Sunday arrived as usual.
While Toji Hisami was still digesting knowledge inside the Lord’s Hall, a low buzzing sound came from outside.
He glanced at the window and realized that dawn had only just broken.
"This guy... coming so early?"
He stood up, left the Lord’s Hall, and opened the door. Max was already standing outside, smiling, he still wore that impeccable gentlemanly suit and polished shoes.
When Max’s eyes landed on Toji Hisami, a dazzling light burst from them, bright as stars.
"Oh, let me see... the Nine Gates are gathered, and you’ve already condensed a world of visualization?"
"Ha! Kid, you didn’t disappoint me."
"I can’t wait to see what knowledge you’ve gained."
Max became so excited that he no longer bothered to hide it, rubbing his hands together like a greedy merchant.
Toji Hisami, however, remained calm.
The time spent studying inside the Hall of Knowledge had taught him a great many things. Compared to before, he was no longer the same person.
"If I guess correctly, you can only obtain three pieces of knowledge from me for free, whether repeated or not. If you want more, then you will have to pay a certain price."
He smiled as he spoke, completely unafraid of any potential anger from Max.
Max’s excited expression froze for a moment, then he shook his head helplessly.
"So... I really hate these rules."
He muttered under his breath, but he was not truly surprised.
Anyone who could pass all nine tests and establish a complete world of visualization naturally possessed enough knowledge. With sufficient knowledge, many hidden truths could be reasoned out even without clear answers.
The contract bound to Max’s body was maintained by the power of the highest dimension and could not be violated, even if someone recorded his actions through various means, those records would be ignored under the influence of that power.
That was why the first dean’s travelogue Toji Hisami had found was covered in dust, the power of the rules caused people to intentionally or unintentionally forget the events written inside it.
"First option: give me three pieces of knowledge."
"Second option: give me nine pieces of knowledge, and I will provide you with equivalent valuable resources based on evaluation."
Max’s expression turned serious, he held up two fingers.
Toji Hisami nodded, he was also curious about how Max would extract knowledge from him.
Max took out a small balance from his coat, the main body of the balance was shaped like a human figure, both hands held flat, each supporting a tray.
He reached out and made a grasping motion in the air, Toji Hisami felt a strange force land on him. Immediately afterward his head swayed slightly, and three clusters of starlight floated out of his body, landing on one of the trays.
At the same time, a red scroll resembling a contract appeared on the opposite tray.
Balance was established, the starlight was sucked into Max’s mouth, he closed his eyes as though savoring some exquisite delicacy.
A few minutes later he opened them again, an excited smile spreading across his face.
"Very good... there is new knowledge! I am extremely interested in the depth of your learning!"
"Come, let’s make a real trade!"
Max raised the scales once more. That mysterious power acted on Toji Hisami again.
This time the sensation was different, he discovered that he could freely choose the type and quantity of knowledge to extract. The feeling was profound, knowledge that normally could not be measured was suddenly divided into clear categories, like goods on a shelf.
He took a deep look at the scales, this ability most likely belonged to a Divine Weapon.
From the moment the trade was established, both of them entered a state of silence. This was a process that required careful strategy.
Toji Hisami had to try to select knowledge that Max did not already possess, while at the same time judging whether or not to hand over truly high-level knowledge. Until he fully understood Max’s character, giving away advanced knowledge rashly would be a risky move.
After some thought, he selected one piece of knowledge from each of his nine fields.
When the nine clusters of starlight appeared, Max’s expression changed the moment he saw that two of them were the size of fists.
Ding-ling!
The clusters of knowledge fell onto the balance, causing one side of the tray to sink deeply.
Max waved his hand, the doors of the train cars behind him opened one after another. Various resources and supplies were brought forward effortlessly and placed on the opposite tray.
Iron ore, gold ore, silver ore, grain, population, timber, equipment...
Item after item was stacked onto the tray, yet the balance only partially recovered.
Seeing this, Max’s expression twisted.
Toji Hisami also felt a wave of emotion as he watched the mountain of resources Max was forced to offer. Each pile was worth a hundred standard units, enough to support a Level 3 or even Level 4 territory. Yet even that was not enough to match the weight of his knowledge.
Just how valuable was true knowledge?
Max rested his chin on his hand and fell into deep thought.
The train slowly turned, behind the locomotive, an extra car appeared out of thin air, Max took out a key, inserted it into the door of that car, and opened it.
Inside was a world resembling a starry sky, clearly this carriage was extraordinary.
From within, Max retrieved a black, palm-sized statue.
The moment the statue was placed on the tray, a clear "Ding-ling" finally rang out.
Balance was restored.
When Max took out the statue from the special compartment, Toji Hisami’s heart rose slightly. Yet he kept his expression completely calm until the balance was fully restored.
