Become a fool?
Parker Richardson is an outstanding figure among junior Soulmancers and knows his grandson very well. His grandson, Harris, could be described as a prodigy, who, after only ten years of training under his guidance, had just reached the level of a junior Soulmancer. How could he suddenly become imbecilic for no reason?
“Young man, I’m going to ask you a few questions, and you better answer honestly. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee your safety!” Parker Richardson, who is now in his sixties, knows that even though Soulmancers can prolong their lives by drawing power from the spirits of the gods, those who do not reach the level of a mid-tier Soulmancer can only live up to a hundred years or so. Realizing he might never reach that level, Parker pins all his hopes on his grandson.
Harris has exceptional talent. With some luck, he might become a mid-tier Soulmancer within a century. But now, inexplicably, he has become an idiot. How could Parker accept this?
William promptly put down his book, his eyes calm as he looked at Parker, indicating that he could ask his questions.
“Who has my grandson come into contact with since he entered this place?” Parker had observed William carefully; this was just an ordinary person, so he couldn’t be connected to Scott’s sudden idiocy.
William replied, “He just spoke with me for a moment.”
“What did he say?” Parker pressed.
William had wanted to converse peacefully, but he found Parker’s tone uncomfortable.
“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” William’s expression was calm. It was Harris who had provoked him earlier, and now this old man was interrogating him in such an arrogant tone. Did they think he had become more patient after waking up?
Parker’s face darkened, and he growled threateningly, “Are you looking for trouble?” 𝒷𝓭ℴ𝓋𝓵.𝒸ℴ𝓶
Seeing Parker’s anger, the man called Scott quickly stepped in to mediate. “Mr. Richardson, don’t get worked up!” He turned to William, “Young man, didn’t your elders teach you to show respect when speaking to older people?”
Respect for elders?
If it were as Scott said, then William should be the one deserving respect.
There was probably no one older than him in the world.
“I don’t want to resort to violence!” William said coldly, “But I’d prefer it if you would stop annoying me!”
“You!” Parker was furious. How dare someone speak to him like this? He raised his hand, forming a claw, and made a grab at William’s throat.
Though he didn’t intend to kill William, he wanted to lift him off the ground by the neck.
Scott had initially wanted to defuse the situation, but now he too thought this young man was too arrogant. It was only right for Parker to teach him a lesson.
Parker had expected it to be easy to deal with an ordinary person, but when his hand was about three inches away from William, he found he could no longer move forward.
Seeing Parker stop, Scott turned his head, thinking that Mr. Richardson was simply showing mercy and sparing William, not wanting to bother with the young man.
How could he know that Parker was now experiencing a storm of emotions?
It wasn’t that Parker wanted to show mercy and spare William; there seemed to be an invisible barrier in front of William that his claw could not penetrate, and he couldn’t harm William in the slightest.
“Are you sure you still want that hand?” William had already risen to his feet, holding his book and glancing at Parker.
Parker felt a tightness in his chest, his mind a blank. The hand he had extended was now completely numb.
Scott turned back to see Parker’s face had lost all color, pale as a dying man. The hand he had extended hung limply, and his eyes were filled with fear.
Just then, Alice and Powell returned.
Alice looked over at William and, seeing the people around him, called out, “Mr. Taylor, Mr. Richardson, what brings you here?”
It seemed they knew each other, which was understandable considering that Alice’s circle included many wealthy and influential people. It was quite normal for these Soulmancers to have dealings with Charles Turner.
Parker and Scott didn’t say anything. They turned to look at Alice and then back at William, warily.
This man is dangerous!
“Is everything settled?” William asked Alice, as if nothing had happened.
Alice nodded, “It’s all taken care of.”
“Let’s go,” William said, no longer wanting to stay in the company of these Soulmancers. To them, Alice and her group were ordinary people, but to William, they were all the same. After all, Gaia, the Earth Mother, had once called him her teacher. In William’s eyes, what difference was there between these junior Soulmancers and ordinary mortals?
“Oh,” Alice, still oblivious to the tense atmosphere, addressed Parker, “Mr. Richardson, you don’t look too well. Perhaps you should let me examine you later. I’ll be going now.”
Without looking back, William left the “Eternal Life Emporium,” and Alice could only follow him.
“Master, did they come for that pearl?” Alice asked, finding William more mysterious by the moment. Although she had never practiced any mystical arts, she knew Parker and the others were Soulmancers. The only reason so many of them had gathered at the “Eternal Life Emporium” had to be the Radiant Empress Pearl William had mentioned.
“Probably,” William said, nodding. The aura of the Radiant Empress Pearl was too powerful to go unnoticed by Soulmancers once it had been revealed. The reason for their presence was clear.
“But you said it was an ominous item, didn’t you?” Alice asked with a puzzled expression.
“Even if it is an ominous object, it remains the treasured possession of the Byzantine Empress Theodora,” William said, smiling, “How could those Soulmancers not be tempted by it? Besides, how would they know it’s an ominous object?”
Even Soulmancers couldn’t possibly know the origins of the pearl. At most, they could sense the immense energy of the Radiant Empress Pearl and consider it a rare treasure beneficial for their practice.
With narrowed eyes, Alice looked at William and said in a low voice, “Master, how did you know they are Soulmancers?”
William made no effort to hide it, “Is it so strange? If you want to get technical, I could be considered a Soulmancer too, just a more powerful one than them. Is it really surprising that I can tell? As for you, have you ever thought about learning something?”
If William was a Soulmancer, then the source of his soul must be himself, right?
“What can you teach me?” Alice asked excitedly, “Master, are you going to teach me to become a Soulmancer?”
William said expressionlessly, “Once you thoroughly understand those two volumes by Celsus, I’ll teach you anything you want to learn.”
Alice persisted in asking, “What can you do? You don’t seem to know martial arts, and as for medicine, after I learn those two medical classics, what else can you teach me?”
William laughed, “As I said, those two medical classics are just basic material. The things I’ll be teaching you later might be a bit difficult, so you should prepare yourself mentally.”
Celsus’s timeless medical classics were considered basic by William.
Moreover, William had mentioned that the subsequent teachings would be somewhat challenging.
Alice was genuinely curious. What could William possibly teach her?