Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 888: Section 586: Confidence (Part 1)

Chapter 888: Section 586: Confidence (Part 1)

Upon opening the door, Grael’s new neighbor looked at the old man and the young child before him, feeling puzzled and curious but mostly recognized Grael—his neighbor, rumored to be a retired professor from the Royal Academy of the Holy Kingdom, known for his old-fashioned ways.

Of course, these were all things he’d heard, considering on this winter night, what gentlemen and ladies enjoyed the most was playing bridge, and a man like him, with a wallet as full as his card-playing skills, naturally became the darling of the Salon.

"Mr. Grael, what brings you here?" The new neighbor raised his eyebrows, while thinking of several backup plans in his mind.

If he had come for financial support for education, no problem, he could send the old man away with some money.

If it was just to say hello, that was even less of an issue, inviting the old gentleman and his student in for a sit-down and he’d be willing to make a cup of tea for the old man—who, as he’d heard, had never married or had children, so this child couldn’t possibly be his grandson, and in appearance, this child seemed much better dressed than Mr. Grael, looking like an heir to some Noble family.

Hmm, interesting, maybe he could use some little tricks to extract a good amount of money from him and his family.

After all, he had just completed a sacrifice, and although he didn’t find his High God in Subspace, he accidentally intercepted a powerful soul, which intrigued him—he wanted to see what kind of terrifying creature this soul, intercepted into that young child’s body, would grow into.

With these thoughts, he noticed his old neighbor had begun to speak.

"Good morning, sir, I am your neighbor, Professor Grael." The first sentence the old man spoke was to introduce his name, and he seemed quite pleased with his professorial status.

Truly an interesting old man, he thought to himself, while extending his hand to shake that of the old man: "Sa’an Stalk, good afternoon, Professor Grael."

"I heard we had a new neighbor, so I came to greet you. Look, I have a young Apprentice, whom I am teaching Noble etiquette." The old man spoke of the child with pride and satisfaction, as if the child by his side was the best thing in his heart.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Sa’an." The child greeted him with a smile.

A proud little rooster, Sa’an smiled sincerely. He’d seen many such children—pride their Shield, nobility their weapon, but in the end, they’re just lonely children.

He had ways of handling him.

As Sa’an was thinking this, he turned to Professor Grael: "Professor Grael, I’m sure there’s more than just a greeting for your visit today."

"Indeed, you see, I am a retired professor from the Royal Academy, and I heard you brought a child with you here, so, if possible, I would like to introduce you to the enrollment notice of the Royal Academy. After all, the ladies at the Salon say you are a gentleman who understands that knowledge is power."

Ah, knowledge is power—this stale phrase surely couldn’t be spoken by a follower of the Master of Wisdom, could it?

How troubling.

With such a sigh, Sa’an smiled apologetically: "I’m sorry, my child is only one year old, and that’s not possible." As he spoke, Sa’an opened the door wider, allowing the old man to see the child in the baby carriage in the hall.

He could see the unmistakable disappointment on Professor Grael’s face: "What a pity, I was hoping to recruit enough students for my student’s class."

Listening to the old man’s muttering, Sa’an realized his student hadn’t been able to recruit enough students for some reason, and if this kept up, his class might be canceled. So for the sake of his student, this old man had to leave his home to help.

Understanding this, Sa’an actually hoped the student would attract enough Apprentices, at least so he wouldn’t have to watch his teacher exert himself so much.

"However, I can still introduce you to some children, as there are many new friends I’ve made at the Salon."

"That would be most kind of you, Mr. Sa’an."

At that moment, host and guest were both content, exchanging compliments until Sa’an noticed the child staring intently in the direction of the baby.

What was he looking at? What was he thinking?

With that curiosity, Sa’an spoke up: "Child, you’re looking at my child, aren’t you?"

"Yes, a very strange life form. Clearly marked by Subspace, but without the corruption of Subspace. Mr. Sa’an, what kind of terrifying thing have your sacrifices brought forth?" As the child spoke, he looked up at Sa’an.

In that instant, Sa’an felt his internal defenses almost crumbling. He struggled, took several steps back, and managed to stand up, only to realize that the child was already picked up in his arms.

His Illusion Technique had no effect on him, so he reached for the Revolver on his waist.

But what he drew was a cold, slippery snake. Sa’an screamed and threw it away, then realized—it wasn’t a snake; his mental defenses were breached, and his opponent had turned the Revolver into his worst fear.

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