Chapter 78: Departure

In the basement, the light was dazzlingly bright. Charles had transformed into a veritable drawing machine, both hands working simultaneously and steadily across the paper as he sketched one mysterious design after another.

Before him, a venomous wasp displayed an alluring image of its inherited genes, with lines of runic symbols flashing as if they held boundless secrets within.

After a while, Charles rubbed his eyes, stretched, and moved his weary body; though his physical constitution was now exceptional, he was no machine and could not work endlessly without rest.

“Now, I’ve gathered most of the basic knowledge. When I reach Morent, I’ll learn the highest-level techniques of bloodline fusion, targeted inheritance, and evolutionary mutation induction.” Charles muttered to himself.

With his cheat-like ability, if he still cultivated totems like ordinary people, it would be a disgrace to all transmigrators.

He had already begun sketching an astonishing blueprint for the future—one that would shake the entire world when the next great war broke out.

“If only I had more time. With just over a year, I could use my ever-growing strength to turn Flashgold Town into a second Morent!” Charles sighed, took out a beaker, laid his fair wrist across it, deactivated his protective aura, and gently drew a cut with a dagger. Crimson blood flowed out.

But it only covered the bottom of the beaker before clotting completely, forcing Charles to grit his teeth and slice again.

He wasn’t self-harming for no reason—after fusing with the Heart of Life, his blood brimmed with vital energy, far surpassing the effects of ginseng or lingzhi mushrooms, and was immensely beneficial to the human body.

Clinical tests had shown that, with certain neutralizing herbs added, it could significantly enhance the physique of an ordinary person, so he used it to craft life-saving potions for his father.

“Charles Maesterin
Spirit: 2.8, Strength: 1.2, Constitution: 3.3, Agility: 1.3
First-level Spirit Master, Master-level Totem Artist, Main Totem: Firefly.”

After fusing with the Heart of Life, Charles felt his heart’s power multiply several times over, each beat as strong as a giant beast’s.

Most astonishing was that the Heart of Life’s energy flowed ceaselessly through his heart, transforming his blood and circulating through his body. All his physical attributes, except for his spirit, increased slowly and steadily—without consuming any evolution points!

He also discovered that a score of 3 seemed to be the limit for an ordinary human body; with his constitution above 3, his recovery was extraordinary. Small wounds healed completely within minutes, and even from a deep cut, the bleeding stopped almost instantly, new skin and flesh forming so that by the next day he would be fully healed.

Marcus, the rank-level warrior, already boasted remarkable regeneration, but compared to Charles, he wasn’t even qualified to carry his shoes!

“I can’t help but wonder—if I keep strengthening myself this way, will I become a delicacy like the legendary Tang Monk’s flesh?” Charles’ eyes sparkled with anticipation at the thought.

……

Early the next morning, Charles was already riding out into the forest, directing Bear One, Bear Two, and the other giant beasts as they completed the final cleanup.

The mine was located on a low hill less than a hundred meters high, once littered with massive boulders, but under the brute force of the beasts, every stone was cleared away, creating a smooth path.

Then, the two bears and the gorilla, all equipped with steel gloves, became living excavators searching for ore veins. Once they found them, they stopped; in only two days, they had dug several deep pits, each dozens of meters down. Now it was time for the miners to take over.

These beasts could only rely on brute force—any further digging and they might bury themselves alive.

Though Marcus had already seen the giant swamp crocodile and Komodo dragon, he was still stunned at the sight of these immense beasts—their sheer presence overwhelmed him.

He’d once been confident in his own strength, but now, not even a single beast was within his reach. In a fight to the death, he’d be swatted aside in an instant.

“Uncle Marcus, these beasts are yours to look after now. Leave one at the manor for protection, and keep the others near the mine. Don’t forget to feed them enough,” Charles instructed, ensuring the evolved totem beasts would obey Marcus’ orders.

“Alright, alright!” Marcus swallowed hard, his throat dry.

Each of these beasts surpassed the strongest of his memories, like creatures from prehistory, exuding an intimidating aura.

“All the prey in the area has already been hunted out, so you’ll need to provide five cattle a day. Don’t forget, or if I’m not around and they starve, something could go very wrong,” Charles reminded him.

With such power and size, their appetites were naturally enormous—far beyond what ordinary people could manage.

“Understood, young master. I’ll remember!” Marcus’s heart skipped a beat as he realized that if these beasts went berserk, truly no one could stop them.

“But no need to worry—they wouldn’t dare disobey me,” Charles smiled, then pointed to the little hill now filled with pits. “Alright, it’s time to let the miners move in and start working.”

They’d already carried out a thorough survey. This entire iron vein harbored exceptionally rich resources; with enough workers, the profits would soon surpass even those of a gold mine.

“Next, these beasts will dig a canal to the Moonlight River, so the ore can be shipped by water to Flashgold Town, where it meets the Seine. We’ll set up a large steel mill there. For now, with so few people, we’ll just build the basic infrastructure and sell the ore directly. We’ll wait for my return to do anything more.”

“Understood.”

Hailing from the azure planet of the twenty-first century, Charles was well aware that raw materials yielded little profit; it was deep processing that made real fortunes. But, lacking people and technology, this was the only way for now.

“We’re still short-handed. On this trip, I have to find a way to bring back a group of people!”

……

That morning at dawn, Charles was already in his father’s room, preparing to say farewell to Baron Byano.

“Father, I’m sorry I can’t go to the Imperial Royal Academy. I’ve chosen another path,” Charles said apologetically.

His father had spared no cost for him to enter the empire’s greatest institution, but now Charles was abandoning it without hesitation.

He had no choice—the Royal Academy would never teach anything about Spirit Masters. Only Morent could offer him the knowledge he needed to progress further.

Thanks to the medicine brewed from his blood, the baron had regained consciousness, though still weak. “Go, my child. I will not interfere with your decision. I know your world is vast, and your future will not be confined to the little Flashgold Town, or even the Harrison Empire. Go, and I will support you with all my strength.”

“Yes, Father. Take care of yourself,” Charles replied, rising and leaving the room without looking back.

He did not see the mist welling in his father’s eyes. This parting would mean more than just a thousand miles...

In the manor, Charles walked as he gave Marcus final instructions: “Uncle Marcus, if Sain City sends anyone again, just have the beasts intercept them. Don’t bother with diplomacy... And don’t forget, if I don’t return in two months—”

“Charles, hurry up!”

In the distance, Irene, dressed in an ivory gown, called out to him, while Leslie stood by, staring blankly.

“Alright, coming!” Charles replied with a smile, climbing into the long-awaited carriage.

The horses set off, and under the gaze of Marcus, Simon, and the others, slowly departed the manor...