Chapter 58: The Fallen Noble Adela
This couldn’t be blamed on Sylvia for feeling surprised.
Because according to the knowledge of mysticism she had learned, successfully conducting a ritual to become an Extraordinary did not mean one instantly gained the full power of that level.
A Spiritual Star that had just undergone a metamorphosis only meant that its maximum capacity to hold spirituality had increased. To truly raise her own spirituality to the upper limit of her current stage, one still needed to meditate and gather spiritual brilliance from the Spiritual Realm.
Moreover, an Extraordinary had to continuously practice the abilities and spells they had acquired, and certain more specialized paths even required studying knowledge related to their specific field.
Only by perfecting all these aspects would one be qualified to attempt a new ritual for advancement. Otherwise, not only would the success rate be low, but even if one succeeded by sheer luck, they would most likely end up a crippled weakling.
This was also why humans had once envied those Extraordinary races—
They only needed to grow naturally to undergo one metamorphosis after another in an orderly fashion, eventually reaching the limit of their potential.
However, unlike humans who had “infinite possibilities,” each Extraordinary race, due to the influence of the Extraordinary powers they converged, possessed a ceiling.
Therefore, it was difficult to judge who had the advantage between the two.
Pulling her thoughts back to reality, Sylvia looked at the other party with a peculiar gaze:
“How many years have you been an Extraordinary?”
“Six years.”
As if sensing Sylvia’s surprise, Adela proudly puffed out her chest.
She was quite proud.
But indeed, reaching the threshold of a third metamorphosis in just six years was something to be proud of.
One had to know, the bishop at St. Ruls Cathedral had taken a full twenty years and had only barely made it halfway along the path of the second stage.
However…
At this moment, Sylvia shifted her gaze to Isabella, who was listening intently to their conversation.
Tsk, under my training—no, under my cultivation—little Isabella’s advancement speed will definitely surpass yours.
Hmm… This is called crushing your confidence in the field you are most proud of!
After indulging in this bit of wicked pleasure in her mind, Sylvia retracted her gaze and continued asking:
“Alright, now you need to make a decision—whether to accept my deal.”
At that moment, Adela became hesitant again. A few seconds later, she finally spoke in a rather hoarse and low voice:
"Hmm… my family has fallen."
After setting up the prelude, she cleared her throat and continued:
"This is one of the few things left by my family."
"You should know that our Tuya family was once one of the most prominent noble families in the Kingdom of Ulpus. At its peak, our status surpassed even what the Lancaster family holds now in Savia."
"It was only due to financial reasons that we had to sell off our land, and eventually, the king stripped us of our title."
"And this necklace is a relic from that era."
"Moreover, it possesses certain Extraordinary effects. For example, wearing it brings a sense of purification to body, mind, and spirit."
"Not only that, it also brings peace and tranquility, calming inner turmoil."
As Adela narrated in a voice tinged with a sense of faded history, she removed the necklace from her neck and showed it to Sylvia:
"Honestly, I really don’t want to trade it to you, because it holds extraordinary meaning for me—and for my family."
At that moment, her gaze was sincere, but her hand straightforwardly extended the necklace. Spirituality rubbed against the air, emitting a bright glow that made the necklace appear even more dazzling.
Seeing this, Sylvia forcibly restrained the twitch at the corner of her mouth.
Reluctant? I didn’t hear a trace of reluctance in your tone or see it in your behavior!
The message between your lines can be summed up in one phrase:
This’ll cost extra!
Then, she tapped her finger rhythmically on the armrest of the chair and said with a half-smile:
"My stance remains the same—"
"You can make any request you like."
Upon hearing this, Adela’s eyes lit up. Then she hesitated a little and said coyly:
"Two puppets of the same quality as 'Sylvia'."
"Alright."
The gray-haired puppet girl didn’t even bother to bargain and agreed outright.
"Hmm… when do you want them?"
"The sooner, the better," Adela said quickly.
Her whole act left Isabella, sitting on the bed, wide-eyed.
This blonde girl, though fond of performing, had very little real-life experience—like a "pure" blank sheet.
And today, this "fallen noble" Adela had truly opened her eyes.
"Hmm… that’s fine."
Sylvia gave a heavy tap on the armrest with her finger:
"Then I’ll take you to stock up right after this."
After saying this, she once again cast a half-smiling, half-amused glance at the other party.
Stock up? Why use that word?
Adela, puzzled by the term, found it odd, but in her joyful state, she didn’t dwell on it.
In truth, that necklace was merely one of her grandmother’s keepsakes.
She had brought it out simply because she thought it looked nice—it wasn’t nearly as important as she claimed.
Tsk, a big shot?
Turns out she’s not that discerning after all. Doesn’t seem all that impressive.
Just as she was mulling this over, she suddenly sensed Sylvia’s strange gaze.
"What is it?"
She touched her nose awkwardly.
Seeing this, Sylvia finally opened her mouth:
"Before we go 'stocking up', we need to calculate your debt."
Adela looked confused:
"Debt…?"
In Koinsprache, that phrase was made of two distinct words.
"Right."
Sylvia straightened her back and said with a smile:
"The debt you owe the Church of Machinery."
"First, you detonated the functional core of a war golem."
"I don’t know exactly how many Luthers it’s worth, but I do know that war golem possessed Apostle-level combat strength."
"You should feel lucky that it wasn’t the Church of Machinery who caught you—and that there were no casualties at the scene. Otherwise, you’d have already been escorted to the Tribunal."
"Hmm… second, you disrupted an archaeological site, reducing their excavation efficiency."
"So, you’ll need to pay some 'lost labor compensation'—that’s the cheapest item on the list."
"And finally, the explosion you caused might awaken a terrifying creature slumbering beneath the ground. If the situation escalates, I may personally have to step in."
"Believe me, even if the two Churches combined all their strength in the Plant District, they still wouldn’t be able to contend with that creature."
"In summary, what kind of compensation do you think you should offer?"
Leaning back in her chair again, the gray-haired puppet girl calmly outlined the impact of Adela’s actions and the compensations required.
Because she hadn’t thoroughly studied the world’s currency system and economy, she didn’t give specific prices, opting instead to explain it this way.
And at this moment, as she listened to Sylvia list one thing after another, Adela’s face turned pale.