After organizing all the currently known information, Truman snapped his fingers and summoned flames to burn the several pages he had written to ashes.
After handling the most important matters, Truman began to examine his newly acquired supernatural abilities.
Sequence 7 of the Apprentice pathway, the Astrologer, didn’t bring any powerful combat abilities.
It strengthened Truman’s spiritual perception and danger premonition, while also granting him divination and anti-divination abilities.
“Just a Sequence 7 can have anti-divination abilities?”
Truman didn’t have any particular reaction to the divination abilities provided by the Astrologer.
He had long known that Sequence 7 Witches possessed anti-divination abilities, so he had never held much expectation for divination.
“My spiritual perception has increased again—how troublesome!”
He let out a light sigh, then picked up the letter sent by the Saintess of White, Katarina, from the table.
Opening the letter, it detailed a small task Katarina had assigned to Truman: to incite conflict between the Conservative Party and the New Party in Tingen City, driving them into complete opposition.
Truman raised an eyebrow at this small task.
He knew that Conservative Party member, Congressman John Maynard.
The other party had previously provoked and mocked him.
Ever since Truman arrived in Tingen City, Madame Sharon, the social butterfly of Tingen’s high society, had become reclusive and kept to herself.
So Truman had inadvertently attracted the hatred of many “important figures.”
And among those “important figures,” the one who jumped the most was Congressman John Maynard.
Not only did he openly and secretly threaten Truman to stay away from Madame Sharon, but he also pressured Tingen University to try to expel him.
“Actually, I had almost forgotten about you.”
Truman had never taken this Conservative Party congressman seriously.
The other party’s “gentlemanly” threats struck him as quite amusing.
Back then, Truman had even bet with Madame Sharon in bed about whether Congressman Maynard would throw down his white gloves and challenge him to a duel like a bull that had lost its temper.
After digesting his Apprentice potion, he had stopped attending Tingen University classes.
The many historical texts within the Demoness Sect were far more interesting than a few worn-out books in the library.
“What a coincidence.
Is my death star shining that brightly?”
Truman quickly formulated a plan to assassinate the Conservative Party congressman and frame the New Party congressman, who was his political rival.
“At the critical moment of competing for the position of Tingen Mayor, a Conservative Party congressman suddenly dies, and the New Party congressman wins without a fight—what would those politicians think?”
Truman smiled.
He took a bath, changed into a clean and handsome white shirt, put on a black trench coat, and covered his face with the brim of a bowler hat as he stepped out the door.
Truman took a public carriage to the West District of Tingen City, which was closer to the Tussock River.
“Having stayed in the dark for so long, are you afraid of the sunlight?”
Truman looked at the house with its tightly shut windows, the desolate and overgrown garden, and the barren gray-brown soil.
He didn’t quite understand why she had chosen this place as her residence.
Knock!
Knock!
Truman gently knocked on the door.
After a moment, a round-faced, gentle and sweet young girl opened the door.
When she saw that it was Truman, her face darkened and she moved to close the door.
Whoosh!
A puff of white mist blew past.
Truman had already passed through the wall beside the door and entered the house.
“Tris, I know that a Trickmaster like me who performs acrobatics at the school gate every day advancing to Sequence 7 at the same time as you makes you unhappy.”
“But you know me—in terms of strength, I am far inferior to you.”
“You’ve got the wrong person.
Don’t call me Tris.
I’m Trissy now.”
Trissy’s round little face stiffened, and she seriously emphasized that she didn’t know any Tris.
Then her slender eyes widened, and she rushed over to grab Truman’s collar, roaring in grief and indignation.
“You advanced to Sequence 7?”
“Why?
I had to go to sea to digest my Witch potion, even encountered the King of the Five Seas Nast, and instigated a whole ship of passengers to fight to the death before I could digest the potion.”
“Yet you, going to the school gate every day to fool little girls with your third-rate tricks, get to keep up with my advancement speed?”
Truman looked at Trissy’s resentful and aggrieved expression and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Trissy, you have to understand—that’s just how the Trickmaster’s acting works.”
“If I were willing to join a circus, it would be even faster.”
Trissy glared fiercely at Truman.
She gave him a hard shove, and his body began to fall backward.
Seeing how frail he looked, she finally felt a bit better.
At least a Witch’s power was undeniable.
Making some sacrifices for great power wasn’t unacceptable.
“Uh…”
“Spit it out.
Why did you come looking for me?”
“What trouble did you run into this time that you need my help with?”
Truman straightened back up as if rewinding and smiled.
“Can’t hide it from you.
How do you plan to digest the Witch potion?”
“Can’t you see?”
Trissy curled her lip, gesturing at the barren land above her house.
“Hasten the deaths of those whose lives are nearing their end, then use their ‘lives’ to set up an evil altar to curse the survivors of the Alfalfa.”
“By spreading curses on such a large scale and creating death, the Witch potion will naturally digest quickly.”
Trissy said, crossing her arms and pretending to be casual as she asked.
“What about you?
What’s Sequence 7 of the Apprentice pathway?”
“Sequence 7 Astrologer.
Proficient in divination and anti-divination, but no combat abilities.”
Truman let out a light sigh.
Trissy saw Truman’s disappointed look and a faint smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
“After this, I might have to join a divination club or give free astrology readings to teenage girls to digest the potion.”
When Trissy heard Truman’s follow-up words, the smile on her face vanished.
Why did she have to work so hard to set up rituals and bustle about to digest her potion, while this annoying guy could do it so easily?
“By the way, you chose to reap the lifespans of the dying rather than newborn children or vibrant lives—that makes me think a bit better of you.”
Truman then put away the disappointment on his face and looked teasingly at Trissy.
“If you came here today just to mock me, then I will make sure you pay a price you’ll never forget!”
Trissy’s face immediately darkened.
A cluster of black, illusory flames suddenly burst from her palm and shot toward Truman like bullets.
Truman, unfazed, took off his black trench coat and flicked all the black flames away.
The black flames scattered around the room but failed to ignite anything.
+++
T/N: Thanks for reading!