Bloodline Awakening: Tempest in the Bizarre World

Chapter 5

"Naether! Are you really going to abandon the protection of the gods?" A shout filled with accusation, as if carrying the majesty of the gods, exploded in Walter's chaotic consciousness.

The morning sunlight, filtered through a hair - thin window crack, struggled to cast a long, narrow beam of light beside the bed. Walter slowly woke up, his head groggy, feeling like he had a hangover, and for a moment, he couldn't tell reality from dreams. The thrilling encounter from last night still loomed over him like a dark cloud. Strangely, beneath the shadow of fear, there was a faint, indescribable excitement.

He sat up slowly, his eyes scanning the surroundings blankly. At that moment, the world seemed to be recalibrated. Sounds, smells, and light - all sensory information surged into his perception like a violent tide. Everything around him, even the tiniest speck of dust, was vividly reflected in his mind, and an unprecedented sense of control emerged, as if he had become the master of this world.

"Is this a breakthrough in perception?" Walter murmured to himself in his heart, his voice full of surprise and confusion. However, this wonderful state was like a flash in the pan and disappeared in an instant. Thinking back to before last night, his perception had only been at the most basic level. What he saw was just what it was, simple and straightforward. But in that life - and - death moment last night, his various perceptions suddenly intertwined and merged, and he could even collide with the consciousness of other creatures. That feeling was both novel and dangerous. If he hadn't managed to break free from that state in time and continued to fight the black - smoke werewolf head - on, he would probably have been drowned in the powerful torrent of the other's perception and fallen into endless darkness and unconsciousness.

Walter took a deep breath, trying to calm his pounding heart. He got up and started to tidy up the messy attic. The faint conversation downstairs caught his attention. He picked up the "Holy Scripture" on the bedside and flipped through it as he slowly walked downstairs.

Downstairs, Friar Vra was chatting animatedly with Alice. From their words, Walter could tell that they seemed to be discussing tuition fees. In the Sky City behind Shates City, there was a prestigious Holy Radiance Theological Seminary. Most of the friars and nobles in the surrounding areas graduated from this seminary. However, for an ordinary civilian family like the Arthur family, the exorbitant tuition fees were an insurmountable obstacle.

Friar Vra had always had high hopes for Walter. He thought that this young man was extremely talented and had a bright future. But he himself was just an ordinary friar, not well - off financially, and simply couldn't afford the huge expenses for Walter to enter the seminary. Moreover, Walter himself had no interest in the seminary at all. In his view, entering the seminary was like stepping into a dangerous trap, which would only plunge him into a greater predicament.

When Vra saw Walter coming downstairs with the "Holy Scripture" in his hands, a trace of regret flashed in his eyes. He couldn't help but sigh that Walter was really born at an inopportune time. In the early years, before the seminary reform, civilians could enter the seminary smoothly just by passing a simple test and buying a copy of the "Holy Scripture". But now, with the growing power of the noble families, most seminaries had been reformed, and the admission threshold had been raised significantly. It was almost impossible for ordinary civilians to enter the seminary. Although the friars in the seminary had obtained more abundant resources and their status had become more noble, and Vra himself was one of the beneficiaries of this reform, he still felt deeply sorry for civilian talents like Walter.

"Friar Vra! It's been a long time since you've been here," Walter greeted him with a beaming smile, his face as bright as a blooming flower in spring. But soon, a hint of reluctance appeared on his face. Without hesitation, he handed the "Holy Scripture" to Vra and said sincerely, "Friar Vra, I've finished reading this book. Now I'm returning it to you. Thank you so much for lending it to me."

"I've been really busy recently, tied up with all kinds of trivial matters and couldn't get away," Vra took the "Holy Scripture". Looking at Walter, the regret in his heart grew even stronger. Although he was quite accomplished in his cultivation, he was ultimately just an ordinary friar with limited financial means. A large part of the reason for this was that he had repeatedly refused the "gifts" from the nobles in the city, which were often given with ulterior motives. He didn't want to be bound by the power of those nobles.

Just as he took the "Holy Scripture", Vra felt that there was something laced between the pages of the book. He opened the book curiously and saw a small piece of thin wood with a drawing made of charcoal on it. Although the lines were a bit rough and the picture was rather simple, upon closer inspection, it could be seen that this drawing was imitated from the illustrations in the "Holy Scripture" with a high degree of similarity. Uncle Aris was good at carpentry, and Walter had found this piece of wood and charcoal in his small carpentry workshop. These days, Walter had been carefully preparing to become a painter, and this drawing was his "stepping - stone" to the future.

"Did you draw this?" Friar Vra asked in surprise and delight, his eyes shining with excitement. Although the materials and painting techniques of this drawing were rough, it couldn't hide Walter's talent in painting.

"Um..." Walter lowered his head slightly, a blush rising on his face, and replied shyly, then fell silent. But his heart was beating faster unconsciously, for he knew that half of his plan had been successful.

"Seems like this trick really worked!" Walter thought to himself triumphantly. Although his situation with Vra was a bit special, the principle was the same. First, he let Vra see his talent in theology, arousing Vra's expectations, but Vra couldn't afford to support him to enter the seminary. Then, when the alternative option of his painting talent emerged, out of guilt and the desire to help him, Vra was likely to make some compromises, even if this choice might make Vra slightly go against his usual principles. To some extent, Walter was indeed taking advantage of Vra's kindness and compassion.

"I never expected you to have such remarkable talent in painting," Vra spared no praise. He held the "Holy Scripture" tightly in his hand and said excitedly, "I know several painters who are very accomplished in painting. I'll go and discuss with them later. Maybe we can arrange for you to learn painting skills from them. Maybe you can become an excellent painter in the future."

"Hurry up and thank Friar Vra!" Alice pushed Walter excitedly from the side, a joyous smile on her face. She was eager to give some meat pies to Vra to express her gratitude, but Vra declined politely.

"If everything goes well, I'll come to pick you up early tomorrow morning," Vra said and then took his leave from the Arthur family. Before leaving, he muttered in a low voice, "The gods will look after those who are devout and hard - working."

Watching Vra's departing figure, Walter's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile. He said to himself silently in his heart, "The gods won't look after anyone. Only by our own efforts can we control our own destinies!"

"Walter?" Alice's voice came from behind. Walter turned around and showed a shy smile.

"That's great. You have a talent for painting and can get help from Friar Vra," Alice said happily. Since Walter came to the family, although he was very diligent and helped with a lot of housework and farm work, there was one more mouth to feed. The income of an ordinary family was limited, and more people working didn't necessarily mean increased earnings.

Walter smiled and walked into the kitchen, picked up the basket full of pickled vegetable pies, and prepared to go out and sell them. Except for the thrilling encounter with the powerful same - kind last night, everything was still within his plan.

Walter still remembered the night of the execution. Vra's stunning sword strike had shown his powerful strength. With Vra's status and ability, if he were willing to speak up, he could have obtained a lot of benefits. According to Walter's judgment, asking to participate in the restoration of the church murals as an apprentice and learning from the painters should be just within Vra's psychological bottom line.

"Although I've done a lot of covering up, that person will eventually find Roya!" Walter thought as he skillfully sold a pickled vegetable pie. He put down the cover cloth, wiped the sweat from his face with the back of his hand, and gently rubbed the conspicuous scar on his face.