Chapter 7:New Identity
Half an hour passed since Adryan finished his little course on the Beyonder Laws. The more novice students were still somewhat stunned by such an obscure truth and had only their heads down.
Considering that enough time had passed, the red-haired man rose from the couch and stood in front of the group again.
"To end this little lightning class, I want to share with you the method I spoke about earlier.
"But before I say it, I would like to remind you of something you need to engrave in your soul.
"In this world, nothing is free. Any gift given will always come with a price that you have to pay sooner or later." The tone in which he spoke suddenly darkened, causing his students to shiver.
Glancing at the quintet that was paying more attention to him, Adryan simply gave a slight nod.
Serena, Opera, Xio, Fors, and Jerry moved slightly closer to the edge of their seats, eager to know the secret that would quickly get them through the Sequences.
With a smile on his face, Adryan summoned some strings and pulled Charlotte to the front before the younger man could react. The redhead patted his back and sat down on the couch.
"I signed a contract, so I can't say anything, but my good mate Charlotte will gladly explain everything."
"..."
Those present just gave a nervous glance at the man who just leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes.
"That guy's got something wrong with his head, I swear." Fors whispered, somewhat stunned by this sudden change, and the rookies could only nod in agreement.
On the other hand, Charlotte looked at his boss exasperated and could only sigh to express his annoyance. Shaking his head in resignation, he began to discuss the Acting Method and how to use it correctly.
As the Melee Scholar explained the basics of it, the red-haired man's mind was going over everything he wanted to accomplish in Lenburg.
'Lenburg is the City of Knowledge; as long as you are smart, you will have a good life here. And if you have a good idea for a company, this is one of the best places for it to thrive...'
'The best was Backlund, but with what happened, this city just got a raise.' The red-haired man thought calmly.
'If I want to stand a chance in the future, I need not only more money but I need resources, and lots of them. Weapons, a steady supply of ammunition and food, materials... Even if I had unlimited money, without a supplier, that money would be just another decoration.
'Multiple companies that will focus on food production as well as weapons and ammunition production. I need to create a monopoly so that I will be the biggest winner when that war breaks out...'
In a year, a world war will sweep the nations and bring not only death and destruction but also great ammunition. Adryan planned to use that war not only to digest his future potions but also to create his own economic empire.
'History has proven this time and time again. Whether it be in my world or in this one...
'There is no time when human beings thrive more than when they are trying to kill each other.'
He would use the tears and despair that such a war would cause for his own gain. The skeletons and flesh of the lives lost would be the perfect soil for his empire to be born and thrive.
This time, he would not be the Masked Hero who rescues people from evil gangs... This time, Adryan planned to lay the groundwork for becoming the Merchant of War.
With the potion already digested, he could focus all his attention and effort on it while trying to obtain the formula for Reaper.
'The Strongest Hunter, Anderson Hood, left this Church after being too dumb for their levels... If he got his formula here, nothing says I can't get it~' the red-haired man thought as his eyes widened and a sideways smile grew on his face.
'And if they did have it. I doubt it would be difficult to obtain it... He was discreet, but agreeing to receive me here before giving them the information about the Rapper means that the Church is willing to invest in me~
'After all, between the Three Flavoured Soup- who hates him and is an 'ally' with the Rapper in his eyes- and the complicated Miss Easy, the best choice to invest from the Bearded Lizard would be me~'
Letting out a small chuckle, Adryan opened the letter.
'Besides, with a letter like this. How can I not be happy?'
<Mr. Adryan Kenway>
The information you provided proved to be much more than we originally expected.
The Church is willing to hide you in Lenburg and grant you and your companions new identities and residences.
These will be delivered to you within an hour of receipt of this letter in the 3-D room on the floor above the one you are currently in.
As a bonus to the information, we will give you the following items;
Two Grade 2 sealed artifacts of your choice and two of the formulas that the Church has of your choice.
After receiving the items mentioned in this letter, a quest will be given to you as a test.
If you successfully complete it, you will be welcomed as an official member of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.
If you fail, we will simply stop protecting you, and the artifacts will be recovered.
The Church expects much from you, Mr. Kenway, do not disappoint us.
Sincerely, Pope Engelbert Sanctus.
<>
"Fufu~ This certainly is interesting~" Adryan whispered in amusement as his eyes sparkled.
'The payment is so low despite me revealing to you the existence of the Divine Vessel of the Rapper? This long-winded wench has no shame.'
