The Red

Blackstone Manor.

Alan, under the title of 'Baron of Blackstone', returned to his territory.

Well, after this tournament, Theodore started distributing titles widely. Basically, knights from the Green Forest were all promoted by one rank, some even became viscounts.

However, these were all nominal titles; no one's fief expanded in the slightest.

In Alan's view, at least 'Baron' sounds better than 'Knight'...

Besides that, there was another strange phenomenon. Colin's son Shia was conferred the title of honorary lord, yet he himself was nothing... Alan originally thought he could at least get an honorary title like Viscount Sotos. It seemed Theodore was expressing some discontent towards Colin but was very satisfied with the third-generation heir.

This seemed to indicate some undercurrents, but Alan did not care.

In the bedroom.

Alan opened his eyes, feeling a difference in his body.

The first time he underwent a ritual and offered sacrifices in the dream world, especially the disappearance of the 'Red' essence at the end, gave him an indescribable feeling.

"The 'Red' essence offered as a sacrifice is, in fact, the refined and concentrated essence of the 'Red' spirit. In terms of quantity... it might be enough for an ordinary person to completely awaken their spirituality and embark on the extraordinary path..."

"And at that moment, the sacrifice on the altar disappeared. My consciousness sensed that it might have come here... to the real world, inside my body?"

A glimmer appeared in Alan's eyes. If this were true, he might have finally found the path to the extraordinary in the real world!

"Master!"

He shook the bell, calling Daili to help him dress, eager to feel the changes in his body.

'It seems like an illusion... but I feel more energetic today?'

Alan looked at Daili in front of him, and it was undeniable that his body reacted slightly.

Daili seemed to notice something too. Blushing, she quickly helped Alan tidy his clothes.

'A bit troublesome... I feel a surge of desire... 'Red'... originally associated with reproduction and vitality?'

Alan felt a bit awkward: 'Looks like I'll need to be more careful in the future, can't eat things randomly, can't accept sacrifices recklessly…'

"What would you like for breakfast?"

Daili asked.

"Steak, well-done... no... rare, and a cup of deer blood!"

Alan blurted out.

Daili's expression showed some surprise, but she quickly composed herself and left.

...

In the villa's dining room.

Almost raw veal lay on a white porcelain plate, still seeping blood.

Alan usually had a light breakfast consisting of a vegetable salad with bread and jam, which was why Daili felt surprised.

Now, as Daili stood by, watching Alan gracefully pick up the knife and fork, the cold fork gently pressing made the veal bleed more, as if struggling, screaming, resisting...

But it was futile. The knife cut down relentlessly, parting the meat and causing blood to spurt, with the elegance of a predator.

A handful of coarse salt, a handful of black pepper powder sprinkled on the cow's corpse, like a death tribute...

Finally, the meat entered his mouth, as if falling into a bottomless abyss...

"Hmm, surprisingly good taste?"

Alan took a sip of deer blood, savoring: "Is this the pleasure of consuming flesh and blood? 'Red' is indeed within me, influencing me!"

'Fortunately, my sanity still restrains me. This is probably because that entity on the Crimson Moon is not in this world?'

'As for Lin, she was heavily influenced from the start, almost a favored one of the Flesh Mother Tree... but also subconsciously... The Flesh Mother Tree probably doesn't even know she exists, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to save her...'

'The members of the Black Sun Cult are subtly influenced. Although initially less than Lin, over time, the influence deepens, becoming terrifying...'

'And Daili, what's with that look in her eyes... this mixture of fear and hope?'

'Is she influenced by me?'

Alan put down the knife and fork: "Clean up!"

"Oh, yes!"

Daili shivered, as if waking up from a trance, stepping forward to clean the table, her breathing becoming progressively heavier.

"I'm going out to train!"

Alan felt his self-control declining, dared not stay any longer, otherwise, one Daili might not be enough. He immediately went to the training ground outside the villa and began swinging the large Cross Sword.

Usually, wielding such a heavy sword for a few moves would exhaust a lot of energy.

But now, Alan felt different.

It wasn't that his physique or strength had improved, but every time he was about to reach his limit, a new surge of energy would emerge from within.

As if an additional source of power had appeared within his body!

"This is the extraordinariness of 'Red'!"

Alan's eyes brightened: "Although... I don't quite like this path... But undeniably, all extraordinariness is so dazzling and enchanting..."

After a few hours of exercise, he was drenched in sweat. Grabbing a towel to wipe off, Alan suddenly picked up a dagger and made a small cut on his arm.

Blood quickly flowed out; he intently watched as it soon stopped on its own, even bringing a numbing and itching sensation.

"Life vitality, promoting wound healing?"

"However, there seems to be a cost..."

Alan frowned. Lin sacrificed the concentrated essence of many 'Red' spirits, enough to push someone through the extraordinary gate.

But when it came to him, it seemed to have reduced to just a little.

"Is this the loss brought by crossing between two worlds? But it doesn't matter, let Lin perform a few more sacrifices, and the accumulation will be enough to push me through the extraordinary gate. However... I do not like the path of 'Red'..."

"Hmm, next time, let Lin sacrifice some other spiritual objects... But she only collects 'Red' essence, doesn't she? Specialized skills, it seems having her form a multi-path cult was a good decision."

After a while, Alan stood up, shook his arm. The wound on his arm had already disappeared, leaving only a shallow white scar.

"Very good!"

He looked at the sky, feeling a bit hungry: "Time for lunch... should I have rare beef again? No... I want it medium..."

Alan felt the hunger within him; his expression subtly changed.

It turned out his changes were not just limited to that.

By evening, facing the rare steak, he couldn't bring himself to eat it, eventually had Daili take it back to the kitchen to be cooked well-done.

"Damn..."

The tender and juicy texture of the beef didn't satisfy his mouth. Alan sighed inwardly: "The spirituality is dissipating... so the influence on me is also decreasing..."

"I need to observe."

...

The next day.

Alan shook the bell, summoning Daili.

He watched the maid's various movements, his heart calm, filled with endless regret: "Is this world truly devoid of magic... even the spirituality I gained with difficulty gradually dissipates over time..."