed to exist within our faction—otherwise, it would be better if he didn't exist at all.
"Fufufu, I suppose I could help with that. My Elara excels at both piano and chess, so she'd make a fine teacher for Erik."
Used to the constant boasting from Eleonora and Sigrún, Thalia was the first to react, commenting casually with a smile on her lips as she gazed off at Erik—who was stylishly ignoring the young man lying unconscious on the floor, suffocated by the sheer pressure of the star-haired boy's aura, which had paralyzed him to the point he couldn't even breathe. She found him genuinely attractive.
"There's no need, Thalia. I myself possess certain accomplishments in the field of the arts, so I'm more than qualified to educate OUR Erik on the matter. Nevertheless, I appreciate the offer." Eleonora said with elegance, though she couldn't help but place a subtle, somewhat possessive emphasis on her beloved disciple.
"Fufu, my apologies—I meant no offense to the great Imperial Princess Silverwood." Thalia replied in a calm tone, though a playful smirk crept across her face.
"Fufu, how could that be? I merely didn't wish to trouble the "great princess" of the Arcane Order with the task of educating OUR little disciple." Eleonora countered with equal grace, landing her blow with refined precision. Thalia's expression immediately soured, and she had no choice but to cross her arms and fall silent, accepting her defeat with obedient restraint.
. . .
While Eleonora and Thalia were having their little spat, a beautiful woman from the Jade Lotus Union cast a casual glance toward a slim young man with similar features, who radiated a scholarly aura and was the center of attention among a large group of youths gathering for the upcoming "arts competition."
Just one look was all the young man needed to understand the message the woman was silently conveying. With an elegant smile, he quickly excused himself from the group surrounding him and began making his way toward Erik, followed closely by two other young men.
Upon reaching Erik's table, the young man casually waved his right hand, and the two youths accompanying him quickly moved to pick up the first young man—now unconscious on the floor, rendered breathless by Erik's aura. He then gave a small bow toward Elara and Zoe.
"Our apologies for the rudeness of the young man from our family." The scholarly youth said calmly, before turning his gaze directly to Erik and continuing with a scornful smile.
"But the Ascended Erik is absolutely right—our origins are far too different to understand each other easily. After all, what could an aristocrat possibly learn from a country bumpkin who can't even afford a surname?"
The moment those words left the young man's mouth, the smiles on Eleonora and Sigrún's faces vanished almost instantly—replaced by cold expressions filled with murderous intent. That reaction brought a smile to the woman from the Arcane Order, who had only moments ago been clenching her teeth in anger, while Thalia, Jessica, and Seraphina began observing the new arrival with unreadable expressions.
"And look how strange life is: this country bumpkin can't even afford a surname, yet you know who I am—and I have no idea who you are."
Erik, for his part, simply turned to look at the new young man and spoke in a calm voice, casually studying him as he reached for another cookie. The young man before him gave a soft smile in response and replied.
"It's barely comprehensible—country bumpkins are nothing more than frogs at the bottom of a well, unable to see the bigger picture, yet still arrogant enough to think they know everything."
"Curious notion. I wonder what's more impressive: a random shooting star in a universe full of them, or a frog in a well that the whole world has heard about." Erik replied calmly, reaching out to take his cup of tea, which caused the young man's gaze to sharpen as he responded.
"You speak with wit, Ascended Erik, I'll give you that. But even a famous frog is still just a creature confined to its pond. We, on the other hand…" The young man paused briefly and extended his hand slightly, as if encompassing the entire crowd on the asteroid, before continuing with a smile.
"We have seen 'oceans'."
"Oceans, huh?" Erik replied casually, then took a sip of his tea, followed by a slight smile.
"Seems you crossed one just to meet a simple 'frog'. How adventurous."
"That's an innate trait of those who pursue excellence, Ascended Erik. Sometimes even the simplest frog on the path can teach us by example what we must avoid." The young man replied in a measured and elegant tone as he placed his hands behind his back. Erik nodded in return and remarked calmly.
"A very true statement. Even the simplest, most mundane creature can teach us something—like not wasting time on useless little ego contests, wouldn't you agree?"
"For you to dare call a tradition that has been upheld for millions of years a mere ego contest only proves that an education in the arts isn't the only thing you're lacking, Ascended Erik. Respect for one's elders is a fundamental virtue for any proper human being." The young man replied with a subtle smile—one that only made Erik's own smile grow slightly wider. Crossing one leg over the other, Erik responded.
"Well then, if that's the case, I must apologize. But I do ask for a bit of indulgence—it's a common mistake among us young people not to fully grasp the hardships of our elders. Don't worry though, we'll reach that age eventually and understand it better... even if from a different height. Don't you think so, Mister Nameless Revealed-level?"
Erik ended by subtly raising his teacup toward the young man, almost as if offering a toast, before taking a calm sip. Meanwhile, Zoe and Elara had to pinch themselves even harder to keep from bursting into laughter.
"I see even frogs grow fangs when their well becomes too small." The young man remarked, letting out a short chuckle before adding with a faint glint in his eyes.
"But if you're so eager to know my name, you'll be invited to learn it in a more appropriate setting. There, words alone won't be enough. Though I suppose for a mere Ascended, it might be a bit difficult to 'rise above.'"
Just at that moment, Erik snapped his fingers, which caused a flicker of confusion in the young man from the Lotus Union. But almost instantly, the elegant and refined youth felt two bursts of hot air hitting his body—prompting him to slowly lift his gaze, only to find himself face to face with two massive canine snouts full of razor-sharp teeth, poised to devour him in a single bite. That's when Erik's calm voice echoed through the air.
"My apologies—my pups tend to act on their own in certain situations. That's on me—they still need more training."
At Erik's words, Kaiser and Tiberius backed away from the young man, though they continued to stare at him like prey, their gazes filled with murderous intent. At the same time, their bodies shimmered with power—Kaiser crackling with silvery electric sparks, and Tiberius surrounded by a dark mist that seemed to devour all light.
Meanwhile, the young man from the Lotus Union couldn't help but tremble slightly. Even though his magical artifacts and other protective treasures might have saved his life if those wolves had actually attacked, the fact that he hadn't seen the attack coming was utterly terrifying. It was enough to plant the illusion in his mind that the star-haired youth standing before him held his life in his hands—and that all it would take was a simple snap of his fingers to end it.
***
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