The voice didn't pause between any of its commands. The moment William finished the tests, he was immediately asked to retrieve his Signature ID card.
From the look of things, William didn't really have a choice whether to listen to the commands, since running away now would be very suspicious. He channeled a strand of his stored Spirit Qi into the card first, then followed it up by cutting off a small portion of his soul.
With a little help from the System, William figured out how to extract his mental strength, which now required him to manually force it out from his Sea of Consciousness. Before he Ascended, extracting mental strength was a simple matter, but a few steps were added since.
Lastly, William made use of the Weapon Sharpness Talent and a Starmetal Shortsword to draw a thin line across the wrist. Combined with his residual aura, the Signature ID card finally recorded William's information and the card disappeared into thin air. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novel·fiɾe·net
Whether the method used was Space Magic, Arrays, or something else, William couldn't tell.
"Information verified. Welcome to the Slightveil Plane, Ascended Cultivator William." the ID card reappeared moments later in the same position, while the voice congratulated his successful test.
William nodded, listening to a long series of follow-up instructions from the unknown person manning the back.
They explained the honorifics he should use when speaking with others, which tiered from Waste to Ascended Cultivator, and finally to Excellent Cultivator. Other than those, there were also the job titles such as Vera's role as an Advisor, and City Hall members referred to as Staff.
Lastly, there was one Lord of each major and minor city, who would be simply addressed as Lord. It was almost like a noble hierarchy, but slightly different from the standard that William knew.
He was then given a large booklet full of rules related to both the Slightveil Plane and Great Rouge, then Vera entered his testing room to pick him up.
He opened the booklet and took a peek at the contents, but when the inside spilled out almost endlessly and piled on the floor, William promptly paid the System four thousand Potential Points for it to read the rules to him.
-You're going to make me read the rules to you? Why don't you read them yourself?
I don't have the time, Vera is here to pick me up, and I don't want to get in trouble again... can't you do this for me?
"Ascended Cultivator William, congratulations on your successful test!" Vera smiled in an unusually high-spirited manner. It seemed that William had still gone slightly overboard, but it should be manageable.
He followed the instincts of his Noble Prowess Talent and bowed slightly, "Thank you, advisor Vera. Your encouragement fills me with gratitude."
When William lifted his head slightly to lock eyes with Vera, she felt her heart flutter for a brief moment, affected by the Physical Charm Talent. Her smile turned into a light blush as she waved her hand in dismissal.
William connected the dots on what happened almost instantly, but he had absolutely no intention of pursuing Vera. For one, she clearly treated him with disdain earlier, even if she didn't expressly say it. Her attitude was only based on his looks and performance in the test, nothing else.
William didn't like these kinds of people, but he stuck around for the time being.
"Is there anything else I need to do?" he asked.
Vera was awakened from her stupor and shook her head, "You're free to roam the city as you please, as long as you don't pass into the Zone of Excellence or unauthorized parts of most buildings. You're not qualified to be there."
Zone of Excellence? What does the book say about that, System? this should be part of William's earlier request, so he asked directly in his mind.
-The Zone of Excellence is an area reserved only to the high-class that qualified as Excellent talents in the registration exam. Otherwise, one can be labeled as Excellent if they pay a considerable sum of Spirit Jades to the City Hall.
-If anyone unauthorized is caught inside the Zone of Excellence, they will be fined, stripped by one level of status, and bumped to the top position of the War Draft.
Another weird word. What do you mean by War Draft? William asked.
-It's simply that. When the Slightwing Faction goes to war, many Ascended Cultivators within their territory will be required to participate. Being placed at the top of the War Draft means you will definitely be chosen.
-The Slightveil Plane operates much differently from other Planes. There are two major opposing Factions in the Plane: Slightwing and Riverveil. At the moment, the tension is high between the two Factions and war could break out at any time.
But how are they going to force people to participate? William wondered, his ever-changing expressions confusing Vera despite only a few seconds having passed in reality.
-You gave them everything they needed, right? You might be able to change your blood, aura, or even the uniqueness of your mental strength, but nothing obtainable by you could modify your soul to such an extent. They can track you no matter where you go, and tracking deserters is easy for them.
Screw that, they can't make me participate, but I'll do it for other benefits.
-Then don't go into the Zone of Excellence and show your worth in another way. They'll only provide suitable offers if you give them a reason to.
"Are you okay, Ascended Cultivator William?" Vera asked with a bit of concern.
"Ah, yes. I was just thinking. What were you saying?" William smiled back as he cut his mental conversation short.
"I asked you what you plan to do. I can show you around the city if you'd like." Vera seemed eager to follow William now, as if he had suddenly become a fat goose that laid golden eggs. It was obvious that he was close to this Excellence level even if he hadn't made it.
Is she asking me on a date?
"Is there a market?" he decided to ask.
Part of William's Jack of All Trades Talent included Sales, which allowed him to see the value of all items in his possession. That said, when Starmetal weapons were mostly worth 1-3 Spirit Jades, William didn't exactly know what that meant to him.
"Ah, yes. I know a few markets that run daily in Great Rouge, and Treymon hosts several auctions a year. They're at random times, though, so you'll have to keep an eye out." Vera explained.
-Another major city located two million kilometers southeast of Great Rouge. It's the closest major city, but there are a few minor ones and developing towns in between.
Sounds more like a creature from anime than a town name, but alright.
"Great, do you mind taking me there?"
The corners of Vera's mouth turned up, "Of course, let me show you the way."
William was beginning to like the Physical Charm Talent. As long as he had some ability and good looks, Vera seemed more than willing to spend more time with him, even if she had other things to do.
But of course, William hadn't spent a lot of time around others in the last few years, mostly traveling alone and very briefly spending time in cities to resupply. Only when speaking with his friends did William become a social butterfly.
Now that he was forced to roam a Major City, however, William started to notice a few oddities. Everywhere he walked with Vera, heads would initially turn to look at her, but immediately locked onto a more eye-catching target, him.
There was no discrimination, either. Men and women alike found themselves attracted to this man whose Physical Charm Talent had reached X-Rank.