"Good thing I didn't make my Soul Contract with idiots." The Starlight Lantern silently exclaimed
"So, what Soul Tier is 'He' ?" Rein asked again
This seemingly useless information would give the duo an understanding of how strong they would need to become, and how strong their future enemies could be.
Of course, it was only a number that they could scale off of. The true strength of something in the higher Soul Tiers would still be a mystery.
"'He' is at Soul Tier 10. If you know any more, your heads will explode."
"Not all knowledge is meant to be known." The Starlight Lantern said ominously
"Soul Tier 10… isn't that just too impossibly high? Isn't the highest Soul Tier known to humans Soul Tier 4? I thought the highest existences would be at Soul Tier 7 at most…" Ciel said, completely baffled
He felt a new sense of fear towards the great entity behind the Door of Void.
He and Rein were only at Soul Tier 2, but they didn't even know how exactly that feat was reached. They just suddenly woke up as stronger beings on a new planet.
It would also be exponentially harder to pass each Soul Tier, making Soul Tier 10 an unfathomable journey to imagine.
'How did such an existence get trapped behind my Attribute?'
'I hope the great entity doesn't wake up any time soon. Or at least for a very long while.' Rein thought ideally
Though, she knew ideal scenarios were not something to bet her future on. She mentally prepared herself for the worst.
"Don't ever rely on information you can hear in passing. Though, you two should already know that." The Starlight Lantern ethereally said
"So… can you give us another Star Contract?" Ciel asked, quickly wanting answers to his new questions
Although, most of those questions would have to wait.
"Sure. Your new Star Contract is to find an ally. This will be your last easy one." The Starlight Lantern said
'He didn't even argue or waste time…' Ciel thought, wondering if the Starlight Lantern was plotting something
"That seems easy enough. It can be done today." Rein said after a moment of silence
She was already going to introduce Ciel to Miriko and Zhanix soon. The Star Contract just made the "soon" sooner.
"Alright. We'll wait until they're both done with today's work. There's still 9 hours left." Ciel said
Miriko's Cafe Inn was open from 6:00 AM to 12:00 AM.
Time passed, and it eventually reached 7:00 PM.
"Let's turn on the Broadcaster. There's nothing much else to do." Rein said feeling bored while laying on the sofa
"Alright." Ciel replied from a nearby chair
As usual, there was nothing of interest being talked about on the voice only broadcast.
It was about boring political and noble problems going on throughout the Floren Kingdom.
That was, until the very end of the broadcast.
**
**
"Now, our final topic of the day will be short but quite important!"
"Make sure that you don't miss this segment!" Said a female reporter's voice
"A major criminal from the Star Kingdom is hiding here in the Floren Kingdom with his motives unknown."
"Please be careful of anyone you find suspicious, and make sure you don't aimlessly wander around at night."
"If you happen to see this man, please immediately report it to the Royal Guards!"
The lady continued on and described his appearance.
"He is 18 years old, slim, has lush black hair that is slightly flecked with dark purple, and finally, his height is 6'0".
"That's all for today! Stay safe, and see you tomorrow!" She concluded
**
**
"Huh. This is the first time something important has been talked about on the Broadcaster. The situation must be quite bad." Ciel said while still sitting on the chair
"Yeah. She didn't even say who he was or what his crimes were. For all we know, he could just be an innocent person trying to escape the Royal Guards."
"His Soul Tier also must be quite high. There's no way they would mention a regular person on the Broadcaster." Rein added
"So, are you going to make him your ally if you see him?" The Starlight Lantern asked, who was also listening in from the table
"No. I'm already a wanted criminal. It could get irritating if we get turned into a criminal organization. He could betray us at any moment, even if he is trustworthy at the start."
"Well, it's not like you will reveal your true identity…" The Starlight Lantern said
"So you already saw it. You're right. There's no reason for Ciel to be in this kingdom." Ciel said with no real emotion
Time elapsed once again, and it was eventually 12:15 AM.
Rein was walking down the stairs to the first floor of Miriko's Cafe Inn. She had waited an extra 15 minutes to let the final customers finish their meals.
Once at the first floor, she walked up to the kitchen door and knocked. All the tables around were empty.
After a few moments, Zhanix opened the door.
"...Once you're done cleaning, take Miriko with you and come to my room. You might already know why." Rein said, seeing that the kitchen was being cleaned
Zhanix politely nodded before Rein went back to her room.
After another 5 minutes of waiting, she heard a knock on her door.
"They're here." Rein said
"I'm ready." Ciel said emotionlessly, who now wearing a dark blue mask that covered his entire face
There was nothing special about the appearance of the mask, as it had a fixed neutral expression.
