Chapter 1653 The First Step

'Status'

[Dragon: 51/100 (+6)

Titan: 51/100 (+6)

Phoenix: 51/100 (+6)

Order: 51/100 (+6)

Chaos: 51/100 (+6)

Space: 25/100 (+4)

Time: 25/100 (+4)

PS: Even though Space-Time are lagging behind, congratulations for entering high rank 1 in all other paths.

How do feel achieving progress in a week that even geniuses take centuries?]

'It's a bit slow.'

[…]

But honestly speaking, Varian did realize that his relative progression speed accelerated after reaching the divine ranks.

It made no sense as this was supposed to be where everyone slowed down.

Perhaps it was the synergy of the paths, linking together in the avenue or perhaps it was the Primal Union Body finally showing its talent or maybe it's something else or everything coming together.

Regardless, he was grateful.

And greedy for a bit more.

But well, that's why he's here. To gain the sliver shards and accelerate his progress.

Upon a signal from the communicator, Varian's team entered a well decorated room. Emitting soft white light, the stone used to build the room seemed to be as much worth as an entire kingdom's yearly revenue.

Just being bathed in the glow of that light made Varian's space path a little restless, creating an urge for him to sit down and practice. But that urge soon calmed down and he was back to normal.

His divine path must've judged the improvement from this place, while possible, was too slow.

But what's 'too slow' for him was already very fast for most geniuses.

That included Princess Samantha who was leisurely resting on a soft couch as they entered the room.

"Greetings, Princess! We've come to display fine arts of the Undead. This musical instrument built from the nerves of a…" Varian was supposed to be the one answering the tough questions. But the team must still be led by the leader Markus. But he took the lead, much to the confusion of everyone else.

Before Markus could show any objection, the Princess responded positively. "Oh? A music instrument like this is interesting. I heard the Undead orchestra happens with Undead parts, intestines and nerves, right?"

Even though it was such a grotesque topic, the green haired woman who looked like a college student, spoke with a bright face and shining eyes.

Varian had to wonder if divine rankers all had a screw loose or if only those with a loose screw became divine.

"Indeed, princess." Still, he played his part. "There used to be an old tradition where they captured living beings and used their body parts as instruments while they're still alive. The royal families endorsed the practice actively."

"Oh? Wow~" Samantha cupped her cheeks, her lips curling into a charming smile.

She was certainly a kingdom-level beauty. From the information the company provided, she had a harem of 3000 men. For one man, she killed them all to declare her love. That man turned into an Undead in a war. She still went after him. According to records, the Undead was destroyed. But his corpse was not found.

"The heart of a resilient race like elf will remain beating even a few months after it's taken out. It's perfect for deep sounds, but there is no soft music with these instruments, is there?"

From the vague aura of death on her, Varian vaguely guessed what she was doing this for.

Without letting any of his emotions surface, he actively guided the conversation in a direction she'd be happy with.

Princess Samantha's smile soon grew and she began to nod frequently. The artifacts that had to be shown for the princess were not revealed until the end as she kept chatting in an enthusiastic voice.

"Yes, yes!" "Ahh! Exactly!" "Ahahahaha! Really, Undead love a serene blood flow music that much? Hm, hm, so a nebula turtle has the slowest flowing blood and is obtainable with minimal effort."

The rest of the team wasn't even glanced at. What was supposed to be an awkward and respectful exchange between a lowly appraiser team and a noble princess turned into a seemingly equal conversation between two people of unequal status.

"Alright, Hand'sum, I'll contact you to fine-tune the materials!" Samantha clapped her hands.

"It's my pleasure." Varian bowed deeply. "That man is the luckiest person in Eden."

His farewell brightened her face even more and Princess Samantha unexpectedly stood up. "Hey, tell your boss you should be rewarded or I'll use his intestines for the orchestra."

"I-I understand." Varian feigned to be tense and hurriedly left the room.

And while he did, something flew his way.

Without even needing him to catch it, it landed in his palm. "My token. You'll get help if it's a small issue." Samantha waved her hand and the doors shut.

Back in the hallway, the four team members looked at Varian with a complicated expression.

Especially Markus, the team leader. He's supposed to take charge. But he knew that he wouldn't be able to replicate this exchange even if given a thousand tries.

A token…

Even if the princess said it's only for a small task, small was relative.

Killing a pseudo divine was an impossible thing for someone like them. For a divine ranker, it's not even worth mentioning.

Varian noticed his gaze and said with a polite but strong smile. "Sorry, Boss. I've met a lot of people and when I met her, I knew what she's like. You see, she's worried. She wasn't in need of art description, she just needed a good talk about an undead orchestra."

Markus nodded stiffly. Even if he wanted to refute, he had no way to do so. The results spoke for themselves.

"Well, let's head to the next client. Prince Jacob!" With a cheerful smile, Varian led the way.

Markus gritted his teeth, wanting to retake his position. But with a sigh, he followed.

It should've been easy for him to keep a newbie in place. But somehow, the aura radiating from this newbie forced him to submit.

Markus didn't even feel that he was forced. He just felt that it was natural for him to follow.

Under Varian's lead, the team quickly won praise under five clients.