The transaction officially took effect.
The clusters of knowledge flew into Max’s body, while the mountain of supplies and the black statue flew toward Toji Hisami.
After the supplies settled on the ground they formed a small mountain. The statue, however, remained unchanged, still only the size of a palm, its black material was unknown, but upon closer inspection one could see tiny starry dots resembling the night sky. When he reached out and grasped it, he could faintly feel a connection to a strange other world.
"Hahaha!"
"This is so surprising!"
Before Toji Hisami could fully examine the statue, Max was already ecstatic. His gaze burned like fire and his entire demeanor became almost twisted, Toji Hisami could even sense the powerful force surging inside the conductor.
"This single transaction of yours is worth more than a hundred years of my gains!"
"I am very satisfied, dear Lord Toji Hisami."
"What you now hold is a soul statue I once traded from the gods. Conservatively estimated, it is of S-class value."
A soul statue.
It was a medium capable of summoning special spirits from the spirit world. Prince Victor, Elara, Zhao Kai and others had all used ordinary versions of this item to summon soul spirits in the early stages of the trial, a common one would sell for hundreds or even thousands of gold coins on the market.
But Max’s statue involved the gods and carried an S-class rating, it was priceless.
Toji Hisami activated the statue without hesitation.
In the next moment the black statue emitted a radiant light that poured onto the ground like flowing water. Inside his mind a faint nebula was born, connecting him to the soul world that existed in another dimension.
[Who is calling me?]
An ethereal voice sounded in his ears.
"It is me, the new Lord Toji Hisami, your master in the main world."
[I have come in response. You will bear my fate.]
After he answered, the voice suddenly became clear, a beam of light descended from the sky.
The flowing light on the ground merged with the descending beam, and a figure took shape before him.
Long purple hair, a straight and elegant figure, slender legs, and a silver-black fitted uniform.
The figure resolved into a strikingly beautiful woman.
Under Toji Hisami’s gaze she opened her eyes, her pupils seemed to contain the universe itself, flashing for a brief moment.
She glanced at him.
That single glance made Toji Hisami feel as though he had been completely exposed, even the imaginary solar system world inside his mind was laid bare.
A slightly moved expression appeared on the woman’s face. Then she slowly knelt on one knee before him.
"Summoned here, from this day forward, Lyra, the Soul of Avalon, will be your most loyal sword and shield."
[Soul of Avalon —— Lyra]
[Originating from the depths of the soul realm, a soul born in a place even the gods cannot see through. Temporarily evaluated as S-level]
[Occupation: Guardian, LV10]
[Attributes: HP 10,000 | Physical Strength 10,000 | Attack 7,500 | Defense 7,500]
[Skills: Vow of Protection, Vow of Inspiration, Vow of Impact]
——Vow of Protection: Summons an all-around shield to protect herself and designated targets, shield defense equals her own defense ×10.
——Vow of Inspiration: Boosts the morale of all friendly units, increasing all their attributes by 50%.
——Vow of Impact: Gathers powerful force for a straight-line charge, impact power equals her own attack ×10.
A series of information appeared in Toji Hisami’s mind, an additional soul contract had appeared on his panel, the contract with Lyra.
Temporarily evaluated as S-level, originating from the deepest parts of the soul realm, her introduction was filled with mystery.
There was no doubt that her strength was overwhelming, so powerful that Toji Hisami doubted whether anyone in this entire trial could match her.
"I accept your loyalty. Rise, my follower."
He raised his hand slightly. Lyra immediately stood up. She glanced once at Max, then turned and took her place behind Toji Hisami like a silent bodyguard, remaining completely motionless. Her indifferent expression seemed to reject everything from a thousand miles away.
Toji Hisami’s face remained calm, but his heart was racing with excitement.
With such a guardian, the aspect of the Lord’s trial he had worried about the most was now completely covered.
Max, seeing that the contract had been completed, took out a card and handed it over.
"Respected Lord Toji Hisami, from this day forward you are my closest VIP customer."
"Holding this card, you will receive a 40% discount from me, and you may also enjoy certain intelligence related to you for free."
As he finished speaking, a small booklet appeared in his hand. He passed it to Toji Hisami, then removed his hat and bowed once more.
"I look forward to the opportunity to cooperate again. Goodbye, Lord Toji Hisami."
"I am also glad to cooperate with you, Max."
The two bid farewell.
Max turned, returned to the train, and with a long whistle the vehicle left the territory.
Toji Hisami turned to look at Lyra. Her slightly purple pupils met his, as if waiting for orders.
"There’s nothing for now."
He smiled faintly and looked at the mountain of supplies behind him.
"Next... I’m going to upgrade the territory!"
He waved his hand.
Territory upgrade!