Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Sky Blossom City, TSR Guild Headquarters

"Please don't apologize, Master Wyatt," the elderly demigod said, gently deflecting my words. "It was my own lack of talent and capability that made me overly reliant on ancient knowledge. Instead of questioning it and seeking true understanding, I began to follow it blindly as truth."

"There's no need to be so harsh on yourself," I replied calmly. "Everyone has their own pace. Some flowers bloom in days, others take years. Don't sell yourself short, Demigod Cecil."

I continued, my tone sincere. "You've done remarkable work, especially breeding SSS-rank Houndragons outside their dungeon and raising them as mounts without reducing them to card summons. That alone is an achievement few could replicate. I believe your best days are still ahead of you."

As I spoke, I recalled the dossier Hive Spirit had compiled on him. This was a man who could have joined one of the Top Ten universities, yet instead chose Border City, where he received only a fraction of the resources and recognition those institutions would have offered. All for the sake of his principles.

He was, without question, a man worthy of respect.

Hearing me address him by name, Cecil's eyes lit up with quiet pride. It wasn't his arrogance, but my recognition. Though I was far younger than him, my works and achievements carried enough weight that being acknowledged by me felt like an honor to him. He inclined his head slightly and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your generous praise."

"Hey, old man, don't make the boss repeat himself," Aurelia barked immediately, seizing the opening without hesitation.

Cecil, Tess, and the rest of the entourage all shot her a sharp glare. Aurelia, who never needed much encouragement to stir trouble, puffed out her chest and said loudly, "Boss, are you seeing these newbies? Their eyes are full of arrogance. I think they need to be taught a lesson. What do you say, boss?"

Despite the confidence in her voice, she retreated behind me at remarkable speed, fully aware that her mother was about to slap her senseless again, just like last time.

And she was absolutely right.

Tess's eyes were grim, yet her lips stretched from ear to ear in a wide smile as she addressed her beloved daughter. "Aurelia, sweetie, come to your mother. Let me take a good look at you. It's been a while since I last saw you. Have you lost weight?"

"As if I'd fall for that trick again, Mother," Aurelia scoffed from behind me, using me as a shield. She knew that a single misstep was all it would take for her mother, with her terrifying abilities, to grab her across the room and knock her unconscious.

Tess's smile only grew wider. She calmly took out a storage card and waved it enticingly. "Knowing I'd get to see you, I brought your favorite snacks from Border City. Why don't you come take them and share them with your friends?"

"Really?" Aurelia asked, saliva already dripping from the corner of her mouth as she peeked out from behind me.

"If you don't want it, I'll send it to your brother," Tess said calmly, knowing exactly which strings to pull when it came to her children.

Her children might have believed they were neglected, but for a demigod who had once fought multiple Supreme Beings at the same time, watching over half a dozen children while fulfilling her duties as City Lord and family matriarch was hardly a challenge worth mentioning. If they had seen how her own parents had raised her, they would be begging for her forgiveness instead of complaining.

As for Aurelia being ostracized by her family and the city's citizens due to doubts surrounding her birth, Tess believed it was something she needed to grow accustomed to. No matter how many praises the world sang of the Unstoppable General or Border City, they were still viewed as outsiders. Better to get used to loneliness sooner rather than later. Compared to children who had been forced to pick up knives and fight for their lives, Aurelia had lived far more comfortably. If nothing else, it would build character.

"No, I want it," Aurelia blurted out as she rushed forward.

She was just as greedy as she was shameless. She would rather risk being slapped unconscious than miss the off chance that her mother wasn't trying to trick her this time.

The moment Aurelia reached for the storage card, Tess pulled it back. Aurelia immediately dropped to her knees, ready to beg for forgiveness, but a hand stopped her.

It was Tess. She looked into her daughter's eyes and sighed inwardly, 'The Aureculian bloodline doesn't deserve a whimsically kind spirit like yours, my dear daughter.'

She brushed Aurelia's messy hair aside and placed the storage card into her hands. "Go. Share it with your friends."

Aurelia nodded eagerly as she accepted it. Instead of leaving immediately, however, she equipped and rummaged through the card, took out two neatly packed boxes of tea powder, and handed them to Jill and Anna.

"Madams," she said seriously, "make the boss drink this tea with Goblinut Kernels. You'll hear good news within a month."

Before either of them could react, she stuffed the boxes into their hands and bolted out of the room as if running for her life. Seeing this, Asong burst into laughter.

Shaking my head, I picked up where I had left off. "Right. Where was I? To counter Divine Enlightenment, I created Celestial Empowerment. It uses celestial force to empower the victim's will, allowing them to resist the influence of Divine Enlightenment. It's built upon celestial force and my own physique, which is why I can't teach it to you."

At my words, the light in Tess's eyes, as well as in Cecil's and the rest of her entourage's, dimmed noticeably even before I could finish speaking. Ignoring their disappointment, I continued, "However, I can create a card that will allow those who can borrow celestial force from the Card World's will to mimic Celestial Empowerment. The card can also be used on oneself to resist Divine Enlightenment, though only to a certain extent."

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