He honestly expected a little more; the information he revealed was worth at least a Grade 1 artifact!
'But I can't be disappointed; two Grade 2 artifacts aren't bad at all~'
If he was lucky, perhaps he could request one made from a Reaper's characteristics. That way, he could save one formula and get another one he might need.
But considering his luck, he wasn't getting his hopes up.
'In any case, the artifacts may be from one of the paths of my team. I hope there are some from the Spectator or Hanged Man, as those paths are very tightly controlled... From the Mystery Prier would also be useful...'
Shaking his head, Adryan laughed again, pleased with himself.
'Oh dear Lenburg, I'll get as much juice out of you as I can before I leave~'
Closing the letter, the red-haired man smiled extremely pleased and settled himself better on the couch to await the mission the Church had for him.
...
Another half hour passed, and as the letter had written, a soft knock-knock sounded at exactly 3:40 p.m.
Without anyone going to invite her inside, the person behind the door invited himself in and entered with a bored face.
She was a slightly older woman wearing a simple white robe with the symbol of the Church on her chest and the hood covering her grey hair. She carried a tray with two piles of sheets in her hands, one lower than the other.
"Please fill in the document with the name you want; once that is done, ring the bell, and I will return." The woman said, setting the tray down on the middle table and leaving the room as quickly as she entered.
"Again, what greeters you are with visitors" Adryan rolled his eyes as he stood up and grabbed one from the smaller stack.
Giving it a quick swipe, he nodded to himself. Grabbing the rest, he passed them to Charlotte and Maric.
Then he grabbed the documents from the large pile and, with a quick glance, handed them to their respective owners—except for Jerry and Serena, whose documents he gave to Opera to complete.
"Remember, confirm that the document describes you. You only need to add the name you will be using during your stay here, nothing more, nothing less." Adryan said seriously as he checked his document for the fifth time.
A recent arrival from Feysac, with teaching degrees in languages and their history. Born on 19 February 1326, unmarried and without any children?
'A simple but complete profile. Considering that the Church created it, it is obvious that it will be very complicated to verify or discover that something is wrong with it...'
Looking at the place where his new name would be for the next few months he would be in Lenburg. A certain smile formed on his face that caused a certain Arbiter and Writer to shudder.
'That madman is up to something...' Fors thought narrowing her eyes in great distrust of the man, everything he shovelled in one way or another ended up with her in ridiculously dangerous situations!
She would never forget when she had to run from the Churches cutting through the streets!
'Whatever he has in mind, it can't be good...' Xio thought suspiciously of the redhead.
Letting out a soft chuckle, Adryan wrote the name down with a big smile.
The goal he planned to achieve was by far something cold and lacking in morals, and how he planned to achieve it was something he would hide with great charisma.
He would be an entrepreneur who would hide his true intentions with good deeds and a captivating smile. An entrepreneur who, in the future, would become detestable and despicable because of how he used people's pain to become richer and more powerful.
A two-faced entrepreneur who would have no shame in stepping on skulls to climb the ladder.
With that kind of character in mind, the name he had to use was a no-brainer.
So, grabbing one of the multiple fountain pens that came on the tray, Adryan wrote his new name and identity in black ink.
<Harvey Wayne>
'I wonder how Klein will react to learning that there is someone by that name? Will he be suspicious? Fufu~ I can't wait to see it~' The red-haired man thought, highly pleased as he lowered the fountain pen.
Honestly, he had no idea where he was right now. With what happened in Backlund, Adryan doubted that Klein had ended up going there.
It was more than certain that the Clown was somewhere else, but the question was where.
Cupping his chin, the redhead thought for several moments before letting out a hollow chuckle. His expression was somewhat vacant.
'The possibility of him being in Lenburg as well is not low at all... I could even say it's quite high...
'Considering all the shit that happened in Tingen, it wouldn't be at all strange for him to go somewhere where the Church of Evernight has no control...'
Looking out the window at the sun that was already close to setting on the horizon, Adryan smiled curiously.
'I wonder how long it will take him to discover that I don't belong to this world either...'
The fact that they both had Sephiras made their meeting not a matter of if but a matter of when, for they were both bound by destiny and the attraction would make them meet sooner or later.
Leaving that aside, he looked over the last document with serious eyes.
This document, set aside, was the one that had the information about the artefacts and formulas available.