Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 1031: Section 658: The Madness After the Year 2000 (Part 2)

Chapter 1031: Section 658: The Madness After the Year 2000 (Part 2)

"Professor, are you looking for a respectable job?" The old man handed the form to his subordinate, then took two cups of coffee from his female assistant. He placed the smaller cup in front of himself and the larger one in front of Malin.

Malin extended a hand, and the small milk bottle on the tray floated to the Spiritual Energy Master. It tipped over in front of the tricolored little cat, as if an invisible bowl in the air caught the white liquid pouring out. The little cat hesitated in delight and surprise before enthusiastically lapping up the milk.

Malin gazed at the little cat with a look full of affection, as if he were looking back on the little stray the old dean had found years ago. It had grown old in the yard, lived in the yard, and eventually, it was Malin who dug a hole and constructed a final resting place for the old cat.

The old man looked at the little cat. His patience far exceeded his ambition. Malin raised his head and decided to offer the man some praise: "By the way, I don’t believe I know your name."

"Li Wei, Li Wei Mischael." The old man smiled and answered.

Malin froze for a moment and then reassessed the old man. "What relation is Mr. Mischael of Carterburg to you?"

After speaking, Malin waited for a response. A trace of confusion flickered across the old man’s face. He instinctively expressed astonishment, fear, and contemplation.

Finally, facing the fact that this was the Legendary Spiritual Energy Master, the old man nodded. "That was my ancestor. How... did you recognize my lineage, sir?"

Malin, of course, could not tell the old man, "Sorry, your ancestor is still on my list of suspects."

But considering the fact that this man managed to survive and pass down the Mischael surname, Malin began to doubt the hypothesis that Mischael was the culprit—if he were, Malin would have killed him without hesitation.

Yet the truth was that Malin hadn’t killed Mr. Mischael, and the Mischael family had endured into the lineage of two thousand years later.

Hmm, it seems Malin’s prior assumptions needed serious reevaluation.

"I’ve seen a portrait of your ancestor, and I must admit, the resemblance is striking," Malin said with a smile.

This answer might seem ambiguous, but when spoken by someone Legendary, it unexpectedly carried sufficient persuasive power.

The old man gave an awkward smile. "I represent Thainan’s Oracle Company."

"I would have thought, with your surname, you would be well influential within the Holy Covenant Guild," Malin said, sipping a small mouthful of coffee.

Old Mr. Li Wei gave an embarrassed smile. "From the eldest son of that ancestor onward, our family has always worked for the Gaiate Commercial Group. Later, Lady Meng founded the Oracle Group in Thainan, and my ancestor—a grandson of the sixth son of the eldest—joined the company. By my generation, apart from these eyes, I have already become more like a Thanan."

"Your bloodline traces back quite well," Malin said with a laugh. "No problem. If you need anything, you can contact me. Use it."

Malin gestured toward the tricolored little cat, which instinctively clung to Malin’s hand.

"No problem, Professor," the old man replied. With that, he handed over the freshly prepared document to Malin.

Malin accepted the document, thought briefly, and then extended his empty hand.

Malin called upon the World Tree in the Semi-Plane.

Although he didn’t expect the World Tree to respond, unexpectedly, a small fissure opened, and a fruit fell into Malin’s hand.

Old Li Wei’s coffee cup was pushed over by Spiritual Energy. The fruit in Malin’s hand was instantly crushed into powder, which he sprinkled into the cup. Then, he signaled the old man to drink it all.

Without hesitation, the old man drank it in one go.

The entire guild was filled with the sound of heavy breathing from the young and old—a life force radiating from the World Tree’s fruit was too overwhelming in today’s world. Anyone connected to the Supernatural Realm would sense it unmistakably, even if they didn’t know exactly what it was.

Malin stood up. Li Wei’s white hair fell to the floor, replaced by youthful black strands sprouting like weeds.

All his old teeth were pushed out by new ones growing in. Even the steel implants embedded in his gums were rejected and forcibly expelled.

His once-clouded eyes regained clarity, the blood vessels in his eyeballs receded, and his skin began to shed. Beneath the decayed layer emerged smooth, taut, and revitalized skin.

"What... what’s happening to me?" Li Wei’s voice had changed. The deep, smoky rasp inflected by years of tobacco and alcohol was replaced by a clear, vibrant male tone.

"Rebirth," Malin replied with a smile. "Consider it my gift to you. If you ever need to contact me, just tap the cat on the head three times. Be careful not to hit it too hard, or you’ll kill it—and then there’ll be no way to reach me."

With that, Malin turned to leave. This time, all the transcendents in the hall formed a new human wall in his path, reverently giving Malin the most humble chest-touching salute.

......

This journey left Malin curious. The World Tree that remained in this world had returned to its ordinary state, yet the World Tree in the Semi-Plane could still respond to Malin’s call. Although Malin had already warned the World Tree not to re-enter this world, ensuring he preserved the secret of his presence in this timeline,

Malin couldn’t help but fear that among the children guarding the World Tree, someone might discover an anomaly.