However, its material was made from pure Eternal Stone. The mask worked very well because of the properties of Eternal Stone, especially its anti divination and presence concealment.
He had made two of these masks with his abundant free time inside the frozen Special Gate.
One for himself and one for Rein if a situation arose where she needed to conceal her identity.
Rein nodded and opened the door, letting Miriko and Zhanix inside the room before closing the door.
"So, what's up?" Miriko asked, not noticing the masked man
Ciel then got up from the chair and bowed his head politely, making Miriko finally notice his presence in shock.
He was wearing a top hat, black pants, a plain dark blue formal suit under a trench coat.
These were all purchases Rein secretly made when first arriving at the 2nd quadrant.
Rein also showed Ciel how to act like a Victorian man from her memories of Earth… which were evidently very surface level.
"Hello. My name is Niko Rampancy. It's a pleasure to meet you." Ciel said, tipping his hat over
Even if he wanted allies, it was not worth revealing his true identity.
Ciel was a heavily wanted man by the Floren Kingdom with a bounty of 100 Good. It was not worth risking anything.
"Uh… hello? I'm Miriko… How exactly did you get in here? Wait... are you a noble? " Miriko asked perplexingly, not knowing whether to be scared or not
"That's a secret. You have probably already heard of me from Rein." Ciel said
"Oh… so you're the friend she mentioned? Miriko calmed down slightly
"Precisely."
"You see, I'm looking for suitable allies right now."
"Of course, you have the right to decline." Ciel explained
"What is your goal?" Miriko curiously asked
"It's simple. I just need to find a way to take something I need from the Avadonn Palace's royal treasury."
"All you have to do is help me find or create some opportunities." Ciel said
"That doesn't seem so simple…"
"Well, I'm sure Zhanix has already decided to help you, but I'm not helping you for free."
"Three favours. You will help me with any three favours I have for you. If you accept that condition, I will help you as well."
"Fair enough. I accept your condition." Ciel replied
—"Thanks."— Zhanix magically wrote in his notebook, showing it to Ciel and Miriko
—"You can ask me for help at any time. I'll try my best to find a way to the royal treasury."— He wrote
"Just so you know, I'm only helping you because your Rein's friend." Miriko said bluntly to Ciel, who didn't show any emotion
She and Zhanix then left the room after the conversation was over.
"That went well." Rein said
"Yeah. So, the Star Contract is complete, isn't it?" Ciel said to the Starlight Lantern, who was still on the table
Miriko didn't even notice the majestic lantern because of her shock. Zhanix, however, did notice it, but didn't say anything.
'She's quite naive, but that's fine.' Ciel thought to himself
"Yeah. Your question?" The Starlight Lantern asked, as if he was bored from waiting
"What are the fastest ways to gain Spirit?" Rein unhesitatingly asked
This was one of, if not the most important question right now.
"Hmm..."
"As you have already guessed, defeating Forsakened is not the fastest way to gain Spirit, even if they are stronger than you."
"The absolute fastest way to gain Spirit is to manipulate higher level beings according to your will."
"The reason why greater beings don't show themselves is because that if they make even a simple mistake, they could accidentally create hundreds or even thousands of Soul Sorcerers."
"They could even increase the Soul Tier of already awakened Soul Sorcerers just by taking a wrong step. "
"That would be quite a bad accident."
"That is why high level existences will not make any moves against anyone unless they are completely desperate or confident."
"Another way is to make your identity known widely. It can be seen as either a symbol of fear or reverence."
"If enough people fear you, your existence will become a target of fear and hatred. You will gain Spirit like this because you survive despite being heavily despised and wanted dead."
"Same goes for reverence. Some people may act as gods to receive praise, and fabricate actions they have not done to receive blessings. This can also increase your Spirit."
"It's basically mass manipulation instead of higher level manipulation." The Starlight Lantern said informatively
'Is that why the reporter didn't mention the name of that criminal?' Ciel thought
All sorts of new plans were formulating in his head with the new information.
'It seems like Niko Rampancy is not going to be a very secretive identity.' He thought, twirling his hair with a finger
"So, can we get another Star Contract?" Ciel asked with high hopes
"I'm not a charity lantern. I can only give you one Star Contract a week." The Starlight Lantern scoffed
"Huh, why didn't you ever mention such a limitation before?" Rein asked, slightly annoyed
"It's because I didn't plan to make your Star Contracts too easy that it would take you under a week."
"It was just that you needed to get the answer to the previous question quickly." The Starlight Lantern explained
'So we can only ask one question per week at most… that's kinda annoying.' Rein thought
Still, getting such valuable information was quite worth the wait.