Chapter 59: Shockwaves Across All Sides

While the world buzzed with discussion, in a room lit by four magic carriage lanterns—

A woman in her twenties with short white hair and a white lab coat sat at her Magic Desk, legs crossed, reading the information about the "Novice Elixir - Talent Ascension (D)."

She wore a monocle over one eye and had a finger-length stick of some white, wood-like material clamped between her lips.

"An elixir for talent ascension, hm? Now that's an interesting research topic."

After saying that, she glanced over her shoulder at the slightly translucent, frosted-glass crucible behind her, still radiating steam.

Around the crucible sat various alchemical tools, and the shelves were lined with bottles and jars.

At her elbow, a stack of books sat piled high.

These books had a remarkably high degree of overlap with those on the bookshelf beside Lan Qingyou's bed.

"Perhaps this world isn't as boring as I imagined."

She picked up a jar of monster materials soaking in liquid from the shelf.

"I wonder what the formula for the Talent Ascension elixir is. It would be quite fascinating to exchange notes with this Lan Qingyou."

Saying so, the woman went back to her own work.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

When the World Will's announcement rang out, a certain man furrowed his brow and looked toward the desk before him.

Sure enough.

Pinned at the top of his desk was a text passage identical to what the World Will had just spoken.

He tapped on the section about the elixir and examined its quality rating.

"If this could be mass-produced... it would be a blessing for all of humanity."

The man muttered to himself.

"There seem to be plenty of restrictions — restricted user, restricted rank. But regardless, if she can make D-rank, she'll very likely be able to make C-rank and B-rank in the future. Someone with this kind of talent is exactly who we need."

"Councilman, the Council has sent a document."

Just as the man was musing aloud, a young man in a grayish-white robe entered and handed over a sheet of paper.

The man read it, then looked up at the young aide.

"What's the Council's position?"

"The Council urges that we proceed as quickly as possible."

Hearing this, the man's brow creased.

"We currently have neither the strength nor the magical power to convince anyone. And they still want us to rush?"

"Yes."

"Of course. Even transported to another world, those old fossils still can't let go of their power and their pitiful little titles."

The man laughed in disbelief.

"Do they seriously think Old Man Huang's people have more guns than the Four Families?"

"Uh..."

The young aide had no idea how to respond to that.

"Forget it. Let them play their games. When reality catches up with them, they'll learn soon enough that the old rules no longer apply."

With a cold snort, the man handed the document back to the young aide.

Then he turned his attention back to the Talent Ascension elixir announcement on his Magic Desk.

...

"Lan Qingyou? Dad, could that be my cousin?"

Inside a certain shelter, a lean young man in his twenties stared in bewilderment at the scruffy, unshaven middle-aged man sitting across the campfire.

His words made the two women currently feeding materials into the floor runes freeze mid-motion.

"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."

The middle-aged man's hands paused. He shook his head, dismissing the young man's words.

"I heard that girl ran out of money for treatment and was thrown out of the hospital. You all know what Federation Hospital's reputation is like. She's probably been dead for ages."

The middle-aged man's confident tone made the young man exhale in relief.

And it wasn't just him — the older and younger women beside him visibly relaxed as well.

After all, those with a clear conscience don't fear ghosts at the door. Yet here they were, the whole family practically jumping at the mere mention of "Lan Qingyou."

Were they feeling guilty?

No. They were simply afraid.

Afraid that the person whose inheritance they'd swindled might make a comeback and come to settle the score.

"But we can't rule out the possibility that it is her."

Once the tension had eased somewhat, the older woman — her hair a mess, wearing filthy clothes — tossed a piece of lumber into the rune and spoke up as a warning.

"True. Either way, better to be careful from now on."

The middle-aged man nodded in agreement.

"Tch, too bad she never posted anything, and cross-district friend requests aren't possible. Otherwise we could check her avatar and see if this Lan Qingyou is the one we know."

The younger woman beside the older one — equally grimy — clicked her tongue in frustration.

"Enough. We don't even have a Magic Desk right now. How would we check anything?"

The middle-aged man glanced at his daughter.

But just as they were discussing this, a blond-haired thug walked up and without a word kicked the middle-aged man flat on his back, then launched into a verbal tirade.

"Hey! Old man! Don't stop working! What do you think this is, break time?!"

"Sorry, sorry — my hands were cramping up a bit."

Despite being kicked to the ground, the middle-aged man showed no anger whatsoever. Instead, a grin spread across his face as he lay prone like an old dog and offered his explanation to the blond youth.

"Hmph. I don't care if they're cramping or not. Don't forget who took your family in out of the goodness of their heart. If this magic shield fails because of you yellow monkeys and we lose a Level 3 shelter, you can look forward to the Boss's wrath."

The blond swept a haughty gaze over all four of them and sneered.

"Yes, yes, yes — I guarantee nothing like that will happen."

The middle-aged man thumped his chest with conviction.

"For fuck's sake — the Mana Tide's ending soon. Get back to work, or don't blame me for what happens next."

After tossing out the threat, the blond cast one more disgusted look at the family of four and stalked off.

"Goddamn supremacist."

Only after watching the blond disappear did the middle-aged man, still lying on the ground, mutter under his breath.

But the moment the words left his mouth, he turned to find the other three members of his family staring at him.

Perhaps feeling embarrassed by his own groveling display — or perhaps furious at his own cowardice—

The head of the household reasserted his authority.

"What are you looking at?! Get moving! You want the Boss to deal with you?!"

There was a phrase for this: 'only a bully at home.'

And right now, the middle-aged man was embodying it perfectly.

His outburst jolted the other three back into action.

Passing materials, feeding the rune — everyone resumed their duties.

The family of four bustled around the magic shield core, terrified of being caught slacking by the blond again or facing punishment from the Boss.

'The moment this Mana Tide is over, we're leaving this hellhole!'

They'd had more than enough of living like this.